Evaluating practice effects across learning trials - ceiling effects or something more?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Practice effects (PE) traditionally signify performance gains from repeated testing.
• Previous research focused PE solely on total scores, overlooking individual trials and learning dynamics.
• This study investigates PE across total scores, individual trials, and learning slopes in memory assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine one-week practice effects (PE) on individual trial and learning slope performance.
• To compare PE in cognitively intact older adults versus those with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
• To assess PE on the BVMT-R and HVLT-R memory tests.

Main Methods:

• 151 cognitively intact participants and 131 participants with MCI (aged 65+) were assessed.
• One-week test-retest design was employed for the BVMT-R and HVLT-R.
• Performance was analyzed across summary total scores, individual trials, and learning slopes.

Main Results:

• Practice effects (PE) were evident across all trials and total scores for both memory measures.
• PE were most pronounced on the initial learning trial, diminishing in participants with MCI.
• No significant PE were observed for learning slopes, potentially due to ceiling effects.

Conclusions:

• Practice effects (PE) are present in individual memory learning trials, benefiting initial trials most.
• PE are diminished but not absent in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
• Learning slopes appear stable in longitudinal assessments, possibly influenced by ceiling effects, unlike individual trials.