Learning In Adults Research Articles

A Circle-Drawing Task for Studying Reward-Based Motor Learning in Children and Adults

Childhood is an obvious period for motor learning, since children’s musculoskeletal and nervous systems are still in development. Adults adapt movements based on reward feedback about success and failure, but it is less established whether school-age children also exhibit such reward-based motor learning. We designed a new ‘circle-drawing’ task suitable for assessing reward-based motor learning in both children (7–17 years old) and adults (18–65 years old). Participants drew circles with their unseen hand on a tablet. They received binary reward feedback after each attempt based on the proximity of the average radius of their drawing to a target radius set as double the radius of their baseline drawings. We rewarded about 50% of the trials based on a performance-dependent reward criterion. Both children (10.1 ± 2.5 (mean ± SD) years old) and adults (37.6 ± 10.2 years old) increased the radius of their drawings in the direction of the target radius. We observed no difference in learning between children and adults. Moreover, both groups changed the radius, less following reward than following reward absence, which is a sign of reward-based motor learning. We conclude that school-age children, like adults, exhibit reward-based motor learning.

Distinct mechanisms for online and offline motor skill learning across human development.

The human central nervous system (CNS) undergoes tremendous changes from childhood to adulthood and this may affect how individuals at different stages of development learn new skills. Here, we studied motor skill learning in children, adolescents, and young adults to test the prediction that differences in the maturation of different learning mechanisms lead to distinct temporal patterns of motor learning during practice and overnight. We found that overall learning did not differ between children, adolescents, and young adults. However, we demonstrate that adult-like skill learning is characterized by rapid and large improvements in motor performance during practice (i.e., online) that are susceptible to forgetting and decay over time (i.e., offline). On the other hand, child-like learning exhibits slower and less pronounced improvements in performance during practice, but these improvements are robust against forgetting and lead to gains in performance overnight without further practice. The different temporal dynamics of motor skill learning suggest an engagement of distinct learning mechanisms in the human CNS during development. In conclusion, adult-like skill learning mechanisms favor online improvements in motor performance whereas child-like learning mechanisms favors offline behavioral gains. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Many essential motor skills, like walking, talking, and writing, are acquired during childhood, and it is colloquially thought that children learn better than adults. We investigated dynamics of motor skill learning in children, adolescents, and young adults. Adults displayed substantial improvements during practice that was susceptible to forgetting over time. Children displayed smaller improvements during practice that were resilient against forgetting. The distinct age-related characteristics of these processes of acquisition and consolidation suggest that skill learning relies on different mechanisms in the immature and mature central nervous system.

Non-exercise-based interventions to support healthy ageing in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Healthy ageing is a multidimensional construct, where various factors play a role in influencing wellbeing in older age. Many studies heavily emphasise the importance of physical activity, negating other aspects such as psychosocial or cognitive influences. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of non-exercise-based interventions on the quality of life (QoL) and life satisfaction of community-dwelling, healthy older adults. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials was conducted. Four electronic databases were searched from inception. Three independent reviewers screened the articles and appraised the risk of bias. Data relating to study characteristics, intervention and outcomes were extracted. The mean difference and standardised mean difference with 95% confidence intervals were synthesised to pool effect sizes. Outcomes that could not be included in the meta-analysis were synthesised narratively. Thirty-six articles from 35 randomised controlled trials, involving 6,127 older adults, were included. Most were multi-component interventions and involved supporting lifelong learning. Most participants were females (70.2%). Pooled analyses revealed small but statistically significant effects on overall QoL (SMD=0.26, CI: 0.00 to 0.53), and QoL subscales relating to mental health and psychological wellbeing (SMD=0.26, CI: 0.12-0.41) and environment (SMD=0.31, CI: 0.03-0.58). Effects on social health and functioning, and role functioning related to physical health were marginal. There were no improvements in other subscales. Results revealed non statistically significant improvements in life satisfaction. Multicomponent non-exercise-based interventions that support lifelong learning in older adults can support healthy ageing, particularly in improving overall QoL, and mental health, social health and environment QoL subscales.

Aptitude, Anxiety, and Success in L2 Speech Development: A Longitudinal Study of Chinese EFL College-Level Learners.

This study examined the second language (L2) speech development of a group of Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) college-level learners (N = 83) and the association between their aptitude, anxiety, and L2 speech development. The performance of the participants' L2 speech, including speech comprehensibility and accentedness, was evaluated using a sentence reading task and a pair of picture description tasks (pre- and post-test). In addition, students completed the LLAMA tests (language learning and aptitude measurement in adults) and the Second Language Speaking Anxiety Scale (SLSAS). The t-test revealed that after one semester of English speaking and pronunciation instruction, the EFL students in the study demonstrated significant gains in their L2 speech performance in terms of accentedness and comprehensibility in both controlled and impromptu tasks. Regression analyses revealed that phonemic coding ability positively predicted gains in comprehensibility but negatively predicted gains in accentedness during sentence reading. In addition, associative memory was positively associated with comprehensibility gains in the picture description task. Anxiety appeared to be a strong predictor of participants' gains in speech comprehensibility and accentedness during the picture description task.

THE FORMATION OF POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS AS A MOTIVATIONAL RESOURCE FOR PERSONNEL TRAINING

The purpose of the article: based on the analysis of the most popular theories of motivation to study, to show the role of the formation of positive expectations in adult study participants on motivation to study and its results. Motivation to study is understood as a hypothetical construction that consists of a general set of processes, methods, and means of motivating individuals to productive cognitive activity, and active assimilation of knowledge, which depends on the level of formation of their motivation to study, as well as the desire and desire to learn. One of the factors of motivation is expectations, which are interpreted as the result or its probability, what a person would like to get from his efforts and, accordingly, exactly what efforts he is ready to spend for this. The article examines the theories of activity motivation and learning motivation with a focus on the formation of positive learning expectations as a factor in motivating the learning activities of employees of enterprises. It analyzes how expectations affect the motivation of learning in adults, how they can be used in the formation of learning strategies, and which needs are the most critical for the formation of internal learning motivation. It was determined that according to the latest research, the most relevant expectations in the formation of educational motivation are the interaction of the need for autonomy, competence, social context, the practicality of acquired knowledge, the formation of a positive educational experience, and incorrectly formed expectations can be a powerful demotivating factor. Keywords: learning motivation, internal and external learning motives, learning motivation in crisis conditions

Elucidating a statistical learning brain network: Coordinate-based meta-analyses and functional connectivity profiles of artificial grammar learning in healthy adults

Abstract Language rehabilitation centers on modifying its use through experience-based neuroplasticity. Statistical learning of language is essential to its acquisition and likely its rehabilitation following brain injury, but its corresponding brain networks remain elusive. Coordinate-based meta-analyses were conducted to identify common and distinct brain activity across 25 studies coded for meta-data and experimental contrasts (Grammatical and Ungrammatical). The resultant brain regions served as seeds for profiling functional connectivity in large task-independent and task-dependent data sets. Hierarchical clustering of these profiles grouped brain regions into three subnetworks associated with statistical learning processes. Functional decoding clarified the mental operations associated with those subnetworks. Results support a left-dominant language sub-network and two cognitive control networks as scaffolds for language rule identification, maintenance, and application in healthy adults. These data suggest that cognitive control is necessary to track regularities across stimuli and imperative for rule identification and application of grammar. Future empirical investigation of these brain networks in language learning in individuals with brain injury will clarify their prognostic role in language recovery.

Comparing the effects of anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation of primary motor cortex at varying intensities on motor learning in healthy young adults.

Inconsistent results are observed in the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with different montages on motor learning. This study aimed to compare the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS) over primary motor cortex (M1) at different intensities on motor learning in healthy young adults. The participants were randomly divided into: (1) 1mA M1 c-tDCS, (2) 1mA M1 anodal tDCS (a-tDCS), (3) 2mA M1 c-tDCS, (4) 2mA M1 a-tDCS and (5) M1 sham tDCS groups. The groups received 20-min stimulation with serial reaction time task (SRTT) incidentally, while the tDCS was turned off after 30 s in the sham tDCS group. Response time (RT) and error rate (ER) during SRTT were assessed prior, during and 72 h after the intervention. The results of the paired t-test indicated that online learning occurred in all groups (p< 0.05), except in M1 c-tDCS (1mA) (p> 0.05). One-way ANOVA analysis also indicated that there were differences in offline learning (RT (F(DF) =5.19(4); p< 0.001; and ER (F(DF) =9(4), p< 0.0001) among groups, with more offline learning in 1mA M1 a-tDCS, 2mA M1 c-tDCS and 2mA M1 a-tDCS groups (p< 0.05). On the other hand, the 1mA M1 c-tDCS group did not indicate any consolidation effect or even a trend toward negative offline learning. M1 a-tDCS with different intensities and also 2mA M1 c-tDCS may be helpful for the enhancement of motor learning in young healthy adults. This study enhances our understanding of tDCS intensity and polarity effects on motor learning, with potential for optimizing therapeutic protocols.

Dose-dependent effect of acute THC on extinction memory recall and fear renewal: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Prior work from our lab and others demonstrates that the endocannabinoid system is a promising avenue for improving fear memory deficits in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, 7.5mg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) decreases fear responding in healthy adults and increases prefrontal cortex activation during extinction learning and fear renewal in adults with PTSD. The present study will determine whether there is a dose-dependent effect of THC on short-term (24h) and long-term (one week) fear learning and memory in adults with PTSD. Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, N = 36 adults with PTSD completed the study and were randomized to receive placebo (PBO, n = 11), 5mg of THC (n = 11), or 10mg of THC (n = 14) prior to fear extinction learning. Participants completed a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm with extinction recall and fear renewal occurring 24h and one week later, where we measured concurrent functional imaging and behavioral responses. Twenty-four hours after drug administration, individuals with PTSD given 5mg of THC exhibited greater anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex activation during early fear renewal. One week later, individuals given 10mg of THC exhibited greater hippocampus activation during extinction recall and prefrontal cortex activation during fear renewal. These data suggest that dosing and timing are critical for facilitating fear memory processes in PTSD, and that low-dose oral THC prior to extinction learning can affect brain indices of fear learning and memory both acutely and one week after administration.

Hyperexcitability and translational phenotypes in a preclinical mouse model of SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability

Disruption of SYNGAP1 directly causes a genetically identifiable neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) called SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability (SRID). Without functional SynGAP1 protein, individuals are developmentally delayed and have prominent features of intellectual disability (ID), motor impairments, and epilepsy. Over the past two decades, there have been numerous discoveries indicating the critical role of Syngap1. Several rodent models with a loss of Syngap1 have been engineered, identifying precise roles in neuronal structure and function, as well as key biochemical pathways key for synapse integrity. Homozygous loss of SYNGAP1/Syngap1 is lethal. Heterozygous mutations of Syngap1 result in a broad range of behavioral phenotypes. Our in vivo functional data, using the original mouse model from the Huganir laboratory, corroborated behaviors including robust hyperactivity and deficits in learning and memory in young adults. Furthermore, we described impairments in the domain of sleep, characterized using neurophysiological data that was collected with wireless, telemetric electroencephalography (EEG). Syngap1+/− mice exhibited elevated spiking events and spike trains, in addition to elevated power, most notably in the delta power frequency. For the first time, we illustrated that primary neurons from Syngap1+/− mice displayed: 1) increased network firing activity, 2) greater bursts, 3) and shorter inter-burst intervals between peaks, by utilizing high density microelectrode arrays (HD-MEA). Our work bridges in vitro electrophysiological neuronal activity and function with in vivo neurophysiological brain activity and function. These data elucidate quantitative, translational biomarkers in vivo and in vitro that can be utilized for the development and efficacy assessment of targeted treatments for SRID.

Aging, brain plasticity, and motor learning.

Motor skill learning, the process of acquiring new motor skills, is critically important across the lifespan, from early development through adulthood and into older age, as well as in pathological conditions (i.e., rehabilitation). Extensive research has demonstrated that motor skill acquisition in young adults is accompanied by significant neuroplastic changes, including alterations in brain structure (gray and white matter), function (i.e., activity and connectivity), and neurochemistry (i.e., levels of neurotransmitters). In the aging population, motor performance typically declines, characterized by slower and less accurate movements. However, despite these age-related changes, older adults maintain the capacity for skill improvement through training. In this review, we explore the extent to which the aging brain retains the ability to adapt in response to motor learning, specifically whether skill acquisition is accompanied by neural changes. Furthermore, we discuss the associations between inter-individual variability in brain structure and function and the potential for future learning in older adults. Finally, we consider the use of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at optimizing motor learning in this population. Our review provides insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of motor learning in older adults and emphasizes strategies to enhance their motor skill acquisition.

Sleep improves accuracy, but not speed, of generalized motor learning in young and older adults and in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

An essential aspect of motor learning is generalizing procedural knowledge to facilitate skill acquisition across diverse conditions. Here, we examined the development of generalized motor learning during initial practice-dependent learning, and how distinct components of learning are consolidated over longer timescales during wakefulness or sleep. In the first experiment, a group of young healthy volunteers engaged in a novel motor sequence task over 36 h in a two-arm experimental design (either morning-evening-morning, or evening-morning-evening) aimed at controlling for circadian confounders. The findings unveiled an immediate, rapid generalization of sequential learning, accompanied by an additional long-timescale performance gain. Sleep modulated accuracy, but not speed, above and beyond equivalent wake intervals. To further elucidate the role of sleep across ages and under neurodegenerative disorders, a second experiment utilized the same task in a group of early-stage, drug-naïve individuals with Parkinson's disease and in healthy individuals of comparable age. Participants with Parkinson's disease exhibited comparable performance to their healthy age-matched group with the exception of reduced performance in recalling motor sequences, revealing a disease-related cognitive shortfall. In line with the results found in young subjects, both groups exhibited improved accuracy, but not speed, following a night of sleep. This result emphasizes the role of sleep in skill acquisition and provides a potential framework for deeper investigation of the intricate relationship between sleep, aging, Parkinson's disease, and motor learning.

Estimating Breakfast Characteristics Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Machine Learning in Adults With or at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems allow detailed assessment of postprandial glucose responses (PPGR), offering new insights into food choices’ impact on dysglycemia. However, current approaches to analyze PPGR using a CGM require manual meal logging, limiting the scalability of CGM-driven applications like personalized nutrition and at-home diabetes risk assessment. Objective: We propose a machine learning (ML) framework to automatically identify and characterize breakfast-related PPGRs from CGM profiles in adults at risk of or living with noninsulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Our PPGR estimation framework uses a random forest ML algorithm trained on 15 adults without diabetes who wore a CGM for up to four weeks. The algorithm performance was evaluated on a held-out subset of the participants’ CGM data as well as on an external validation data set of 36 individuals at risk for or with noninsulin-treated T2D. Results: Our algorithm’s estimations of breakfast PPGRs displayed no statistically significant differences to annotated PPGRs, in terms of incremental area under the curve and glucose rise ( P &gt; .05 for both data sets), while a small difference in prebreakfast glucose was found in the nondiabetes data set ( P = .005) but not in the validation T2D data set ( P = .18). Conclusions: We designed an ML framework to automatically estimate the timing of meal events from CGM data in individuals without diabetes and in individuals at risk or with T2D. This could provide a more scalable approach for analyzing postprandial glycemia, increasing the feasibility of CGM-based precision nutrition and diabetes risk assessment applications.

Directing Attention Shapes Learning in Adults but Not Children

Children sometimes learn distracting information better than adults do, perhaps because of the development of selective attention. To understand this potential link, we ask how the learning of children (aged 7–9 years) and the learning of adults differ when information is the directed focus of attention versus when it is not. Participants viewed drawings of common objects and were told to attend to the drawings (Experiment 1: 42 children, 35 adults) or indicate when shapes (overlaid on the drawings) repeated (Experiment 2: 53 children, 60 adults). Afterward, participants identified fragments of these drawings as quickly as possible. Adults learned better than children when directed to attend to the drawings; however, when drawings were task irrelevant, children showed better learning than adults in the first half of the test. And although directing attention to the drawings improved learning in adults, children learned the drawings similarly across experiments regardless of whether the drawings were the focus of the task or entirely irrelevant.

Influence of surprise on reinforcement learning in younger and older adults.

Surprise is a key component of many learning experiences, and yet its precise computational role, and how it changes with age, remain debated. One major challenge is that surprise often occurs jointly with other variables, such as uncertainty and outcome probability. To assess how humans learn from surprising events, and whether aging affects this process, we studied choices while participants learned from bandits with either Gaussian or bi-modal outcome distributions, which decoupled outcome probability, uncertainty, and surprise. A total of 102 participants (51 older, aged 50-73; 51 younger, 19-30 years) chose between three bandits, one of which had a bimodal outcome distribution. Behavioral analyses showed that both age-groups learned the average of the bimodal bandit less well. A trial-by-trial analysis indicated that participants performed choice reversals immediately following large absolute prediction errors, consistent with heightened sensitivity to surprise. This effect was stronger in older adults. Computational models indicated that learning rates in younger as well as older adults were influenced by surprise, rather than uncertainty, but also suggested large interindividual variability in the process underlying learning in our task. Our work bridges between behavioral economics research that has focused on how outcomes with low probability affect choice in older adults, and reinforcement learning work that has investigated age differences in the effects of uncertainty and suggests that older adults overly adapt to surprising events, even when accounting for probability and uncertainty effects.

Using orthographic support to reduce the impact of noise on oral vocabulary learning in adults

BackgroundAlthough most prevalent in childhood, the acquisition of new words in oral vocabulary takes place right across the lifespan. Of the many factors that influence oral vocabulary learning, one extrinsic factor is the listening environment. The current study aimed to examine whether the presence of noise impacts oral vocabulary learning in adult native speakers of English and, if so, whether this can be alleviated by the incidental presence of orthography when introducing new words.MethodsSixty 18–35‐year‐old native speakers of English were divided into two groups: orthography present and orthography absent and were taught novel picture–word pairs either in quiet or in noise. Word learning was assessed using picture naming and picture–word‐matching tasks.ResultsThe results revealed that the presence of orthography during training reduced the negative impact of noise and supported word learning and retention in adults.ConclusionThese results are promising for vocabulary instruction practices in less‐than‐ideal listening environments where structural modifications are not a feasible option.

Investigating the acute effect of low and moderate intensity aerobic exercise on whole-body task learning and cognition in young adults.

Recent studies have shown that a single bout of exercise has acute improvements on various forms of memory, including procedural motor learning, through mechanisms such as the plasticity-promoting effect. This study aimed to examine (1) the acute effects of timing and intensity of aerobic exercise on the acquisition and retention of motor learning in healthy adults, (2) the effect of sleep quality of the night before and after acquisition on motor learning, and (3) the acute effects of low and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on cognitive functions. Seventy-five healthy adults were divided into five groups: Two groups performed low or moderate intensity aerobic exercise before motor practice; two groups performed low or moderate intensity aerobic exercise after motor practice; the control group only did motor practice. Low- and moderate-intensity exercises consisted of 30 min of running at 57%-63% and 64%-76% of the maximum heart rate, respectively. Motor learning was assessed using a golf putting task. The sleep quality of the night before and after the acquisition was evaluated using the Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed before and after aerobic exercise using the Paced Auditory Serial Acquisition Task test. Results indicated that all groups demonstrated acquisition, 1-day and 7-day retention at a similar level (p > 0.05). Regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between sleep quality on the night before the experimental day and total acquisition (p > 0.05). However, a positive correlation was found between the sleep quality on the night of the experimental day and both 1-day and 7-day retention (p < 0.05). A single bout of low or moderate acute exercise did not modify motor skill acquisition and retention. Other results showed the importance of night sleep quality on the retention and proved that a single bout of moderate intensity exercise was associated with improved cognitive function.

Independent and joint associations between urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites and cognitive function in older adults in the United States.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as organic pollutants widely present in daily environments, have been shown by existing epidemiological studies to be significantly associated with deficits in learning and memory functions in children and adults. However, the association between exposure to PAHs and cognitive function in older adults remains unclear. Additionally, existing related studies have only assessed the association between individual PAH exposures and cognitive assessments, overlooking the risks posed by mixed exposures. This study aims to use three statistical models to investigate the individual and overall effects of mixed PAH exposures on the cognition of older adults in the United States. The study cohort was obtained from the NHANES database, which included individuals aged 60 and older from 2011 to 2014. Weighted generalized linear models (GLM), weighted quantile sum (WQS) models, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were utilized to evaluate the connections between urinary PAH metabolites and the standardized Z-scores of four cognitive tests: Immediate Recall Test (IRT), Delayed Recall Test (DRT), Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Our analysis involved 899 individuals aged 60 and above. In the fully adjusted GLM, 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OHNa), 3-hydroxyfluorene (3-OHFlu), and 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFlu) demonstrated negative associations with DSST Z-scores. In the WQS model, six urinary PAH metabolites were negatively linked to AFT Z-scores (β (95% confidence intervals [CI]): -0.120 (-0.208, -0.033), p = 0.007) and DSST Z-scores (β (95% CI): -0.182 (-0.262, -0.103), p < 0.001). In both assessments, 2-OHNa exerted the greatest influence among the urinary PAH metabolites. In the BKMR model, there was an overall negative correlation between urinary PAH metabolites and AFT and DSST Z-scores when the concentration was within the 25th to 75th percentile, where 2-OHNa dominated the main effect of the mixture. The WQS and BKMR models were adjusted for all covariates. Increased concentrations of urinary PAH metabolites are associated with cognitive decline in older adults, mainly on language ability, executive function, sustained attention, working memory, and information processing speed, with 2-OHNa playing a major effect.

Implicit and Explicit Sequence Learning in Adults With Developmental Language Disorder.

Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts approximately 7% of the population and is characterized by unexplained deficits in expressive and/or receptive components of language. A common procedural learning task, serial reaction time (SRT), has been used to develop models of the basis of DLD. However, paradigms involve differing levels of implicit and explicit learning during this task, muddying interpretations of the data. Here, we tested adults with DLD on implicit and explicit SRT tasks to better understand implicit and explicit procedural learning in this population. We hypothesized that adults with DLD would demonstrate reduced learning on only the implicit SRT task, as alternate explicit neural mechanisms could lead to equivalent performance on the explicit task. Fifty participants (25 with DLD and 25 with typical language) completed implicit and explicit SRT tasks, measuring their ability to learn visually presented 10-element sequences. Group differences were evaluated on sequence learning, error rates, and explicit recall of the sequence after learning. Sequence learning was the same between the groups on both tasks. However, individuals with DLD showed increased errors and significantly worse recall of the explicitly learned sequence. Results suggest that sequence learning may be intact in this population, while aspects of explicit learning and motoric responses are impaired. Results are interpreted in light of a neurobiological model of DLD. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26210651.

Feedback timing-modulated weather prediction reveals relative deficits in both procedural and declarative learning in adults with dyslexia.

A topic of recent debate is the hypothesis that deficits associated with developmental disorders of language, such as reading disability, can be explained by a selective weakness in procedural memory. Adults with (n = 29; RD) and without (n = 29; TD) reading disability completed a weather prediction task under immediate and delayed feedback conditions, that rely on the striatal (procedural) and hippocampal (declarative) circuits, respectively. We examined trial-by-trial accuracy by feedback condition (immediate vs. delayed) and group (RD vs. TD). In the immediate feedback condition, we found the TD group to have a higher learning rate than the RD group. In the delayed feedback condition, we found the TD group reach a high level of accuracy early, and outperform the RD group for the duration of the task. The TD group also made gains in reaction time under both conditions, while the RD group slowed in their responses. Taken together, it appears that while procedural memory is indeed impaired in adults with reading disability, to a lesser extent, declarative memory is also affected. This lends partial support to the PDH, and more broadly to the position that reading disability is associated with general (non-linguistic) difficulties in learning.

RETRACTION: Auditory perceptual learning in autistic adults.

S. Alispahic, E. Pellicano, A. Cutler, and M. Antoniou, "Auditory perceptual learning in autistic adults," Autism Research 15, no. 8 (2022): 1495-1507, https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2778. The above article, published online on 05 July 2022 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors; journal Editor-in-Chief, David G. Amaral; International Society for Autism Research; and Wiley Periodicals, LLC. The authors received notice from a third party regarding methodological errors which affected participant data. The authors shared this information with the journal and have confirmed that the errors confound the results and conclusions of the article. As the results are fundamentally impacted by the errors, all parties agree that the article must be retracted. The authors have stated that they are preparing a revised version of their article to be submitted in a future publication.