Abstract
The influence of aging on memory has been extensively studied, but the importance of short-term memory and recall sequence has not. The objective of the current study was to examine the recall order of words presented on lists and to determine if age affects recall sequence. Physically and psychologically healthy male subjects were divided into two groups according to age, i.e., 23 young subjects (20 to 30 years) and 50 elderly subjects (60 to 70 years) submitted to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised and the free word recall test. The order of word presentation significantly affected the 3rd and 4th words recalled (P < 0.01; F = 14.6). In addition, there was interaction between the presentation order and the type of list presented (P < 0.05; F = 9.7). Also, both groups recalled the last words presented from each list (words 13-15) significantly more times 3rd and 4th than words presented in all remaining positions (P < 0.01). The order of word presentation also significantly affected the 5th and 6th words recalled (P = 0.05; F = 7.5) and there was a significant interaction between the order of presentation and the type of list presented (P < 0.01; F = 20.8). The more developed the cognitive functions, resulting mainly from formal education, the greater the cognitive reserve, helping to minimize the effects of aging on the long-term memory (episodic declarative).
Highlights
The influence of age on cognitive performance has been described [1,2]
For both young and elderly groups, the 1st two words recalled corresponded to the words presented in the same position on the list, suggesting a similar search strategy based on short-term memory
Hanson [16] reported similar findings in a study assessing the role of the phonetic code in retaining information in short-term memory. This search pattern remained the same for the 3rd and 4th words recalled, on lists with semantically related words in the middle positions recall of semantically related words caused an increase in recall of middle-positioned words
Summary
The influence of age on cognitive performance has been described [1,2]. Some functions appear to be more resistant to the aging process, while others decline more quickly [3]. Memory dysfunction predominates among the more common complaints of cognitive decline in the aged [1,4]. The influence of aging on memory has been extensively studied and the role of short-term memory in stimulus recall sequence has been thoroughly examined, its importance has not been emphasized [2,4]. Some studies have sought to relate episodic memory deficit to defective semantic processing, and others have examined whether altered working memory may be a factor that disrupts episodic memory [9,10]. One factor that may be responsible for working memory deficit is reduced speed of information processing [11]
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