title: Age-related sex differences in verbal memory.
abstract: Verbal learning and memory were studied in 196 healthy men and women aged 40 to 89. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task (RAVLT), a 15-word list, was presented over five trials followed by free recall after each trial. A recognition trial of 50 words subsequently was administered. A stepwise regression that examined the contributions of age, sex, and vocabulary on the five trials of the RAVLT showed that age and sex accounted for a significant portion of the variance on each trial. Vocabulary accounted for a significant portion of the variance only on trials 4 and 5. The recognition trial was not affected by age, sex, or vocabulary. Men had lower scores overall as compared to women. In the older age group (ages 66-89), this difference was significant on trials two through five. Possible mechanisms that may underlie these age-related sex differences in learning curves are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Baltimore, Maryland 21224.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bleecker
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bolla-Wilson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agnew
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Meyers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D014706:Verbal Learning