Retest learning in the absence of item-specific effects: does it show in the oldest-old?
This study examined whether the nonitem-specific retest learning effects, previously shown with young-old adults primarily in their 60s and 70s, could be extended to oldest-old adults aged 80 and onward. Twenty-one oldest-olds participated in an 8-session retest training program with three ability domains: perceptual speed, inductive reasoning, and visual attention. Their data were compared with the data of 30 young-olds collected in a previous work (Yang, Reed, Russo, & Wilkinson, 2009). The two age groups showed largely equivalent retest learning effects. In addition, only young-olds were able to benefit from item-specific retest learning, specifically in reasoning and perceptual speed tests.
Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. lixiay@ryerson.ca
Lixia
L
Yang
Maureen
M
Reed
Connie
C
Kuan
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology