Clinical Manifestations.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Memory decline in older adults is influenced by internal memory strategies.
• Cognitive reserve (CR) may influence the spontaneous use of memory strategies.
• This study investigates CR proxies (education, crystallized intelligence) and their effect on semantic clustering in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the role of educational attainment and crystallized intelligence in older adults' use of semantic clustering.
• To determine if CR proxies moderate the relationship between semantic clustering and memory recall.
• To assess the effectiveness of semantic clustering in improving memory performance in older adults, including those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of archival data from 185 older adults (normal cognition and MCI).
• Hierarchical regression and relative weight analyses to assess the impact of education and crystallized intelligence on semantic clustering and recall.
• Moderation analysis to investigate the interplay between CR proxies, semantic clustering, and delayed recall.

Main Results:

• Gender and English language background predicted semantic clustering use.
• Semantic clustering significantly improved memory performance beyond demographic and CR variables.
• Crystallized intelligence was negatively associated with delayed recall in MCI patients; however, CR proxies did not moderate the positive effect of semantic clustering on delayed recall.

Conclusions:

• Women and native English speakers were more likely to use semantic clustering, independent of cognitive reserve.
• Semantic clustering enhances memory performance irrespective of an individual's cognitive reserve level.
• Teaching internal memory strategies like semantic clustering may help older adults mitigate everyday memory difficulties.