SEMANTIC & REPETITION PRIMING IN NORMAL & ABNORMAL AGING

该研究计划的广泛目标是了解 轻度情景记忆和语义记忆损害中的非记忆加工 与正常衰老和更严重的记忆障碍有关 (尤其是在情景记忆中)与阿尔茨海默病(AD； 最常见的神经和认知衰老异常类型)。这个 所提出的实验的前半部分使用了语义启动，即 数字，其中对字处理时间的影响与前一个相关 与不相关项目的对比被测量。这些研究旨在提供 关于老化和AD的影响的数据：(1)使用受控药物， 注意语义启动过程，(2)语义启动的程度 启动可以减少单词查找问题，以及(3)易患上 类别内抑制效应(即概念间的干扰 例如，共享许多语义特征“马”和“狗”)。这个 所提出的实验的后半部分利用情节记忆 范式，被称为重复启动，其中对刺激的影响 相同刺激的前一次出现的处理时间为 量过了。重复启动可以用来演示一种 之前经历过的刺激，而不是受试者的记忆 直接测试。变量，如滞后(重复之间)、模式 刺激处理(主动与被动)和刺激的兼容性 处理(在重复之间)将被操纵。建议数 研究将得出有关记忆存储的重要信息 “间接的”或“内隐的”记忆测试情况 努力、定向搜索和检索以及工作记忆容量；这 与健康老年人相比，将获得AD的信息 与年轻人相比，对于健康的老年人和个人来说，这一点是值得注意的。这个 一般假设是，当使用记忆测量时， 最大限度地减少对资源要求高的注意力过程的使用 患者的表现将更接近于，在某些情况下 与对照的区别不大。这些措施的结果是 实验将与正常记忆的认知模型相关，因为 以及AD中异常记忆功能的模型，因此将 对广大听众讲话。所提出的实验也具有一定的实用性。 相关性：。在一定程度上保留了内存存储能力 在衰老过程中，尽管注意力和工作记忆受损，但记忆力 培训和补偿计划需要重点关注非记忆性 函数，而这些函数在获取信息方面起着关键作用 进入和离开内存存储。此外，在一定程度上，记忆 与以前相比，存储受到AD病理生理的影响较小 假设在AD中评估记忆的方法(用于诊断或药物 治疗目的)可能需要改进。

The broad objective of the research program is to understand the role of non-memory processes in the mild episodic and semantic memory impairments associated with normal aging and in the more severe memory impairments (especially in episodic memory) associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD; the most common type of abnormal neurological and cognitive aging). The first half of the proposed experiments utilize semantic priming para- digms, in which the effect on word processing time of a preceding related versus unrelated item is measured. These studies are designed to provide data on the effects of aging and AD on (1) the use of controlled, attentional semantic priming processes, (2) the extent to which semantic priming can reduce word-finding problems, and (3) susceptibility to intra-category inhibition effects (i.e., interference between concepts such as "horse" and "dog" which share many semantic features). The second half of the proposed experiments utilize an episodic memory paradigm, known as repetition priming, in which the effect on stimulus processing time of a previous occurrence of the same stimulus is measured. Repetition priming can be used to demonstrate storage of a previously experienced stimulus without the subject's memory being directly tested. Variables such as lag (between repetitions), mode of stimulus processing (active vs. passive), and compatibility of stimulus processing (between repetitions) will be manipulated. The proposed studies will yield important information about memory storage in "indirect" or "implicit" memory-testing situations which involve minimal effort, directed search and retrieval, and working memory capacity; this information will be obtained for AD compared to healthy elderly individuals and for healthy elderly compared to young individuals. The general hypothesis is that when measures of memory are used which minimize the use of resource-demanding, attentional processes, the AD patients' performance will be closer to, and in some cases indistinguishable from, that of controls. The outcomes of these experiments will have relevance for cognitive models of normal memory as well as for models of abnormal memory functioning in AD, and thus will speak to a wide audience. The proposed experiments also have practical relevance:. to the extent that memory storage capabilities are preserved in aging, despite the impairments in attention and working memory, memory training and compensation programs need to focus on the non-memory functions, which in turn, play a critical role in getting information into and out of memory storage. Further, to the extent that memory storage is less affected by AD pathophysiology than has been previously assumed, methods of assessing memory in AD (for diagnostic or drug treatment purposes) may need to be revamped.