title: Age Effects in Implicit Memory: The Role of Response Competition Induced by Relative Word Frequency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the effect of age and response competition on implicit memory performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Younger and older adults studied high- and low-frequency words and took a word stem completion test that could be completed with multiple solutions. To manipulate response competition, the test list consisted of word stems that could be completed with target low-frequency words, as well as multiple other solutions with higher frequencies than the target (the high response competition condition) and word stems that could be completed with target high-frequency words, as well as multiple other solutions with lower frequencies than the target (the low response competition condition).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to younger adults, older adults showed reduced levels of priming only under conditions of high response competition (low-frequency targets with high-frequency competitors).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In support of a response competition mechanism, older adults were more likely to complete stems with nonstudied high-frequency solutions than were younger adults. Results demonstrate that older adults have reduced priming compared with younger adults under some conditions of high response competition.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Texas A&M University , College Station , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Geraci
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Saint Peter's University , Jersey City , New Jersey , USA.
authors.forename: Maryellen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Spelman College , Atlanta , Georgia , USA.
authors.forename: Jimmeka J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Guillory
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult