Self-generated mnemonics for number recall in young and old adults

[Aging and verbal memory -an experimental study using structured and non-structured word lists]

AIM

Typical neuropsychological methods for measuring the verbal memory function include the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). The stimulus words of the CVLT are structured according to their semantic categories, and many researchers have claimed that the CVLT can also evaluate subjects' memory strategy. However, the stimulus words of these tests do not have equal difficulty, which is necessary when comparing their performances directly, and there are no standard word lists for them in Japanese. In this study, we developed two word lists with the same number and difficulty of stimulus words in order to examine the effects of aging on the comprehension of structured word lists.

METHODS

A non-structured (NS) verbal memory test to represent the AVLT and a structured (S) test to represent the CVLT were developed. The subjects were 40 healthy young adults (18-25 years of age) and 40 healthy elderly individuals (65-80 years of age).

RESULTS

The results revealed that the elderly group correctly recalled significantly fewer words than the young group. The elderly group demonstrated a significantly higher rate of word loss due to interference. The number of correctly recalled words in the elderly group was significantly more for the S test than for the NS test, which was not the case in the young group.

CONCLUSIONS

Since elderly people have a poorer verbal memory than younger people, they gain more benefit from the S test, in which the word list is structured and subjects may be able to use memory strategies more easily. This is the first study in Japan to present standardized word lists for list-learning tasks and their normative data in different age groups.

Effects of Working Memory Capacity and Domain Knowledge on Recall for Grocery Prices

Hambrick and Engle (2002) proposed 3 models of how domain knowledge and working memory capacity may work together to influence episodic memory: a "rich-get-richer" model, a "building blocks" model, and a "compensatory" model. Their results supported the rich-get-richer model, although later work by Hambrick and Oswald (2005) found support for a building blocks model. We investigated the effects of domain knowledge and working memory on recall of studied grocery prices. Working memory was measured with 3 simple span tasks. A contrast of realistic versus fictitious foods in the episodic memory task served as our manipulation of domain knowledge, because participants could not have domain knowledge of fictitious food prices. There was a strong effect for domain knowledge (realistic food-price pairs were easier to remember) and a moderate effect for working memory capacity (higher working memory capacity produced better recall). Furthermore, the interaction between domain knowledge and working memory produced a small but significant interaction in 1 measure of price recall. This supported the compensatory model and stands in contrast to previous research.

Cognitive strategy use and measured numeric ability in immediate- and long-term recall of everyday numeric information

The goals of this study were to assess the primary effects of the use of cognitive strategy and a combined measure of numeric ability on recall of every-day numeric information (i.e. prices). Additionally, numeric ability was assessed as a moderator in the relationship between strategy use and memory for prices. One hundred participants memorized twelve prices that varied from 1 to 6 digits; they recalled these immediately and after 7 days. The use of strategies, assessed through self-report, was associated with better overall recall, but not forgetting. Numeric ability was not associated with either better overall recall or forgetting. A small moderating interaction was found, in which higher levels of numeric ability enhanced the beneficial effects of strategy use on overall recall. Exploratory analyses found two further small moderating interactions: simple strategy use enhanced overall recall at higher levels of numeric ability, compared to complex strategy use; and complex strategy use was associated with lower levels of forgetting, but only at higher levels of numeric ability, compared to the simple strategy use. These results provide support for an objective measure of numeric ability, as well as adding to the literature on memory and the benefits of cognitive strategy use.

Enhancing motor learning through peer tutoring

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of incorporating mnemonic memory aids and having a subject teach another person a given task (peer tutoring) as a method of enhancing task acquisition and recall by the subject and to discuss the implications for occupational therapists who instruct clients in motor tasks such as therapeutic exercise programs. Sixty-seven college students were randomly assigned to one of three groups using different teaching methods for the purpose of learning a motor task, specifically the American Sign Language alphabet. Subjects who were taught using mnemonics and peer tutoring scored significantly better on post-testing two days following instruction than did the control groups. Use of these techniques did not increase direct teaching time by the instructor, nor did they incur additional costs. Thus, these techniques may be easily incorporated into client education to improve recall and performance.

Effectiveness of the number-consonant mnemonic for retention of numeric material in community-dwelling older adults

The effectiveness of the number-consonant mnemonic for immediate recall and long-term retention of 4 6-digit lock combinations was examined in 36 volunteers who were 60 years old or more. Participants were randomized into either an experimental condition (n = 17) that received training in the number-consonant mnemonic or a group that received placebo training only (n = 19). There were no differences between groups for number recall at posttest. At 3 days a modest difference appeared, favoring the experimental condition, which became highly significant at the 7-day telephone follow-up. This finding suggests that a distinguishing characteristic of the number-consonant mnemonic may be the extent to which it facilitates the maintenance of learned numeric material in memory over time.

Unleashing the power of memory. The mighty mnemonic

The pace and intensity of contemporary nursing education may contribute to student difficulties with efficient learning and memory processing. Chronic learning problems can cause students to develop feelings of burnout and decreased motivation. The author describes how a novel learning strategy, the mnemonic, can help students learn more effectively and process information in a enjoyable, memorable way.