Event Simultaneity Does Not Eliminate Age Deficits in Implicit Probabilistic Sequence Learning

Alissa B. Forman-Alberti; Kendra L. Seaman; Darlene V. Howard; James H. Howard

doi:10.2190/ag.79.3.b

Event Simultaneity Does Not Eliminate Age Deficits in Implicit Probabilistic Sequence Learning

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development ◽

10.2190/ag.79.3.b ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 79 (3) ◽

pp. 211-223

Author(s):

Alissa B. Forman-Alberti ◽

Kendra L. Seaman ◽

Darlene V. Howard ◽

James H. Howard

Keyword(s):

Sequence Learning ◽

Age Deficits

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Age-Related Decline in Learning Deterministic Judgment-Based Sequences

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gby100 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 75 (5) ◽

pp. 961-969

Author(s):

Layla Dang ◽

Sylvia P Larson ◽

Mark A Gluck ◽

Jessica R Petok

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Sequence Learning ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Learning Task ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Learning Abilities ◽

Full Sequence ◽

Stimulus Response ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Deficits

Abstract Objectives Because sequence learning is integral to cognitive functions across the life span, the present study examined the effect of healthy aging on deterministic judgment-based sequence learning. Methods College-aged, younger–old (YO), and older–old (OO) adults completed a judgment-based sequence learning task which required them to learn a full sequence by chaining together single stimulus–response associations in a step-by-step fashion. Results Results showed that younger adults outperformed YO and OO adults; older adults were less able to acquire the full sequence and committed significantly more errors during learning. Additionally, higher sequence learning errors were associated with advancing age among older adults, even when controlling for other factors known to contribute to sequence learning abilities. Such impairments were selective to learning sequential information, because adults of all ages performed equivalently on postlearning probe trials, as well as on learning simple stimulus–response associations. Discussion This pattern of age deficits during deterministic sequence learning challenges past reports of age preservation. Though the neural processes underlying learning cannot be determined here, our patterns of age deficits and preservation may reflect different brain regions that are involved in the task phases, adding behavioral evidence to the emerging hypothesis of frontostriatal declines despite spared hippocampal function with age.

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Event Timing and Age Deficits in Higher-Order Sequence Learning

Aging Neuropsychology and Cognition ◽

10.1080/13825580601186635 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 647-668 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

James H. Howard, ◽

Darlene V. Howard ◽

Nancy A. Dennis ◽

Helen Yankovich

Keyword(s):

Sequence Learning ◽

Higher Order ◽

Event Timing ◽

Order Sequence ◽

Age Deficits

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Nonhuman sequence learning findings argue against Hoerl and McCormack's two systems of temporal cognition

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x1900044x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

Benjamin J. De Corte ◽

Edward A. Wasserman

Keyword(s):

Sequence Learning ◽

Past Research ◽

Ordinal Position ◽

Temporal Cognition ◽

Two Systems

Abstract Hoerl & McCormack propose that animals learn sequences through an entrainment-like process, rather than tracking the temporal addresses of each event in a given sequence. However, past research suggests that animals form “temporal maps” of sequential events and also comprehend the concept of ordinal position. These findings suggest that a clarification or qualification of the authors’ hypothesis is needed.

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