Recall Of Passages Research Articles

Long-term associations between objective sleep quality and quantity and verbal memory performance in normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment

IntroductionAlthough the link between sleep and memory function is well established, associations between sleep macrostructure and memory function in normal cognition and Mild Cognitive Impairment remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations of baseline objectively assessed sleep quality and duration, as well as time in bed, with verbal memory capacity over a 7–9 year period. Participants are a well-characterized subsample of 148 persons (mean age at baseline: 72.8 ± 6.7 years) from the Cretan Aging Cohort. Based on comprehensive neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological evaluation at baseline, participants were diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI; n = 79) or found to be cognitively unimpaired (CNI; n = 69). Sleep quality/quantity was estimated from a 3-day consecutive actigraphy recording, whereas verbal memory capacity was examined using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and the Greek Passage Memory Test at baseline and follow-up. Panel models were applied to the data using AMOS including several sociodemographic and clinical covariates.ResultsSleep efficiency at baseline directly predicted subsequent memory performance in the total group (immediate passage recall: β = 0.266, p = 0.001; immediate word list recall: β = 0.172, p = 0.01; delayed passage retrieval: β = 0.214, p = 0.002) with the effects in Passage Memory reaching significance in both clinical groups. Wake after sleep onset time directly predicted follow-up immediate passage recall in the total sample (β = −0.211, p = 0.001) and in the MCI group (β = −0.235, p = 0.02). In the total sample, longer 24-h sleep duration was associated with reduced memory performance indirectly through increased sleep duration at follow-up (immediate passage recall: β = −0.045, p = 0.01; passage retention index: β = −0.051, p = 0.01; RAVLT-delayed recall: β = −0.048, p = 0.009; RAVLT-retention index:β = −0.066, p = 0.004). Similar indirect effects were found for baseline 24-h time in bed. Indirect effects of sleep duration/time in bed were found predominantly in the MCI group.DiscussionFindings corroborate and expand previous work suggesting that poor sleep quality and long sleep duration predict worse memory function in elderly. Timely interventions to improve sleep could help prevent or delay age-related memory decline among non-demented elderly.

Reading and analysing short story collections: An empirical study of readers' interpretation process of Benni's Il bar sotto il mare

This article confronts the theoretical tenets of reader-oriented short story collection theory and its implications for a literary analysis of Benni’s Il bar sotto il mare (1987) with the results of an empirical study of 12 readers. Through free recall tasks and open questions, we collected their recall of stories, specific passages, recurring topics and general interpretation to assess the processes of reticulation (i.e. searching for recurring elements in stories) and modification (i.e. modifying initial hypotheses based on the identification of new elements) advanced by Audet (2014). This confrontation revealed noticeably disagreeing results. Our findings suggest that flesh-and-blood readers adopt a more straightforward and intuitive approach when reading and interpreting collections as they are subject to a strong primacy effect, privilege personal appreciation of specific stories and passages, and rely on a disinclination to alter initial interpretative hypotheses. The findings pave the way for further investigation into the readers of SSCs.

Consequences of mesial temporal sparing temporal lobe surgery in medically refractory epilepsy

ObjectiveWe compared long-term seizure outcome, neuropsychological outcome, and occupational outcome of anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) with and without sparing of mesial structures to determine whether mesial sparing temporal lobectomy prevents memory decline and thus disability, with acceptable seizure outcome. MethodsWe studied patients (n = 21) and controls (n = 21) with no evidence of mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) on MRI who had surgery to treat drug-resistant epilepsy. Demographic and pre- and postsurgical clinical characteristics were compared. Patients had neuropsychological assessment before and after surgery. Neuropsychological analyses were limited to patients with left-sided surgery and available data (n = 14 in each group) as they were at risk of verbal memory impairment. The California Verbal Learning Test II (CVLT-II) (sum of trials 1–5, delayed free recall) and the Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale III or IV (WMS-III or WMS-IV) (learning and delayed recall of prose passages) were used to assess verbal episodic learning and memory. Seizure and occupational outcomes were assessed. ResultsThe chance of attaining seizure freedom was similar in the two groups, so sparing mesial temporal structures did not lessen the chance of stopping seizures. Sparing mesial temporal structures mitigated the extent of postoperative verbal memory impairment, though some of these individuals suffered decline as a consequence of surgery. Occupational outcome was similar in both groups. SignificanceMesial temporal sparing resections provide a similar seizure outcome as ATL, while producing a better memory outcome. Anterior temporal lobectomy including mesial structure resection did not increase the risk of postoperative disability.

Where have I heard that before? A validity study of source memory indices from the California Verbal Learning Test – Second edition

Objective: We investigated the construct and criterion validity of the source memory (SM) indices within the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II).Method: Participants included 77 individuals with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND+), 287 HIV + neurocognitively normal individuals (HAND−) and 203 seronegative HIV comparisons (HIV−). CVLT-II SM impairment status (normative scores ≤1 standard deviation) was determined using Total Across-List Intrusions and Source Recognition Discriminability (d′). Participants also completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, assessments of everyday functioning and experimental measures of SM.Results: CVLT-II SM impairment was significantly associated with increased errors on experimental SM measures and lower scores on measures of passage recall and executive functions, but not visuospatial skills. In a logistic regression controlling for clinicodemographic factors, CVLT-II SM impairment was a significant independent predictor of HAND, with the HAND + group showing higher rates of SM impairment than both the HAND − and HIV − groups. Finally, CVLT-II SM impairment was significantly related to a composite measure of everyday functioning, but this effect disappeared after adjusting for covariates. Note that, the overall pattern of findings across this study also held when CVLT-3 normative standards were applied to the SM indices.Conclusions: Results provide initial support for the construct and criterion validity of a CVLT-II SM index in the setting of HIV disease. Future studies should examine the validity of CVLT-II SM variables in other neuropsychological populations.

Multiple aspects of high school students' strategic processing on reading outcomes: The role of quantity, quality, and conjunctive strategy use.

While the literature on strategy use is relatively mature, measures of strategy use overwhelmingly measure only one aspect of that use, frequency, when relating that strategy use to performance outcomes. While this might be one important attribute of strategy use, there is increasing evidence that quality and conditional use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies may also be important. This study examines how multiple aspects of strategy use, namely frequency, quality, and conjunctive use of strategies, influence task performance on both well- and ill-structured task outcomes in addition to other concomitant variables that may interact with strategic processing during reading. The sample consisted of 21 high school students enrolled in an upper-level biology class in a suburban school in the north-eastern United States. These participants completed measures of prior knowledge and interest, then read either an expository or persuasive text while thinking aloud. They then completed a passage recall and open-ended response following passage completion. In general, quantity was not positively related to the study outcomes and was negatively related to one of them. Quality of strategy use, on the other hand, was consistently related to positive reading outcomes. The influence of knowledge and interest in terms of strategies is also discussed as well as six cases which illustrate the relation of aspects of strategy use and the other concomitant variables. Evaluating strategy use by solely examining the frequency of strategy use did not explain differences in task performance as well as evaluating the quality and conjunctive use of strategies. Further, important relations between prior knowledge, interest, and the task outcomes appeared to be mediated and moderated by the aspects of strategy use investigated.

A Multidimensional Investigation of Deep-level and Surface-level Processing

This study examines the moderating effects of a situational factor (i.e., text type) and an individual factor (i.e., subject-matter knowledge) on the relation between depth of processing and performance. One-hundred and fifty-one undergraduates completed measures of subject-matter knowledge, read either an expository or persuasive text about the existence of extraterrestrials while thinking aloud, and then completed a passage recall task and an open-ended task. Results indicated that the relation between depth of processing and the open-ended tasks was moderated by the type of text participants read (i.e., expository or persuasive). Moreover, there was a significant interaction between the passage recall measure and open-ended task for depth of processing and type of text.

Antiretroviral Non-Adherence is Associated With a Retrieval Profile of Deficits in Verbal Episodic Memory

HIV-associated deficits in verbal episodic memory are commonly associated with antiretroviral non-adherence; however, the specific aspects of memory functioning (e.g., encoding, consolidation, or retrieval) that underlie this established relationship are not well understood. This study evaluated verbal memory profiles of 202 HIV+ participants who underwent a 30-day electronic monitoring of antiretroviral adherence. At the group level, non-adherence was significantly associated with lower scores on immediate and delayed passage recall and word list learning. Retention and recognition of passages and word lists were not related to adherence. Participants were then classified as having either a normal verbal memory profile, a “subcortical” retrieval profile (i.e., impaired free recall with relatively spared recognition), or a “cortical” encoding profile (e.g., cued recall intrusions) based on the Massman et al. (1990) algorithm for the California Verbal Learning Test. HIV+ participants with a classic retrieval deficit had significantly greater odds of being non-adherent than participants with a normal or encoding profile. These findings suggest that adherence to prescribed antiretroviral regimens may be particularly vulnerable to disruption in HIV+ individuals due to deficits in the complex process of efficiently accessing verbal episodic information with minimal cues. A stronger relationship between non-adherence and passage (vs. word list) recall was also found and may reflect the importance of contextual features in remembering to take medications. Targeted interventions for enhancing and supporting episodic memory retrieval processes may improve antiretroviral adherence and overall health outcomes among persons living with HIV.

Expecting to teach enhances learning and organization of knowledge in free recall of text passages.

The present research assessed the potential effects of expecting to teach on learning. In two experiments, participants studied passages either in preparation for a later test or in preparation for teaching the passage to another student who would then be tested. In reality, all participants were tested, and no one actually engaged in teaching. Participants expecting to teach produced more complete and better organized free recall of the passage (Experiment 1) and, in general, correctly answered more questions about the passage than did participants expecting a test (Experiment 1), particularly questions covering main points (Experiment 2), consistent with their having engaged in more effective learning strategies. Instilling an expectation to teach thus seems to be a simple, inexpensive intervention with the potential to increase learning efficiency at home and in the classroom.

Failure of further learning: Activities, structure, and meaning

Previous research has shown that little benefit is achieved through spaced study and recall of text passages after the first recall attempt, an effect that we term the failure-of-further-learning. We hypothesized that the effect occurs because a situation model of the text's gist is formed when the text is first comprehended and is consolidated when recalled; it dominates later recall after verbatim memories of more recent study episodes have been lost. Experiments 1 and 2 attempted to circumvent the effect by varying the activities of participants and requiring interactive exploration. In both experiments, recall after four, weekly sessions showed little benefit beyond performance on the first recall. Experiment 3 interfered with the formation of an immediate situation model by introducing passages that were hard to comprehend without a title. Performance improved substantially across four sessions when titles were not supplied, but the standard effect was replicated when titles were given. Experiment 4 made verbatim memories available by incorporating all re-presentations and tests into one session; as predicted, recall improved over successive tests.

Neuropsychological Outcome after Deep Brain Stimulation in the Ventral Capsule/Ventral Striatum for Highly Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or Major Depression

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown promise as a treatment for severe, highly treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or major depressive disorder (MDD). We describe the neuropsychological outcome in 21 patients (10 OCD and 11 MDD) who received DBS in the anterior limb of the internal capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS). Methods: All patients completed a preoperative and postoperative neuropsychological battery. Average duration of DBS stimulation was 8.91 months (SD = 4.63) at the time of follow-up testing. Data were analyzed using practice-effect-corrected change scores. Results: No significant cognitive declines were seen. There were significant improvements in prose passage recall after chronic DBS. The cognitive improvements were not related to change in severity of OCD, depression or global impairment. Conclusions: This preliminary study suggests that VC/VS DBS does not result in cognitive declines. The observations that verbal memory improved are consistent with current theories on the role of the VS in the memory, but require replication in larger studies.

Metacomprehension Across the Lifespan: Influence of Education and Instructional Support

We examined the ability of younger and older adults to evaluate and regulate their comprehension during the reading of expository texts, as a function of their educational level (participants either had a high school education or had attended some college) and instructional support (instructions indicated that texts had inconsistencies or not). We also examined adults' memory for passages read. Adults' skills at evaluating their comprehension on-line as well as using reading strategies were affected by educational level; verbal reports of inconsistencies following reading were affected by age and educational level. Adults' use of a selective rereading strategy when confronted with contradictory information was related to overall passage recall.

The Read-Recite-Review Study Strategy

Two experiments with college students investigated the effectiveness of the 3R (read-recite-review) strategy for learning from educational texts. The 3R strategy was compared with rereading and note-taking study strategies using free-recall, multiple-choice, and short-answer inference tests immediately after study and after a 1-week delay. In Experiments 1 and 2, 3R improved immediate and delayed free recall of fact-based passages, relative to the rereading and note-taking strategies. In Experiment 2, which used longer, more complex passages on engineering topics, performance on multiple-choice and problem-solving items was better in the 3R than in the rereading condition, and was equivalent in the 3R and note-taking conditions, though 3R took less study time than note taking. An inherent advantage of 3R relative to other testing methods for improving learning is that 3R is under the learner's control. These results indicate that it is also an efficacious study technique that capitalizes on the mnemonic potency of retrieval and feedback.

Relationship between cognitive functioning and caregiver burden in dementia

Byline: Manoj. Bajaj, Uday. Sinha Aim: The present study examined the relationship among cognitive deficits of the dementia patients and the perceived burden by the caregivers. Materials and Methods: Purposive sampling method was employed in this study. The sample composed of total 40 participants among whom were dementia patients (n = 20) and their primary caregivers (n = 20). In addition to a socio-demographic and clinical data sheet (SCDS), the tools used were Hindi mental status examination (HMSE), triads test (to measure divided attention), logical memory (passage recall), Rey's complex figure test (RCFT), and Zarit burden interview (ZBI). Results and Conclusion: The results showed that persons with dementia who were having impairment in dividing attention, impairment in encoding and retrieval of information, and poor cognitive functions were significantly related with caregiver's burden. Visual memory and visual construction ability was not found significantly related to burden, although a relationship exist. Introduction Dementia is a common disorder in the later stage of life that is assuming increasing prominence with the demography shift toward an ever-increasing aging population. Throughout history, the disorder that we now think of as dementia was viewed as an inevitable consequences of aging.[sup] [1] The distinction between the aging process and dementia is a recent conceptual development. The cognitive methodology that[sup] [2] used to make their seminal observation represents the foundation of a rich collaboration between cognitive neuroscientists and clinicians. The fundamental principles established by these pioneers are that components of cognitive function important to dementia can be identified and that these components can be quantified. Dementia, in contrast to disorders defined by deficits in one cognitive or behavioral domain, is diagnosed when deficits are seen in multiple domains. Beside memory dysfunction, the other cognitive and behavioral manifestations of the dementia syndrome include abnormalities in speech and language, visuospatial function, abstract reasoning and executive function, and mood and personality. Dementia is a generic term for a syndrome that has a variety of etiologies. The most common etiology is Alzheimer disease (AD), which accounts for approximately 60%-70% cases of late onset dementia. Dementia associated with cerebrovascular disease i.e. vascular dementia, dementia associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), and Lewy body dementia etc. are the most common causes of dementia in elderly. Cognitive impairment in dementia Cognition in a broad sense means information processing. It denotes a relatively high level of processing of specific information including thinking, memory, perception, motivation skilled movements, and cognition. Among the specific functions that may be assessed in determining the intactness of adequacy of cognition are orientation, the ability to learn necessary skills, solve problems, think abstractly reason and make judgments, the ability to retain and recall events, mathematical ability and other form of symbol manipulation, control over primitive actions and behaviors, language use and comprehension, attention, perception, and praxis.[sup] [3] Cognitive deficits may results in to pay attention, processing information quickly, remember and recall information, respond to information quickly, think critically, plan and solve problems, and initiate speech. The most extensive literature available regarding the neuropsychological assessment of individuals with AD is for those who have mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. Cognitive deficits associated with AD and other cortical disorders include intellectual impairment, encoding and/or storage-based memory deficits, aphasia, agnosia, apraxia, and visuo spatial, and constructional deficits. However, two areas of cognitive functioning, language and memory show distinct patterns of deficits and thus may have potential use in differential diagnosis. …

Neuropsychological effects and attitudes in patients following electroconvulsive therapy.

The current study examined the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on neuropsychological test performance. Forty-six patients completed brief neuropsychological and psychological testing before and after receiving ECT for the treatment of recalcitrant and severe depression. Neuropsychological testing consisted of the Levin Selective Reminding Test (Levin) and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised Edition (WMS-R). Self-report measures included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Short-Term Memory Questionnaire (STMQ), and several other measures of emotional functioning and patient attitudes toward ECT. The mean number of days between pre-ECT and post-ECT testing was 24. T-test revealed a significant decrease in subjective ratings of depression as rated by the BDI, t(45) = 9.82, P < 0.0001 (Pre-BDI = 27.9 +/- 20.2; post-BDI = 13.5 +/- 9.7). Objective ratings of memory appeared impaired following treatment, and patients' self-report measures of memory confirmed this decline. More specifically, repeated measures MANOVA [Wilks Lambda F(11,30) = 4.3, p < 0.001] indicated significant decreases for measures of immediate recognition memory (p < 0.005), long-term storage (p < 0.05), delayed prose passage recall (p < 0.0001), percent retained of prose passages (p < 0.0001), and percent retained of visual designs (p < 0.0001). In addition, the number of double mentions on the Levin increased (p < 0.02). This study suggests that there may be a greater need to discuss the intermittent cognitive risks associated with ECT when obtaining informed consent prior to treatment. Further that self-reports of cognitive difficulties may persist even when depression has remitted. However, patients may not acknowledge or be aware of changes in their memory functioning, and post-ECT self-reports may not be reliable.

Cognitive processes associated with child neglect

Objective To compare neglectful and non-neglectful mothers on information processing tasks related to child emotions, behaviors, the caregiving relationship, and recall of child-related information. Method A natural group design was used. Neglectful mothers ( N = 34) were chosen from active, chronic caseloads; non-neglectful comparison mothers ( N = 33) were obtained from community agencies serving families. Participants were administered the IFEEL Picture task to assess maternal perceptions of infant emotions, eight vignettes of young children's behavior to assess attributions for child behavior across different scenarios, and a passage recall task to assess information processing problems. A measure of depression was used as a covariate to control for this variable. Results Neglectful mothers were significantly less likely to recognize infants’ feelings of interest, more likely to see sadness and shame, more inaccurate at labeling infants’ emotions, and had a more limited emotion vocabulary. They also made more internal and stable attributions for children's behaviors in situations where it was not clear whether a child was at risk of harm, and had poor recall of information. Depressive symptoms had little effect on these findings with the exception of information recall. Conclusions Neglectful mothers show significant problems in information processing concerning their child's emotions and behaviors, which may affect their childrearing behavior. Cognitive-behavioral interventions to improve parents’ abilities to recognize their child's emotions and to address maladaptive attributions may be of value.

Group therapy for memory impaired patients: A partial remediation is possible

To analyse the prospect of memory training for patients with organic brain damage. Sixty-two patients with memory disorder were assigned to three different groups: a control group (n=16) with low dose memory training, a process oriented memory training group (POT) (n=24) and a group (ST) who was taught to compensate for memory problems with different strategies (n=22). Most of the patients had suffered a stroke. Inclusion criteria were medium to weak memory impairment defined by the patients' performance in the California Verbal Learning Test. Patients with complete amnesia were excluded. Specific care was taken that the groups did not differ in age, time since illness, duration of rehabilitation effort, verbal and performance IQ, memory and attention performance. The two treatment groups received 20 hours memory training, the low dose memory training control group 7 sessions. The treatment groups improved in verbal and prospective memory, but only the group with POT experienced a significant improvement compared with the control group. Training effects were specific, i. e. they affected verbal memory, but were not encapsulated, i. e. generalized to the recall of prose passages and of appointments. The POT group also showed a statistically weak outperformance compared with the ST group and some attentional improvement as well. Memory training is effective in patients with organic brain lesion, but only if applied frequently. Comparing the two training high intensity treatments, a POT focus seems to be superior to teaching a set of compensation strategies.

Prediction of Verbal Memory Decline after Epilepsy Surgery in Children: Effectiveness of Wada Memory Asymmetries

Differences in Wada memory performance after left and right amobarbital injection are powerful predictors of pre- to postoperative memory change among adult epilepsy patients after anterior temporal lobectomy. It is unknown, however, whether these Wada memory asymmetries apply to children who undergo focal cortical resection or to epilepsy surgery patients who undergo resection outside the temporal lobes. To investigate these issues, Wada memory asymmetries and pre- to postoperative neuropsychological memory test performances were examined in 132 children who underwent some form of resective epilepsy surgery. Ninety-three (70%) children showed Wada memory asymmetries in the predicted direction (memory after injection ipsilateral to side of surgery better than memory after contralateral injection), and 39 (30%) did not. Children with Wada memory asymmetries showed significant improvement in verbal memory after surgery as compared with children without Wada memory asymmetries who showed significant verbal memory decline. This result was also obtained when individual cases were examined: 77% of children with Wada memory asymmetries in predicted direction showed no verbal memory decline after surgery, whereas 80% of children without asymmetries had lower postoperative verbal memory (passage recall) test scores. Wada memory asymmetries had no value in predicting postoperative changes in visual-spatial memory. Wada memory asymmetries may be used as one of the factors to assess risk for verbal memory decline after epilepsy surgery in children.

The Effect of Story Impressions Preview on Learning From Narrative Text

The authors assessed the extent to which a generative prereading activity known as Story Impressions (SI), or composing a guess from clues, influences passage recall relative to a more passive prereading activity of reading a Content Preview (CP). The results from 74 eighth-grade students indicated the CP groups equaled the reading-only control groups in recall of the major phrases of the narrative as well as other passage information. As expected, the SI groups significantly exceeded the CP groups and the control groups on both aspects of passage recall. The authors argued that the SI method could be effective because it induced the three fundamental processes that constitute reading comprehension (M. A. Gernsbacher, 1990) and the concomitant generative learning effect (M. C. Wittrock, 1989).

Musical Recall Memory: Contributions of Elaboration and Depth of Processing

This study investigated the roles of depth of processing and elaboration in incidental recall of musical passages learned in the course of several readings of an unfamiliar score. Pianists with performing experience played short passages four times each under instructions emphasising deep processing (focus on aesthetically perceived elements of the piece), shallow processing (focus on non-aesthetic elements of the piece), high elaboration (four different examples of deep or shallow focus) or low elaboration (one example of deep or shallow focus). In surprise-free and cued-recall tasks, the pianists were asked to play back as much of the pieces as they could remember. The pnrncipal finding was that the high-elaboration instructional condition favoured cued recall of deeply processed musical material over cued recall of shallow processed musical material. In the low-elaboration condition there were no differential effects for deep versus shallow processed music. These results are interpreted in terms of a transferappropriate processing framework applied to musical performance. Implications of the results for formal musical performance are discussed.

INFLUENCE OF TEXT GENRE ON ADULTS' MONITORING OF UNDERSTANDING AND RECALL

We examined the influence of text genre on monitoring of understanding and recall in adults. Younger and older adults' sentence reading times, sentence rereadings, and memory for texts containing inconsistent information were assessed in an on-line analysis. Adults' reading times were affected by text genre, with age differences found for expository but not narrative passages. Reading times of all adults were hindered when reading expository passages, with proportionately more disruption for older adults. Although younger and older adults reread sentences more frequently in expository passages, they recalled more information in narratives and were more likely to accurately comment on inconsistencies after reading narratives. Use of a general rereading strategy was related to recall of narrative and expository passages, but the ability to selectively reread problematic text information was related only to expository text recall. Results indicate that adults' evaluation and regulation of understanding is affected by text genre and that effective regulation of understanding, as measured by the ability to selectively reread text problems, is more critical to expository than narrative text recall.