The importance of encoding instructions and retrieval cues in the assessment of memory in senile dementia.
Sixteen senile dementia patients learned a categorized word list under different encoding and retrieval conditions. Recall increased when explanation of the category structure during encoding was combined with category cueing at retrieval. Explanation of the category structure given at presentation of the list to be remembered did not, by itself, increase recall. Also retrieval cueing with category names did not, by itself, facilitate recall. The recall performance of twelve normal elderly differed quantitatively and qualitatively from the performance of the dementia patients. However, patients suffering from senile dementia can, under certain conditions, benefit from the organization in a categorized list. While working with demented patients one has to be prepared to pay attention to the hidden potentials that do not show up spontaneously.
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology