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Published on: May 9, 2019
Fragmented pictures revisited: long-term changes in repetition priming, relation to skill learning, and the role of
Kristen M Kennedy1, Karen M Rodrigue, Naftali Raz
1Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
Background:
Whereas age-related declines in declarative memory have been demonstrated in multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, the effect of age on non-declarative manifestations of memory, such as repetition priming and perceptual skill learning, are less clear. The common assumption, based on cross-sectional studies, is that these processes are only mildly (if at all) affected by age.
Objective:
To investigate long-term changes in repetition priming and age-related differences in identification of fragmented pictures in a 5-year longitudinal design.
Method:
Healthy adults (age 28-82 years) viewed drawings of objects presented in descending order of fragmentation. The identification threshold (IT) was the highest fragmentation level at which the object was correctly named. After a short interval, old pictures were presented again along with a set of similar but novel pictures. Five years later the participants repeated the experiment.
Results:
At baseline and 5-year follow-up alike, one repeated exposure improved IT for old (priming) and new (skill acquisition) pictures. However, long-term retention of priming gains was observed only in young adults. Working memory explained a significant proportion of variance in within-occasion priming, long-term priming, and skill learning.
Conclusion:
Contrary to cross-sectional results, this longitudinal study suggests perceptual repetition priming is not an age-invariant phenomenon and advanced age and reduced availability of cognitive resources may contribute to its decline.
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