title: Correlates of individual, and age-related, differences in short-term learning.
abstract: Latent growth models were applied to data on multitrial verbal and spatial learning tasks from two independent studies. Although significant individual differences in both initial level of performance and subsequent learning were found in both tasks, age differences were found only in mean initial level, and not in mean learning. In neither task was fluid or crystallized intelligence associated with learning. Although there were moderate correlations among the level parameters across the verbal and spatial tasks, the learning parameters were not significantly correlated with one another across task modalities. These results are inconsistent with the existence of a general (e.g., material-independent) learning ability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, United States.
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, United States.
authors.forename: Hasker P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, United States.
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Salthouse
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, United States.
authors.forename: Elliot M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Tucker-Drob
keywords: General learning ability; Growth curve models; Intelligence; Spatial learning; Verbal learning