Unitization of word pairs in young and older adults: Encoding mechanisms and retrieval outcomes

Psychology and Aging
Siri-Maria KampA Mecklinger

Abstract

We investigated whether healthy older adults are able to use an episodic encoding strategy known as unitization, which allows for subsequent associative retrieval based on familiarity, to overcome their associative memory deficit. Young and healthy older participants were presented with word pairs either together with a definition that allowed to combine the word pairs to a new concept (high unitization condition), or together with a sentence frame (low unitization condition). In Experiment 1, an age-related reduction in performance on a standard associative recognition test was observed in both conditions. This deficit was unexpectedly not reduced, but tended to be larger in the high than the low unitization condition. According to receiver-operating characteristics, this difference was due to a reduction of recollection, but not familiarity, in the high unitization condition. Instead of a standard recognition test, Experiment 2 used a 2 alternative forced choice (2AFC) test designed to maximize the contribution of familiarity to associative recognition. Although the disadvantage of older adults in the high versus the low unitization condition was abolished, there was still no performance advantage for the high unitization con...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 5, 2019·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Heather D LucasKara D Federmeier
Feb 17, 2021·Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section B, Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition·Ofer HugeriDaniel A Levy

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