title: The effect of age on the learning of a nondeclarative category classification task.
abstract: A category classification task was administered to participants in their twenties through their eighties. Participants studied a set of high distortions of a prototype dot pattern and were then asked to choose whether or not a new set of dot patterns (random patterns, high distortions, low distortions, and the prototype) belonged to the same category of dot patterns as studied. Participants were also administered a recognition test after studying a second set of dot patterns. There were no significant differences for age groups on the pattern recognition test. In 2 of the 3 analyses of the category classification task, there were no significant age effects. However, there was a small age effect in one analysis with the young making more accurate classifications on two aspects of the task. The results are consistent with the view that small age-related effects may exist for some tests of nondeclarative memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, USA. hdavis@mail.ucss.edu
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Klebe
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bever
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spring
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis