Explicit Contamination Contributes to Aging Effects in Episodic Priming

Behavioral and ERP Evidence

Bibliographic Data

ID12442645
AuthorsDomonick J Wegesin (Columbia University, corresponding author), Justin M Ream, Yarden Stern (0000-0001-7542-3241)
Year2004
Volume59
Issue6
PagesP317-P324
Publication date2004-11-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journals of Gerontology Series B (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1079-5014 • E-ISSN: 1758-5368
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/geronb/59.6.p317
PMID15576859
OpenAlexW2161615555
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited38

We examined the impact of explicit contamination on age-related changes in episodic priming. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) from older and younger adults to primed and unprimed nouns tested in a recognition memory task. Results revealed that the magnitude of priming was greater in the younger adults. ERPs revealed a priming effect in the younger adults that was absent in older adults. Findings suggest that explicit contamination may account for the reported aging effect: Item memory was correlated with episodic priming and ERP priming in younger adults, but not older adults; item memory was associated with episodic priming after aging effects were controlled for; and the topographies of the young's priming and item memory effects were indistinguishable. Given the apparent vulnerability to contamination by explicit memory, we suggest caution when researchers use an episodic priming paradigm to assess aging effects in implicit memory

Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Episodic memory · Event-related potential · Explicit memory · Implicit memory · Priming (agriculture · Young adult · Child and Animal Learning Development · Memory Processes and Influences · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Neuroscience · Psychology

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