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Updated: Jul 23, 2026
11:01
Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
Building episodic connections: changes in episodic priming with age and dementia
M E Faust1, D A Balota, D H Spieler
1Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile 36688-0002, USA. mfaust@usamail.usouthal.edu
Neuropsychology
|January 5, 2002
Summary
This study reveals that both aging and Alzheimer's disease impair implicit associative memory encoding. These declines were observed using an episodic priming task, suggesting memory deficits beyond explicit recall.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Previous associative encoding studies often rely on explicit retrieval, potentially biasing results due to group differences in retrieval strategies.
- Implicit memory, particularly associative encoding, may offer a less biased assessment of memory function across different age groups and in dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age- and DAT-related declines in implicit associative memory encoding.
- To utilize an implicit episodic priming measure to assess associative encoding, avoiding biases associated with explicit retrieval tasks.
Main Methods:
- Employed a speeded word-naming task with an episodic priming measure to assess implicit associative encoding.
- Participants included younger adults (18-25), healthy older adults (59-91), and adults with DAT (59-91).
- Episodic priming was measured as response facilitation after paired-word repetition compared to single-word repetition.
Main Results:
- Found significant age-related declines in implicit associative encoding.
- Identified significant dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT)-related declines in implicit associative encoding.
- These declines were evident even under massed learning trial conditions.
Conclusions:
- Implicit associative memory encoding is impaired in both healthy aging and dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT).
- The findings highlight the utility of implicit measures, such as episodic priming, for detecting cognitive deficits in aging and DAT.
- Associative encoding deficits are present even when explicit retrieval demands are minimized.
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