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Influence of cognitive functioning on age-related performance declines in visuospatial sequence learning

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Authors

External Research Organisations

  • Technical University of Munich (TUM)
  • University of Tasmania
  • Liverpool John Moores University

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number919
JournalFrontiers in psychology
Volume8
Issue numberJUN
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jun 2017
Externally publishedYes

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate how age-related performance differences in a visuospatial sequence learning task relate to age-related declines in cognitive functioning. Method: Cognitive functioning of 18 younger and 18 older participants was assessed using a standardized test battery. Participants then undertook a perceptual visuospatial sequence learning task. Various relationships between sequence learning and participants' cognitive functioning were examined through correlation and factor analysis. Results: Older participants exhibited significantly lower performance than their younger counterparts in the sequence learning task as well as in multiple cognitive functions. Factor analysis revealed two independent subsets of cognitive functions associated with performance in the sequence learning task, related to either the processing and storage of sequence information (first subset) or problem solving (second subset). Age-related declines were only found for the first subset of cognitive functions, which also explained a significant degree of the performance differences in the sequence learning task between age-groups. Discussion: The results suggest that age-related performance differences in perceptual visuospatial sequence learning can be explained by declines in the ability to process and store sequence information in older adults, while a set of cognitive functions related to problem solving mediates performance differences independent of age.

Keywords

    Aging, Factor analysis, Information processing, Memory, Perceptual learning, Problem solving

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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Influence of cognitive functioning on age-related performance declines in visuospatial sequence learning. / Krüger, Melanie; Hinder, Mark R.; Puri, Rohan et al.
In: Frontiers in psychology, Vol. 8, No. JUN, 919, 02.06.2017.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

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AU - Puri, Rohan

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