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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Examining the Characteristics of Episodic Memory using Event-related Potentials in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Published on: August 30, 2011
Selective attention in early Dementia of Alzheimer Type
Diego Fernandez-Duque1, Sandra E Black
1Department of Psychology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085, USA. diego.fernandezduque@villanova.edu
Abstract:
This study explored possible deficits in selective attention brought about by Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DAT). In three experiments, we tested patients with early DAT, healthy elderly, and young adults under low memory demands to assess perceptual filtering, conflict resolution, and set switching abilities. We found no evidence of impaired perceptual filtering nor evidence of impaired conflict resolution in early DAT. In contrast, early DAT patients did exhibit a global cost in set switching consistent with an inability to maintain the goals of the task (mental set). We discuss these findings in relation to the DAT literature on executive attention, dual-tasking, and working memory.
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