The emergence of age-related changes in recognition memory in healthy middle-aged adults using the CVLT-II. Issue 6 (1st November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Williams, Mckenna E.; Graves, Lisa V.; Van Etten, Emily J.; Holden, Heather M.; Delano-Wood, Lisa; Bondi, Mark W.; Corey-Bloom, Jody; Delis, Dean C.; Gilbert, Paul E.
• Is Part Of: Aging, neuropsychology, and cognition. Volume 27:Issue 6(2020)
• Page Start: 854
• Page End: 863
• Publication Date: 2020-11-01
• Subjects: Aging -- recognition memory -- middle age -- California verbal learning test -- semantic interference; Aging -- Periodicals; Cognition in old age -- Periodicals; Cognition disorders in old age -- Periodicals; Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; Aging -- periodicals; Neuropsychology -- periodicals; Cognition -- periodicals; Mental Disorders -- periodicals; Gerontology -- periodicals; Mental Health -- periodicals; 155.67
• DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2019.1700897
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1382-5585

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Although age-related memory differences between young and older adults have been well documented, fewer studies have investigated memory changes in middle age. We examined the performance of healthy middle-aged adults (40–55 years of age; n = 32) in relation to healthy young (18–25 years of age; n = 57) and older adults (65+ years of age; n = 55) on variations of recognition discriminability (RD) indices derived from the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II). Middle-aged adults performed significantly worse ( p s < .05) than young adults on multiple RD indices that incorporate semantically related distractor items, suggesting memory changes in middle age may be associated with increased susceptibility to semantic interference. Moreover, middle-aged adults performed comparably to older adults across all RD indices, indicating the recognition profile of middle-aged adults on RD indices more closely resembles that of older adults than young adults.