Verbal knowledge, working memory, and processing speed as predictors of verbal learning in older adults
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9788688 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Philippe Rast (0000-0003-3630-6629, University of Victoria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1490-1498 |
| Publication date | 2011-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Developmental Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037/a0023422 |
| PMID | 21574701 |
| OpenAlex | W2045506274 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 19 |
The present study aimed at modeling individual differences in a verbal learning task by means of a latent structured growth curve approach based on an exponential function that yielded 3 parameters: initial recall, learning rate, and asymptotic performance. Three cognitive variables-speed of information processing, verbal knowledge, working memory-and the participant's age were included in the model in order to explain individual differences in the learning parameters. The data come from the second wave of the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging (D. Zimprich, Martin, et al., 2008) comprising 334 participants ranging in age from 66 to 81 years (M = 74.43, SD = 4.41). Among the logistic, the Gompertz, and the hyperbolic function, the exponential function described the data best. Reliable individual differences were found in all 3 learning parameters. The cognitive predictor variables affected the verbal learning parameters differentially: All 3 predictors affected positively initial recall, the asymptotic performance increased with better working memory and faster processing speed, and the learning rate was positively associated with verbal knowledge only. Age did not affect the learning parameters but correlated negatively with working memory and processing speed. The finding of large and reliable individual differences in learning is seen as evidence that the potential for positive change, or plasticity in adulthood is maintained and that it is worthwhile to enhance the determinants of learning or learning itself
California Verbal Learning Test · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Latent growth modeling · Recall · Verbal learning · Verbal memory · Working memory · Aging and Gerontology Research · Cognitive Abilities and Testing · Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research · Psychology
Stochastic models for learning.
Latent Curve Analysis
The nature of individual differences in working memory capacity
The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition.
Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory.
Toward a statistical theory of learning.
The phonological loop as a language learning device.
Working memory, short-term memory, and general fluid intelligence
Successful Aging as Management of Resources
Levels of processing
Working Memory, Thought, and Action
Structural Equations with Latent Variables
Testing-the-Limits and Experimental Simulation
Cross-Sectional Analysis of Time-Dependent Data
Further testing of limits of cognitive plasticity
The age variable in psychological research
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2025 (9) |
| Highly cited | No |