RESUMEN
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate spared, long-term sentence priming in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using a sentence puzzle task. The sentence puzzle task required a decision--either yes or no--regarding the correctness of an answer supplied for a sentence puzzle. Twelve persons with AD, 12 older controls, and 12 younger controls took part. Speed of response (deciding if a puzzle answer was correct or incorrect) was recorded, with increased speed at retesting after 30-min and 1-week delays used as an index of priming. Individuals with AD demonstrated sentence priming over both a 30-min and 1-week delay, comparable in form to that of controls. In addition, persons with AD were affected by stimulus parameters (correct/incorrect puzzle answers; difficult/easy puzzles) in a similar manner as were controls.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer/psicología , Concienciación , Retención en Psicología , Aprendizaje Verbal , Adulto , Anciano , Atención , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Recuerdo Mental , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Práctica Psicológica , Solución de Problemas , Tiempo de Reacción , Valores de ReferenciaRESUMEN
An heuristic classification scheme for memory interventions is described as a 2 x 2 matrix. One dimension of the matrix addresses the use of internal versus external mnemonics, and the other dimension addresses the use of explicit (effortful/conscious) versus implicit (automatic/unconscious) learning. Most attempts at memory interventions in normal older populations, such as the use of mental imagery, fall within the explicit-internal cell of the matrix and require expenditure of large amounts of cognitive effort. As a result, memory interventions in normal older populations, even when "successful," usually produce results that are limited in their generalization and are usually not maintained over time. Such interventions are rarely attempted in demented populations. Interventions are described that require less effort and are representative of other cells in the classification matrix. These may be more effective for demented and normal elders. Information acquired through these alternative means may eventually be stored internally and become consciously available, often producing an "O!" or "aha" experience when the individual realizes a shift to internal, consciously available storage has taken place.
Asunto(s)
Envejecimiento/psicología , Demencia/rehabilitación , Memoria , Enseñanza/métodos , Anciano , Demencia/psicología , Humanos , Modelos PsicológicosRESUMEN
Using a double-blind design, the authors investigated 1) caffeine's effect in hyperkinetic children on a choice reaction time task, 2) whether caffeine has different effects on simple reaction time and choice reaction time, and 3) whether its effects in the hyperkinetic compared with the normal group of children are best described by the law of initial values or as a "paradoxical effect." The results indicate that caffeine produced an increase in the accuracy of stimulus identification and processing and a decrease in lapses of attention for the hyperkinetic group. The law of initial values best represented the phenomena observed.