title: Repetition priming in adults with Williams syndrome: age-related dissociation between implicit and explicit memory.
abstract: We examined implicit and explicit memory in adults with Williams syndrome. An age-related dissociation was found; repetition priming (reflecting implicit memory) did not show change with age, but free recall (reflecting explicit memory) was markedly reduced. We also compared the performance of adults with Williams syndrome to adults with Down syndrome and those with unspecified mental retardation. A similar dissociation was observed in adults with Down syndrome but not in adults with unspecified mental retardation. An IQ-related dissociation was also found. Implicit and explicit memory, therefore, show different degrees of association with age and IQ, supporting theories of these memory processes. Results also suggest that Williams syndrome, similar to Down syndrome, may be associated with precocious aging, resulting in the loss of some cognitive abilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY 10314-6399, USA. sjkmchale@comcast.net
authors.forename: Sharon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Krinsky-McHale
authors.forename: Phyllis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kittler
authors.forename: W Ted
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Edmund C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Darlynne A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Devenny
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010641:Phenotype; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018980:Williams Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*