Fragmented pictures revisited: long-term changes in repetition priming, relation to skill learning, and the role of cognitive resources.
BACKGROUND
Whereas age-related declines in declarative memory have been demonstrated in multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, the effect of age on non-declarative manifestations of memory, such as repetition priming and perceptual skill learning, are less clear. The common assumption, based on cross-sectional studies, is that these processes are only mildly (if at all) affected by age.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate long-term changes in repetition priming and age-related differences in identification of fragmented pictures in a 5-year longitudinal design.


METHODS
Healthy adults (age 28-82 years) viewed drawings of objects presented in descending order of fragmentation. The identification threshold (IT) was the highest fragmentation level at which the object was correctly named. After a short interval, old pictures were presented again along with a set of similar but novel pictures. Five years later the participants repeated the experiment.


RESULTS
At baseline and 5-year follow-up alike, one repeated exposure improved IT for old (priming) and new (skill acquisition) pictures. However, long-term retention of priming gains was observed only in young adults. Working memory explained a significant proportion of variance in within-occasion priming, long-term priming, and skill learning.


CONCLUSIONS
Contrary to cross-sectional results, this longitudinal study suggests perceptual repetition priming is not an age-invariant phenomenon and advanced age and reduced availability of cognitive resources may contribute to its decline.
Kennedy
Kristen M
KM
Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
Rodrigue
Karen M
KM
Raz
Naftali
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010466:Perceptual Closure / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors