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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing
Published on: October 25, 2019
Generation, intentionality of processing at encoding and retrieval, and age-related associative deficits
Katherine K White1, Lise Abrams, Amy L Byrd
1Department of Psychology, Centre College, 600 W. Walnut Street,Danville, KY 40422, USA. k.white@centre.edu
Abstract:
This research tested age-related differences in the retrieval of self-generated new associations under conditions that required intentional or incidental processing. Under intentional or incidental encoding conditions, young and older adults generated new associations by producing a response to a two-letter stem paired with a cue/prime word (e.g., throne-mo_). Memory for these new associations was tested under intentional or incidental retrieval conditions by pairing the word stem with the previous cue/prime word, its homophone partner, or a prime/cue not previously presented. Results indicated equivalent priming and cueing effects for both age groups in all conditions. These results suggest that generation of new associations can eliminate age-related associative deficits, even under intentional encoding and retrieval conditions that typically disadvantage older adults.
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