A dissociation between engagement and learning: Enthusiastic instructions fail to reliably improve performance on a memory task

PubMed Central

de Leeuw, Joshua R.; Carvalho, Paulo F.; Liang, Kaley L.; Goldstone, Robert L.

2017-01-01

Despite widespread assertions that enthusiasm is an important quality of effective teaching, empirical research on the effect of enthusiasm on learning and memory is mixed and largely inconclusive. To help resolve these inconsistencies, we conducted a carefully-controlled laboratory experiment, investigating whether enthusiastic instructions for a memory task would improve recall accuracy. Scripted videos, either enthusiastic or neutral, were used to manipulate the delivery of task instructions. We also manipulated the sequence of learning items, replicating the spacing effect, a known cognitive technique for memory improvement. Although spaced study reliably improved test performance, we found no reliable effect of enthusiasm on memory performance across two experiments. We did, however, find that enthusiastic instructions caused participants to respond to more item prompts, leaving fewer test questions blank, an outcome typically associated with increased task motivation. We find no support for the popular claim that enthusiastic instruction will improve learning, although it may still improve engagement. This dissociation between motivation and learning is discussed, as well as its implications for education and future research on student learning. PMID:28732087

Preservice Teachers' Memories of Their Secondary Science Education Experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, Peter; Usak, Muhammet; Fančovičová, Jana; Erdoğan, Mehmet; Prokop, Pavol

2010-12-01

Understanding preservice teachers' memories of their education may aid towards articulating high-impact teaching practices. This study describes 246 preservice teachers' perceptions of their secondary science education experiences through a questionnaire and 28-item survey. ANOVA was statistically significant about participants' memories of science with 15 of the 28 survey items. Descriptive statistics through SPSS further showed that a teacher's enthusiastic nature (87%) and positive attitude towards science (87%) were regarded as highly memorable. In addition, explaining abstract concepts well (79%), and guiding the students' conceptual development with practical science activities (73%) may be considered as memorable secondary science teaching strategies. Implementing science lessons with one or more of these memorable science teaching practices may "make a difference" towards influencing high school students' positive long-term memories about science and their science education. Further research in other key learning areas may provide a clearer picture of high-impact teaching and a way to enhance pedagogical practices.

Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) Journal, 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swenson, Tamara, Ed.

1996-01-01

The two issues of the journal for teachers of English as a second language in Japan include these articles: "What Do JTEs Really Want?" (Wendy F. Scholefield); "Do EFL Learners Make Instrumental Inferences When Reading? Some Evidence from Implicit Memory Tests" (Suzanne Collins, Hidetsugu Tajika); "Function and Structure…

Wright Brothers National Memorial: Site of the First Controlled Powered Flight. Teaching with Historic Places.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olio, Brenda K.

Wilbur and Orville Wright undertook the first test airplane flight on December 17, 1903, at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Their success represented the culmination of four years of painstaking research and trials in which they designed and improved their flying machines at home in Dayton, Ohio, and tested them each year near Kitty Hawk, North…

Computerized Cognition Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motes, Michael A.; Wiegmann, Douglas A.

1999-01-01

Describes a software package entitled the "Computerized Cognition Laboratory" that helps integrate the teaching of cognitive psychology and research methods. Allows students to explore short-term memory, long-term memory, and decision making. Can also be used to teach the application of several statistical procedures. (DSK)

Secondary adaptation of memory-guided saccades

PubMed Central

Srimal, Riju; Curtis, Clayton E.

2011-01-01

Adaptation of saccade gains in response to errors keeps vision and action co-registered in the absence of awareness or effort. Timing is key, as the visual error must be available shortly after the saccade is generated or adaptation does not occur. Here, we tested the hypothesis that when feedback is delayed, learning still occurs, but does so through small secondary corrective saccades. Using a memory-guided saccade task, we gave feedback about the accuracy of saccades that was falsely displaced by a consistent amount, but only after long delays. Despite the delayed feedback, over time subjects improved in accuracy toward the false feedback. They did so not by adjusting their primary saccades, but via directed corrective saccades made before feedback was given. We propose that saccade learning may be driven by different types of feedback teaching signals. One teaching signal relies upon a tight temporal relation with the saccade and contributes to obligatory learning independent of awareness. When this signal is ineffective due to delayed error feedback, a second compensatory teaching signal enables flexible adjustments to the spatial goal of saccades and helps maintain sensorimotor accuracy. PMID:20803135

Making Physiology Learning Memorable: A Mobile Phone-Assisted Case-Based Instructional Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kukolja Taradi, S.; Taradi, M.

2016-01-01

The goal of the present study was to determine whether an active learning/teaching strategy facilitated with mobile technologies can improve students' levels of memory retention of key physiological concepts. We used a quasiexperimental pretest/posttest nonequivalent group design to compare the test performances of second-year medical students (n…

“Teach to Goal”: Theory and Design Principles of an Intervention to Improve Heart Failure Self-Management Skills of Patients with Low Health Literacy

PubMed Central

BAKER, DAVID W.; DeWALT, DARREN A.; SCHILLINGER, DEAN; HAWK, VICTORIA; RUO, BERNICE; BIBBINS-DOMINGO, KIRSTEN; WEINBERGER, MORRIS; MACABASCO-O'CONNELL, AURELIA; PIGNONE, MICHAEL

2012-01-01

Self-management is vital for achieving optimal health outcomes for patients with heart failure (HF). We sought to develop an intervention to improve self-management skills and behaviors for patients with HF, especially those with low health literacy. Individuals with low health literacy have difficulty reading and understanding written information and comprehending numerical information and performing calculations, and they tend to have worse baseline knowledge, short-term memory, and working memory compared to individuals with higher health literacy. This paper describes theoretical models that suggest methods to improve the design of educational curricula and programs for low literate audiences, including cognitive load theory and learning mastery theory. We also outline the practical guiding principles for designing our intervention, which includes a multi-session educational strategy that teaches patients self-care skills until they reach behavioral goals (“Teach to Goal”). Ourintervention strategy is being tested in a randomized controlled trial to determine if it is superior to a single-session brief educational intervention for reducing hospitalization and death. If this trial shows that the “Teach to Goal” approach is superior, this would support the value of incorporating these design principles into educational interventions for other diseases. PMID:21951244

Interteaching and Lecture: A Comparison of Long-Term Recognition Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saville, Bryan K.; Bureau, Alex; Eckenrode, Claire; Fullerton, Alison; Herbert, Reanna; Maley, Michelle; Porter, Allen; Zombakis, Julie

2014-01-01

Although a number of studies suggest that interteaching is an effective alternative to traditional teaching methods, no studies have systematically examined whether interteaching improves long-term memory. In this study, we assigned students to different teaching conditions--interteaching, lecture, or control--and then gave them a multiple-choice…

Fast-Mapping and Deliberate Word-Learning by EFL Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Chieh-Fang

2012-01-01

This study examined the abilities of young English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to identify quickly new words from a nonostensive, indirect teaching context (known as fast- mapping) and their ability to commit the words to memory. Seventy-five fourth-grade EFL learners heard novel words embedded in sentences. They were then tested for…

Kagan Structures, Processing, and Excellence in College Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagan, Spencer

2014-01-01

Frequent student processing of lecture content (1) clears working memory, (2) increases long-term memory storage, (3) produces retrograde memory enhancement, (4) creates episodic memories, (5) increases alertness, and (6) activates many brain structures. These outcomes increase comprehension of and memory for content. Many professors now…

Mothers' negative evaluations of their children's performances enhance boys' memories for crafts.

PubMed

Dunsmore, Julie C; Halberstadt, Amy G; Robinson, Megan L

2004-12-01

The authors predicted that mothers' evaluative comments would affect their preschool-aged children's learning during a craft-making activity. Each mother (N = 67) taught her child 6 crafts in a playroom in a university setting. Three weeks later, the child returned to the playroom to redo the crafts. Evaluators tested the children's memories of the procedures for completing the crafts. The authors used videotapes of the mothers' teaching to code for statements that positively evaluated their children's performances (praise) or that negatively evaluated their children's performances (criticism). Maternal praise did not affect children's memories. Maternal criticism did not affect their daughters' memories. However, sons were more likely to more accurately redo craft steps for which their mothers had made at least 1 comment criticizing their performances. The authors proposed that emotional arousal was a reason for girls' and boys' differential responses to maternal criticism.

Teaching Direct Practice Techniques for Work with Elders with Alzheimer's Disease: A Simulated Group Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Michael N.

2003-01-01

A role-play exercise about Alzheimer's disease was designed to teach group work with memory-impaired elders. Written comments from 26 social work students revealed four outcomes: demystifying practical knowledge, respect for diversity among memory-impaired individuals, increased awareness of elders' internal states, and awareness of the challenges…

The efficacy of a multifactorial memory training in older adults living in residential care settings.

PubMed

Vranić, Andrea; Španić, Ana Marija; Carretti, Barbara; Borella, Erika

2013-11-01

Several studies have shown an increase in memory performance after teaching mnemonic techniques to older participants. However, transfer effects to non-trained tasks are generally either very small, or not found. The present study investigates the efficacy of a multifactorial memory training program for older adults living in a residential care center. The program combines teaching of memory strategies with activities based on metacognitive (metamemory) and motivational aspects. Specific training-related gains in the Immediate list recall task (criterion task), as well as transfer effects on measures of short-term memory, long-term memory, working memory, motivational (need for cognition), and metacognitive aspects (subjective measure of one's memory) were examined. Maintenance of training benefits was assessed after seven months. Fifty-one older adults living in a residential care center, with no cognitive impairments, participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to two programs: the experimental group attended the training program, while the active control group was involved in a program in which different psychological issues were discussed. A benefit in the criterion task and substantial general transfer effects were found for the trained group, but not for the active control, and they were maintained at the seven months follow-up. Our results suggest that training procedures, which combine teaching of strategies with metacognitive-motivational aspects, can improve cognitive functioning and attitude toward cognitive activities in older adults.

Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Judy

2006-01-01

The author of this book combs through brain research and pulls out the information that is most valid and relevant to classroom teaching. It describes how to enhance students' memory and test-taking abilities and presents ways to captivate and hold students' attention and encourage their participation and progress. This is the first book ever…

Memory Is Not Only about Storage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huber, Kay L.

1993-01-01

The Atkinson-Shiffrin model of memory has three components: sensory, short term, and long term. Each memory process (such as encoding, storage, and retrieval) can be linked to specific teaching and learning strategies. (SK)

Memory, Meaning, & Method: A View of Language Teaching. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevick, Earl W.

The revised second edition of a 1976 book explores the literature of research on memory, creation of meaning in language learning, and second language teaching methodology, incorporating results of recent work in those areas. Each of the 12 chapters begins with a series of questions to be addressed and ends with further questions. Chapter topics…

Teaching Contested Narratives: Identity, Memory and Reconciliation in Peace Education and Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bekerman, Zvi; Zembylas, Michalinos

2012-01-01

In troubled societies narratives about the past tend to be partial and explain a conflict from narrow perspectives that justify the national self and condemn, exclude and devalue the 'enemy' and their narrative. Through a detailed analysis, Teaching Contested Narratives reveals the works of identity, historical narratives and memory as these are…

The Pursuit of Memory: Examining Art Teaching and Pedagogical Practices through Hannah Arendt's Actor-Spectator Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Mun Yee

2011-01-01

Memories of our schooling and teaching experiences shape our curriculum and pedagogical decision-making process in art education when we become teachers and teacher educators. In this paper, using Hannah Arendt's Actor-Spectator Theory, I engage in retrospective critical introspection of my practices as an art teacher and curriculum developer in…

The Grammar of Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawyer, Wayne

2016-01-01

This essay focuses on two sites of memory in my professional life. One is from my very early years of teaching, the second from about 10 years later. Each is centred on a moment of controversy in English curriculum in New South Wales, Australia, and each is to do with the teaching of writing and the supposed neglect of language study, including…

Use of tangential visual symbols to increase the long-term learning process: applications of linkage in teaching pharmacological principles of addiction.

PubMed

Giannini, A J; Giannini, J N; Condon, M

2000-07-01

Medieval and Renaissance teaching techniques using linkage between course content and tangentially related visual symbols were applied to the teaching of the pharmacological principles of addiction. Forty medical students randomly divided into two blinded groups viewed a lecture. One lecture was supplemented by symbolic slides, and the second was not. Students who viewed symbolic slides had significantly higher scores in a written 15-question multiple-choice test 30 days after the lecture. These results were consistent with learning and semiotic models. These models hypothesize a linkage between conceptual content and perception of visual symbols that thereby increases conceptual retention. Recent neurochemical research supports the existence of a linkage between two chemically distinct memory systems. Simultaneous stimulation of both chemical systems by teaching formats similar to those employed in the study can augment neurochemical signaling in the neocortex.

Communication-induced memory biases in preverbal infants

PubMed Central

Yoon, Jennifer M. D.; Johnson, Mark H.; Csibra, Gergely

2008-01-01

Human teaching, a highly specialized form of cooperative information transmission, depends not only on the presence of benevolent communicators in the environment, but also on the preparedness of the students to learn from communication when it is addressed to them. We tested whether 9-month-old human infants can distinguish between communicative and noncommunicative social contexts and whether they retain qualitatively different information about novel objects in these contexts. We found that in a communicative context, infants devoted their limited memory resources to encoding the identity of novel objects at the expense of encoding their location, which is preferentially retained in noncommunicative contexts. We propose that infants' sensitivity to, and interpretation of, the social cues distinguishing infant-directed communication events represent important mechanisms of social learning by which others can help determine what information even preverbal human observers retain in memory. PMID:18757762

Have I Become a Better Teacher? Teaching Dutch in Upper Secondary School (1970-2015)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van de Ven, Piet-Hein

2016-01-01

In my contribution I give an account of my teaching based on my own memories and those of former students. I rely on reports from my present students, remarks by colleagues and my own reflections. My memories as well as my present reflections are doubtlessly coloured by my growing awareness of the relationships between micro and macro levels of…

Learning New Letter-like Writing Patterns Explicitly and Implicitly in Children and Adults.

PubMed

Jongbloed-Pereboom, M; Overvelde, A; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, M W G; Steenbergen, B

2017-12-15

A handwriting task was used to test the assumption that explicit learning is dependent on age and working memory, while implicit learning is not. The effect of age was examined by testing both, typically developing children (5-12 years old, n = 81) and adults (n = 27) in a counterbalanced within-subjects design. Participants were asked to repeatedly write letter-like patterns on a digitizer with a non-inking pen. Reproduction of the pattern was better after explicit learning compared to implicit learning. Age had positive effects on both explicit and implicit learning; working memory did not affect learning in either conditions. These results show that it may be more effective to learn writing new letter-like patterns explicitly and that an explicit teaching method is preferred in mainstream primary education.

Perceptions among occupational and physical therapy students of a nontraditional methodology for teaching laboratory gross anatomy.

PubMed

Thomas, K Jackson; Denham, Bryan E; Dinolfo, John D

2011-01-01

This pilot study was designed to assess the perceptions of physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) students regarding the use of computer-assisted pedagogy and prosection-oriented communications in the laboratory component of a human anatomy course at a comprehensive health sciences university in the southeastern United States. The goal was to determine whether student perceptions changed over the course of a summer session regarding verbal, visual, tactile, and web-based teaching methodologies. Pretest and post-test surveys were distributed online to students who volunteered to participate in the pilot study. Despite the relatively small sample size, statistically significant results indicated that PT and OT students who participated in this study perceived an improved ability to name major anatomical structures from memory, to draw major anatomical structures from memory, and to explain major anatomical relationships from memory. Students differed in their preferred learning styles. This study demonstrates that the combination of small group learning and digital web-based learning seems to increase PT and OT students' confidence in their anatomical knowledge. Further research is needed to determine which forms of integrated instruction lead to improved student performance in the human gross anatomy laboratory. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Anatomists.

Enhancing Memory in Your Students: COMPOSE Yourself!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotter, Kathleen M.

2009-01-01

The essence of teaching is, in fact, creating new memories for your students. The teacher's role is to help students store the correct information (memories) in ways that make recall and future access and use likely. Therefore, choosing techniques to enhance memory is possibly the most critical aspect of instructional design. COMPOSE is an acronym…

Foreign Language Methods and an Information Processing Model of Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willebrand, Julia

The major approaches to language teaching (audiolingual method, generative grammar, Community Language Learning and Silent Way) are investigated to discover whether or not they are compatible in structure with an information-processing model of memory (IPM). The model of memory used was described by Roberta Klatzky in "Human Memory:…

An Analysis of the Working Memories of Expert Sport Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCullick, Bryan; Schempp, Paul; Hsu, Shan-Hui; Jung, Jin Hong; Vickers, Brad; Schuknecht, Greg

2006-01-01

A distinguishing characteristic of expert teachers appears to be an excellent memory (Berliner, 1986; Tan, 1997). Possessing an excellent memory aids experts in building a substantial knowledge base relative to teaching and learning. Despite its importance, the memory skills of expert teachers have yet to be investigated. Therefore, the purpose of…

Seeing the Wood for the Trees: Applying the dual-memory system model to investigate expert teachers' observational skills in natural ecological learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolpe, Karin; Björklund, Lars

2012-01-01

This study aims to investigate two expert ecology teachers' ability to attend to essential details in a complex environment during a field excursion, as well as how they teach this ability to their students. In applying a cognitive dual-memory system model for learning, we also suggest a rationale for their behaviour. The model implies two separate memory systems: the implicit, non-conscious, non-declarative system and the explicit, conscious, declarative system. This model provided the starting point for the research design. However, it was revised from the empirical findings supported by new theoretical insights. The teachers were video and audio recorded during their excursion and interviewed in a stimulated recall setting afterwards. The data were qualitatively analysed using the dual-memory system model. The results show that the teachers used holistic pattern recognition in their own identification of natural objects. However, teachers' main strategy to teach this ability is to give the students explicit rules or specific characteristics. According to the dual-memory system model the holistic pattern recognition is processed in the implicit memory system as a non-conscious match with earlier experienced situations. We suggest that this implicit pattern matching serves as an explanation for teachers' ecological and teaching observational skills. Another function of the implicit memory system is its ability to control automatic behaviour and non-conscious decision-making. The teachers offer the students firsthand sensory experiences which provide a prerequisite for the formation of implicit memories that provides a foundation for expertise.

Effects of a multimedia project on users' knowledge about normal forgetting and serious memory loss.

PubMed

Mahoney, Diane Feeney; Tarlow, Barbara J; Jones, Richard N; Sandaire, Johnny

2002-01-01

The aim of the project was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a CD-ROM-based multimedia program as a tool to increase user's knowledge about the differences between "normal" forgetfulness and more serious memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease. The research was a controlled randomized study conducted with 113 adults who were recruited from the community and who expressed a concern about memory loss in a family member. The intervention group (n=56) viewed a module entitled "Forgetfulness: What's Normal and What's Not" on a laptop computer in their homes; the control group (n=57) did not. Both groups completed a 25-item knowledge-about-memory-loss test (primary outcome) and a sociodemographic and technology usage questionnaire; the intervention group also completed a CD-ROM user's evaluation. The mean (SD) number of correct responses to the knowledge test was 14.2 (4.5) for controls and 19.7 (3.1) for intervention participants. This highly significant difference (p<0.001) corresponds to a very large effect size. The program was most effective for participants with a lower level of self-reported prior knowledge about memory loss and Alzheimer's disease (p=0.02). Viewers were very satisfied with the program and felt that it was easy to use and understand. They particularly valued having personal access to a confidential source that permitted them to become informed about memory loss without public disclosure. This multimedia CD-ROM technology program provides an efficient and effective means of teaching older adults about memory loss and ways to distinguish benign from serious memory loss. It uniquely balances public community outreach education and personal privacy.

Translational Approaches Targeting Reconsolidation

PubMed Central

Kroes, Marijn C.W.; LeDoux, Joseph E.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2017-01-01

Maladaptive learned responses and memories contribute to psychiatric disorders that constitute a significant socio-economic burden. Primary treatment methods teach patients to inhibit maladaptive responses, but do not get rid of the memory itself, which explains why many patients experience a return of symptoms even after initially successful treatment. This highlights the need to discover more persistent and robust techniques to diminish maladaptive learned behaviours. One potentially promising approach is to alter the original memory, as opposed to inhibiting it, by targeting memory reconsolidation. Recent research shows that reactivating an old memory results in a period of memory flexibility and requires restorage, or reconsolidation, for the memory to persist. This reconsolidation period allows a window for modification of a specific old memory. Renewal of memory flexibility following reactivation holds great clinical potential as it enables targeting reconsolidation and changing of specific learned responses and memories that contribute to maladaptive mental states and behaviours. Here, we will review translational research on non-human animals, healthy human subjects, and clinical populations aimed at altering memories by targeting reconsolidation using biological treatments (electrical stimulation, noradrenergic antagonists) or behavioural interference (reactivation–extinction paradigm). Both approaches have been used successfully to modify aversive and appetitive memories, yet effectiveness in treating clinical populations has been limited. We will discuss that memory flexibility depends on the type of memory tested and the brain regions that underlie specific types of memory. Further, when and how we can most effectively reactivate a memory and induce flexibility is largely unclear. Finally, the development of drugs that can target reconsolidation and are safe for use in humans would optimize cross-species translations. Increasing the understanding of the mechanism and limitations of memory flexibility upon reactivation should help optimize efficacy of treatments for psychiatric patients. PMID:27240676

"El pasado refleja el futuro": Pre-Service Teachers' Memories of Growing up Bilingual

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Kyle

2017-01-01

This study examined the school memories of a cohort of bilingual pre-service teachers who experienced school as English Learners. As part of a course assignment, participants described a memory from elementary school and later used that memory to reflect on its future impact on their teaching. Data were inductively analyzed, and themes were…

Preservice Teachers' Memories of Their Secondary Science Education Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Peter; Usak, Muhammet; Fancovicova, Jana; Erdogan, Mehmet; Prokop, Pavol

2010-01-01

Understanding preservice teachers' memories of their education may aid towards articulating high-impact teaching practices. This study describes 246 preservice teachers' perceptions of their secondary science education experiences through a questionnaire and 28-item survey. ANOVA was statistically significant about participants' memories of…

Influence of Teaching Strategies and its Order of Exposure on Pre-Clinical Teeth Arrangement – A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Mani, Uma Maheswari; Christian, Jayanth; Seenivasan, Madhan Kumar; Natarajan, Parthasarathy; Vaidhyanathan, Anand Kumar

2016-01-01

Introduction Teeth arrangement is a vital skill for the undergraduate dental student. The attainment of skills depends largely on the methodology of teaching. In a dental curriculum, the students are exposed to a wide variety of inputs and teaching methodologies from different sources. The educational unit in dental school must identify the sequence of teaching methods that enhance the learning and practising ability of students. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three different teaching methodologies for teeth arrangement and compare the differences between the orders of exposure to each teaching methodology on the development of teeth arrangement skills. Materials and Methods The first year B.D.S students were study participants and were divided into three groups A, B, C. They were exposed to three teaching patterns namely live demonstration with video assisted teaching, group discussion with hand-outs and lectures with power point presentation. After each teaching methodology, their skill was assessed. The groups were exposed to three methodologies in different order for three arrangements. The scores obtained were analysed using Kruskal Wallis rank sum test and Dunn test for statistical significance. Results Significantly higher scores in the teeth arrangement procedure were obtained by the Group A students who were exposed initially to live demonstration with video-assisted teaching. Difference in the scores was noted among and within the groups. The difference between Group A and Group C was statistically significant after both first and third teeth arrangement (p=0.0031, p=0.0057). Conclusion The study suggests each pre-clinical practice should begin with a live demonstration to enhance immediate learning absorption followed by lectures with power point presentation and group discussion for retention of knowledge and memory retrieval. PMID:27891468

Influence of Teaching Strategies and its Order of Exposure on Pre-Clinical Teeth Arrangement - A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Jeyapalan, Karthigeyan; Mani, Uma Maheswari; Christian, Jayanth; Seenivasan, Madhan Kumar; Natarajan, Parthasarathy; Vaidhyanathan, Anand Kumar

2016-10-01

Teeth arrangement is a vital skill for the undergraduate dental student. The attainment of skills depends largely on the methodology of teaching. In a dental curriculum, the students are exposed to a wide variety of inputs and teaching methodologies from different sources. The educational unit in dental school must identify the sequence of teaching methods that enhance the learning and practising ability of students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three different teaching methodologies for teeth arrangement and compare the differences between the orders of exposure to each teaching methodology on the development of teeth arrangement skills. The first year B.D.S students were study participants and were divided into three groups A, B, C. They were exposed to three teaching patterns namely live demonstration with video assisted teaching, group discussion with hand-outs and lectures with power point presentation. After each teaching methodology, their skill was assessed. The groups were exposed to three methodologies in different order for three arrangements. The scores obtained were analysed using Kruskal Wallis rank sum test and Dunn test for statistical significance. Significantly higher scores in the teeth arrangement procedure were obtained by the Group A students who were exposed initially to live demonstration with video-assisted teaching. Difference in the scores was noted among and within the groups. The difference between Group A and Group C was statistically significant after both first and third teeth arrangement (p=0.0031, p=0.0057). The study suggests each pre-clinical practice should begin with a live demonstration to enhance immediate learning absorption followed by lectures with power point presentation and group discussion for retention of knowledge and memory retrieval.

Facilitating role of 3D multimodal visualization and learning rehearsal in memory recall.

PubMed

Do, Phuong T; Moreland, John R

2014-04-01

The present study investigated the influence of 3D multimodal visualization and learning rehearsal on memory recall. Participants (N = 175 college students ranging from 21 to 25 years) were assigned to different training conditions and rehearsal processes to learn a list of 14 terms associated with construction of a wood-frame house. They then completed a memory test determining their cognitive ability to free recall the definitions of the 14 studied terms immediately after training and rehearsal. The audiovisual modality training condition was associated with the highest accuracy, and the visual- and auditory-modality conditions with lower accuracy rates. The no-training condition indicated little learning acquisition. A statistically significant increase in performance accuracy for the audiovisual condition as a function of rehearsal suggested the relative importance of rehearsal strategies in 3D observational learning. Findings revealed the potential application of integrating virtual reality and cognitive sciences to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness.

Using Photographs from American Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, Laurel R., Ed.

2001-01-01

This publication contains teaching ideas generated by classroom teachers. For grades K-4, elementary teacher Doris Waud and media specialist Gail Petri developed "Celebrate America with Symbols from American Memory," in which students explore the American memory and symbols. For grades 5-8, media specialist Mary Alice Anderson developed…

Integration of basic sciences and clinical sciences in oral radiology education for dental students.

PubMed

Baghdady, Mariam T; Carnahan, Heather; Lam, Ernest W N; Woods, Nicole N

2013-06-01

Educational research suggests that cognitive processing in diagnostic radiology requires a solid foundation in the basic sciences and knowledge of the radiological changes associated with disease. Although it is generally assumed that dental students must acquire both sets of knowledge, little is known about the most effective way to teach them. Currently, the basic and clinical sciences are taught separately. This study was conducted to compare the diagnostic accuracy of students when taught basic sciences segregated or integrated with clinical features. Predoctoral dental students (n=51) were taught four confusable intrabony abnormalities using basic science descriptions integrated with the radiographic features or taught segregated from the radiographic features. The students were tested with diagnostic images, and memory tests were performed immediately after learning and one week later. On immediate and delayed testing, participants in the integrated basic science group outperformed those from the segregated group. A main effect of learning condition was found to be significant (p<0.05). The results of this study support the critical role of integrating biomedical knowledge in diagnostic radiology and shows that teaching basic sciences integrated with clinical features produces higher diagnostic accuracy in novices than teaching basic sciences segregated from clinical features.

The Effect of Rehearsal Training on Working Memory Span of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loomes, Carly; Rasmussen, Carmen; Pei, Jacqueline; Manji, Shazeen; Andrew, Gail

2008-01-01

A key area of weakness in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is working memory, thus the goal of this study was to determine whether teaching children (aged 4-11) with FASD verbal rehearsal would increase their memory. Rehearsal training has been effective in other populations with working memory difficulties, so we…

A Teacher's Guide to Memory Techniques.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, Daniel L.

1982-01-01

To aid instructors in teaching their students to use effective methods of memorization, this article outlines major memory methods, provides examples of their use, evaluates the methods, and discusses ways students can be taught to apply them. First, common, but less effective, memory methods are presented, including reading and re-reading…

Professional Memory in Context: Can It Help Counter the "Counter-Revolution"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarpey, Paul

2015-01-01

This article explores the concept of "Professional Memory" in English teaching. It argues that English teacher memories, analysed through a collective lens and in particular conjunctures, can provide powerful evidence of practitioner-led reform and development. Such evidence can be used to challenge the existing theoretical framework of…

Physiotherapy exercise programmes: are instructional exercise sheets effective?

PubMed

Smith, Jo; Lewis, Jeremy; Prichard, Diana

2005-01-01

Effective compliance with physiotherapy exercises is only possible if patients remember the exercises accurately. The purpose of this study was to assess how well elderly in-patients remembered simple physiotherapy exercises, by comparing the ability to accurately reproduce a set of exercises in a group of patients that had received a written exercise sheet, with a group that had not. The study also aimed to investigate the relationship between memory for exercises and cognition. Sixty-four in-patients in an acute hospital were taught 3 exercises. Half of the subjects were randomised to receive exercise sheets to reinforce the teaching (Group 1). The rest of the subjects did not receive this memory aid (Group 2). Two to three days later subjects were asked to demonstrate their exercises. The accurate recall of the exercises was scored using a new assessment scale with a maximum score of 24. The mean exercise score was 17.19 for group 1 (SD = 5.91) and 16.24 for Group 2 (SD = 6.01). There was no significant difference in exercise score between groups (Mann Whitney U test p = 0.44). There was a statistically significant small positive correlation between exercise score and cognition (tau = 0.263). The study showed that older adult in-patients do not remember physiotherapy exercises effectively after a single teaching session and that their memory is not significantly improved by provision of an exercise sheet.

Computerized Memory Training Leads to Sustained Improvement in Visuospatial Short-Term Memory Skills in Children with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Stephanie J.; Holmes, Joni; Buckley, Sue

2013-01-01

This study evaluated the impact of a computerized visuospatial memory training intervention on the memory and behavioral skills of children with Down syndrome. Teaching assistants were trained to support the delivery of a computerized intervention program to individual children over a 10-16 week period in school. Twenty-one children aged 7-12…

Enhancing motor learning through peer tutoring.

PubMed

Feinberg, Judy R; Elkington, Sarah J; Dewey, Kimberly A; Dzielawa, Dawn M; Hayden, Nicky L; Blankenship, Staci L; Nahrwold, Christopher M; Smith, Jennifer L

2002-01-01

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.

Teaching adults-best practices that leverage the emerging understanding of the neurobiology of learning.

PubMed

Mahan, John D; Stein, David S

2014-07-01

It is important in teaching adults to recognize the essential characteristics of adult learners and how these characteristics define their learning priorities and activities. The seven key premises and practices for teaching adults provide a good guide for those interested in helping adults learn. The emerging science of the neurobiology of learning provides powerful new insights into how learning occurs in the complex integrated neural network that characterizes the adult. Differentiation of the two types of thinking: System 1 (fast, intuitive, and, often, emotional) and System 2 (slower, deliberate, and logical). System 1 thinking helps explain the basis for quick decisions and reliance of humans on heuristics (or rules of thumb) that leads to the type of convenient thinking associated with errors of thinking and judgment. We now know that the learning experience has an objective location-in the temporal and parietal lobes-as persistent dynamic networks of neurons and neuronal connections. Learning is initially stored in transient working memory (relatively limited capacity and time frame) and then moved under the right conditions to more long-lasting/stable memory (with larger capacity) that is stored for future access and development. It is clear that memories are not static and are not destined, once developed, to forever remain as stable constructs; rather, memories are dynamic, always available for modulation and alteration, and heavily invested with context, emotion, and other operant factors. The framework for such neural networks involves new neuronal connections, enhanced neuronal synaptic transmission, and neuron generation. Ten key teaching and learning concepts derived from recent neurobiology studies on learning and memory are presented. As the neurobiology of learning is better defined, the basis for how adults best learn, and even the preferences they display, can be employed as the physiological foundation for our best methods to effectively teach adults and facilitate their learning. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Memories of a Fledgling Teacher: A Beginning Teacher's Autobiography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fottland, Helg

2004-01-01

By evoking the concept of memory pictures, the author recalls her early years as a teacher. Rather than calling herself a beginning teacher, she characterizes herself as a fledgling teacher to capture the insecurity associated with the first years of teaching. This experience is narrated through five memory pictures: (1) the new school's many…

Pre-Service Teachers' Juxtaposed Memories: Implications for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balli, Sandra J.

2014-01-01

Teacher education research has long understood that pre-service teachers' beliefs about teaching are well established by the time they enroll in a teacher education program. Based on the understanding that teacher memories help shape pre-service teachers' beliefs, teacher educators have sought ways to both honor such memories and facilitate a…

What Is It Like to Be a Child? Childhood Subjectivity and Teacher Memories as Heterotopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang-Kredl, Sandra; Wilkie, Gala

2016-01-01

Foucault's notion of heterotopia offers a novel way to understand teachers' conceptualizations of childhood, in juxtaposing adult memories of childhood with their present context of teaching children. Memory writing prompts were given to 41 early childhood teachers, and the resulting written narratives were analyzed as heterotopic spaces. The…

Parental Behaviors in a Memory Relevant Setting: How Parents "Teach" Children to Remember.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Justice, Elaine M.; Coley, Denise D.

The behavior of mothers interacting with their preschoolers in a memory-relevant situation was examined. Ten 3-year-olds and their mothers were videotaped playing a game requiring memory for the location of hidden pictures. Frequency of nine categories of parental behavior was scored: naming, verbal orienting, physical orienting, physical…

Student performance and their perception of a patient-oriented problem-solving approach with audiovisual aids in teaching pathology: a comparison with traditional lectures.

PubMed

Singh, Arjun

2011-01-01

We use different methods to train our undergraduates. The patient-oriented problem-solving (POPS) system is an innovative teaching-learning method that imparts knowledge, enhances intrinsic motivation, promotes self learning, encourages clinical reasoning, and develops long-lasting memory. The aim of this study was to develop POPS in teaching pathology, assess its effectiveness, and assess students' preference for POPS over didactic lectures. One hundred fifty second-year MBBS students were divided into two groups: A and B. Group A was taught by POPS while group B was taught by traditional lectures. Pre- and posttest numerical scores of both groups were evaluated and compared. Students then completed a self-structured feedback questionnaire for analysis. The mean (SD) difference in pre- and post-test scores of groups A and B was 15.98 (3.18) and 7.79 (2.52), respectively. The significance of the difference between scores of group A and group B teaching methods was 16.62 (P < 0.0001), as determined by the z-test. Improvement in post-test performance of group A was significantly greater than of group B, demonstrating the effectiveness of POPS. Students responded that POPS facilitates self-learning, helps in understanding topics, creates interest, and is a scientific approach to teaching. Feedback response on POPS was strong in 57.52% of students, moderate in 35.67%, and negative in only 6.81%, showing that 93.19% students favored POPS over simple lectures. It is not feasible to enforce the PBL method of teaching throughout the entire curriculum; However, POPS can be incorporated along with audiovisual aids to break the monotony of dialectic lectures and as alternative to PBL.

Results of Co-Teaching Instruction to Special Education Teacher Candidates in Tanzania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Laura M.; Kaff, Marilyn S.

2014-01-01

This mixed-method descriptive pilot investigation addressed co-teaching as an inclusive school practice for special education teacher candidates at Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University (SEKOMU) in Tanzania. The investigation results, though preliminary, indicate that course content and instruction in co-teaching had a positive impact on the…

NMDA-receptor blockade by CPP impairs post-training consolidation of a rapidly acquired spatial representation in rat hippocampus.

PubMed

McDonald, Robert J; Hong, Nancy S; Craig, Laura A; Holahan, Matthew R; Louis, Meira; Muller, Robert U

2005-09-01

Recent evidence suggests that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor mediated plasticity in hippocampus has a more subtle role in memory-based behaviours than originally thought. One idea is that NMDA-based plasticity is essential for the consolidation of post-training memory but not for the initial encoding or for short-term memory. To further test this idea we used a three-phase variant of the hidden goal water maze task. In the first phase, rats were pre-trained to an initial location. Next, intense, massed training was done in a 2-h interval to teach the rats to go to a new location after either an injection of the NMDA receptor antagonist (6)-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP) or of vehicle. Finally, under drug-free conditions 24 h after new location training, a competition test was done between the original and new locations. We find that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor blockade has little or no effect on new location training. In contrast, when tested 24 h later, the strength of the trace for the new location learned during NMDA-receptor blockade was much weaker compared with the trace for the new location learned after saline injection. Further experiments showed similar effects when NMDA-receptors were blocked immediately after the new location training, suggesting that this is a memory consolidation effect. Our results therefore reinforce the notion that hippocampal NMDA-receptors participate in post-training memory consolidation but are not essential for the processes necessary to learn or retain navigational information in the short term.

Using Forensic Psychology to Teach Basic Psychological Processes: Eyewitness Memory and Lie Detection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costanzo, Mark A.

2013-01-01

Teachers can incorporate topics in forensic psychology into lower level courses to increase student interest and to show how psychological processes influence outcomes in high-stakes applied contexts. One such topic is eyewitness identification, which teachers can use to show how stress affects memory and how memories can become distorted during…

"We Not I" Not "I Me Mine": Learning from Professional Memory about Collectivist English Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarpey, Paul

2017-01-01

This article investigates the professional memories of English teachers who began their careers between 1965 and 1975. The teachers began their careers in circumstances that offered opportunities to work in collectivist ways. Their memories reveal a strong collective identity, a powerful sense of agency and a critical engagement with the aims of…

Reflection as Situated Practice: A Memory-Work Study of Lived Experience in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ovens, Alan; Tinning, Richard

2009-01-01

The aim of this paper is to understand whether student teachers enact reflection differently as they encounter different situations within their teacher education programme. Group memory-work was used to generate and analyse five participants' memories of learning to teach. Three different discursive contexts were identified in the students'…

Memory Elicited by Courtship Conditioning Requires Mushroom Body Neuronal Subsets Similar to Those Utilized in Appetitive Memory.

PubMed

Montague, Shelby A; Baker, Bruce S

2016-01-01

An animal's ability to learn and to form memories is essential for its survival. The fruit fly has proven to be a valuable model system for studies of learning and memory. One learned behavior in fruit flies is courtship conditioning. In Drosophila courtship conditioning, male flies learn not to court females during training with an unreceptive female. He retains a memory of this training and for several hours decreases courtship when subsequently paired with any female. Courtship conditioning is a unique learning paradigm; it uses a positive-valence stimulus, a female fly, to teach a male to decrease an innate behavior, courtship of the female. As such, courtship conditioning is not clearly categorized as either appetitive or aversive conditioning. The mushroom body (MB) region in the fruit fly brain is important for several types of memory; however, the precise subsets of intrinsic and extrinsic MB neurons necessary for courtship conditioning are unknown. Here, we disrupted synaptic signaling by driving a shibirets effector in precise subsets of MB neurons, defined by a collection of split-GAL4 drivers. Out of 75 lines tested, 32 showed defects in courtship conditioning memory. Surprisingly, we did not have any hits in the γ lobe Kenyon cells, a region previously implicated in courtship conditioning memory. We did find that several γ lobe extrinsic neurons were necessary for courtship conditioning memory. Overall, our memory hits in the dopaminergic neurons (DANs) and the mushroom body output neurons were more consistent with results from appetitive memory assays than aversive memory assays. For example, protocerebral anterior medial DANs were necessary for courtship memory, similar to appetitive memory, while protocerebral posterior lateral 1 (PPL1) DANs, important for aversive memory, were not needed. Overall, our results indicate that the MB circuits necessary for courtship conditioning memory coincide with circuits necessary for appetitive memory.

Memory Elicited by Courtship Conditioning Requires Mushroom Body Neuronal Subsets Similar to Those Utilized in Appetitive Memory

PubMed Central

Montague, Shelby A.; Baker, Bruce S.

2016-01-01

An animal’s ability to learn and to form memories is essential for its survival. The fruit fly has proven to be a valuable model system for studies of learning and memory. One learned behavior in fruit flies is courtship conditioning. In Drosophila courtship conditioning, male flies learn not to court females during training with an unreceptive female. He retains a memory of this training and for several hours decreases courtship when subsequently paired with any female. Courtship conditioning is a unique learning paradigm; it uses a positive-valence stimulus, a female fly, to teach a male to decrease an innate behavior, courtship of the female. As such, courtship conditioning is not clearly categorized as either appetitive or aversive conditioning. The mushroom body (MB) region in the fruit fly brain is important for several types of memory; however, the precise subsets of intrinsic and extrinsic MB neurons necessary for courtship conditioning are unknown. Here, we disrupted synaptic signaling by driving a shibirets effector in precise subsets of MB neurons, defined by a collection of split-GAL4 drivers. Out of 75 lines tested, 32 showed defects in courtship conditioning memory. Surprisingly, we did not have any hits in the γ lobe Kenyon cells, a region previously implicated in courtship conditioning memory. We did find that several γ lobe extrinsic neurons were necessary for courtship conditioning memory. Overall, our memory hits in the dopaminergic neurons (DANs) and the mushroom body output neurons were more consistent with results from appetitive memory assays than aversive memory assays. For example, protocerebral anterior medial DANs were necessary for courtship memory, similar to appetitive memory, while protocerebral posterior lateral 1 (PPL1) DANs, important for aversive memory, were not needed. Overall, our results indicate that the MB circuits necessary for courtship conditioning memory coincide with circuits necessary for appetitive memory. PMID:27764141

Gain attention, enhance memory, and improve learning with brain-based strategies.

PubMed

Restaino, Rusti

2011-05-01

Applying what we know about brain function to both traditional and online teaching is easy. This column discusses brain function and "tips" for structuring teaching based on it. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

A Preliminary Analysis of Procedures to Teach Children with Autism to Report Past Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shillingsburg, M. Alice; Cariveau, Tom; Talmadge, Bethany; Frampton, Sarah

2017-01-01

Deficits in reporting past behavior may have implications for a child's social development and safety. Behavioral interpretations of memory and research on do/say correspondence provide valuable strategies to teach reporting past behavior when deficits are observed. The current study examined procedures to teach accurate reporting of past behavior…

Departing from PowerPoint default mode: Applying Mayer's multimedia principles for enhanced learning of parasitology.

PubMed

Nagmoti, Jyoti Mahantesh

2017-01-01

PowerPoint (PPT™) presentation has become an integral part of day-to-day teaching in medicine. Most often, PPT™ is used in its default mode which in fact, is known to cause boredom and ineffective learning. Research has shown improved short-term memory by applying multimedia principles for designing and delivering lectures. However, such evidence in medical education is scarce. Therefore, we attempted to evaluate the effect of multimedia principles on enhanced learning of parasitology. Second-year medical students received a series of lectures, half of the lectures used traditionally designed PPT™ and the rest used slides designed by Mayer's multimedia principles. Students answered pre and post-tests at the end of each lecture (test-I) and an essay test after six months (test-II) which assessed their short and long term knowledge retention respectively. Students' feedback on quality and content of lectures were collected. Statistically significant difference was found between post test scores of traditional and modified lectures (P = 0.019) indicating, improved short-term memory after modified lectures. Similarly, students scored better in test II on the contents learnt through modified lectures indicating, enhanced comprehension and improved long-term memory (P < 0.001). Many students appreciated learning through multimedia designed PPT™ and suggested for their continued use. It is time to depart from default PPT™ and adopt multimedia principles to enhance comprehension and improve short and long term knowledge retention. Further, medical educators may be trained and encouraged to apply multimedia principles for designing and delivering effective lectures.

A trial of patient-oriented problem-solving system for immunology teaching in China: a comparison with dialectic lectures

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The most common teaching method used in China is lecturing, but recently, efforts have been widely undertaken to promote the transition from teacher-centered to student-centered education. The patient-oriented problem-solving (POPS) system is an innovative teaching-learning method that permits students to work in small groups to solve clinical problems, promotes self-learning, encourages clinical reasoning and develops long-lasting memory. To our best knowledge, however, POPS has never been applied in teaching immunology in China. The aim of this study was to develop POPS in teaching immunology and assess students’ and teachers’ perception to POPS. Methods 321 second-year medical students were divided into two groups: I and II. Group I, comprising 110 students, was taught by POPS, and 16 immunology teachers witnessed the whole teaching process. Group II including the remaining 211 students was taught through traditional lectures. The results of the pre- and post-test of both groups were compared. Group I students and teachers then completed a self-structured feedback questionnaire for analysis before a discussion meeting attended only by the teachers was held. Results Significant improvement in the mean difference between the pre- and post-test scores of those in Groups I and II was seen, demonstrating the effectiveness of POPS teaching. Most students responded that POPS facilitates self-learning, helps them to understand topics and creates interest, and 88.12% of students favored POPS over simple lectures. Moreover, while they responded that POPS facilitated student learning better than lectures, teachers pointed out that limited teaching resources would make it difficult for wide POPS application in China. Conclusions While POPS can break up the monotony of dialectic lectures and serve as a better teaching method, it may not be feasible for the current educational environment in China. The main reason for this is the relative shortage of teaching resources such as space, library facilities and well-trained teachers. PMID:23356717

A trial of patient-oriented problem-solving system for immunology teaching in China: a comparison with dialectic lectures.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhiren; Liu, Wei; Han, Junfeng; Guo, Sheng; Wu, Yuzhang

2013-01-28

The most common teaching method used in China is lecturing, but recently, efforts have been widely undertaken to promote the transition from teacher-centered to student-centered education. The patient-oriented problem-solving (POPS) system is an innovative teaching-learning method that permits students to work in small groups to solve clinical problems, promotes self-learning, encourages clinical reasoning and develops long-lasting memory. To our best knowledge, however, POPS has never been applied in teaching immunology in China. The aim of this study was to develop POPS in teaching immunology and assess students' and teachers' perception to POPS. 321 second-year medical students were divided into two groups: I and II. Group I, comprising 110 students, was taught by POPS, and 16 immunology teachers witnessed the whole teaching process. Group II including the remaining 211 students was taught through traditional lectures. The results of the pre- and post-test of both groups were compared. Group I students and teachers then completed a self-structured feedback questionnaire for analysis before a discussion meeting attended only by the teachers was held. Significant improvement in the mean difference between the pre- and post-test scores of those in Groups I and II was seen, demonstrating the effectiveness of POPS teaching. Most students responded that POPS facilitates self-learning, helps them to understand topics and creates interest, and 88.12% of students favored POPS over simple lectures. Moreover, while they responded that POPS facilitated student learning better than lectures, teachers pointed out that limited teaching resources would make it difficult for wide POPS application in China. While POPS can break up the monotony of dialectic lectures and serve as a better teaching method, it may not be feasible for the current educational environment in China. The main reason for this is the relative shortage of teaching resources such as space, library facilities and well-trained teachers.

In Living Memory: The Dying Art of Learning Poetry and a Case for Revival

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pullinger, Debbie

2012-01-01

This article considers the practice of learning poems and the value of poetry in the memory, and emerges from the Cambridge Poetry Teaching Project, a small-scale research study co-ordinated through the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. Drawing on the subset of findings in relation to learning and memory, the essay locates the…

Clinical Holistic Medicine: How to Recover Memory Without “Implanting” Memories in Your Patient

PubMed Central

Ventegodt, Søren; Kandel, Isack; Merrick, Joav

2007-01-01

Every therapeutic strategy and system teach us the philosophy of the treatment system to the patient, but often this teaching is subliminal and the philosophical impact must be seen as “implanted philosophy”, which gives distorted interpretations of past events called “implanted memories”. Based on the understanding of the connection between “implanted memory” and “implanted philosophy” we have developed a strategy for avoiding implanting memories arising from one of the seven most common causes of implanted memories in psychodynamic therapy: 1) Satisfying own expectancies, 2) pleasing the therapist, 3) transferences and counter transferences, 4) as source of mental and emotional order, 5) as emotional defence, 6) as symbol and 7) from implanted philosophy. Freud taught us that child sexuality is “polymorphously perverted”, meaning that all kinds of sexuality is present at least potentially with the little child; and in dreams consciousness often go back to the earlier stages of development, potentially causing all kinds of sexual dreams and fantasies, which can come up in therapy and look like real memories. The therapist working with psychodynamic psychotherapy, clinical holistic medicine, psychiatry, and emotionally oriented bodywork, should be aware of the danger of implanting philosophy and memories. Implanted memories and implanted philosophy must be carefully handled and de-learned before ending the therapy. In conclusion “clinical holistic medicine” has developed a strategy for avoiding implanting memories. PMID:17891319

Uncovering Paths to Teaching: Teacher Identity and the Cultural Arts of Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florio-Ruane, Susan; Williams, Linda G.

2008-01-01

This article reports the authors' collaborative research on teacher identity as revealed by examining paths to teaching. When individuals enter the teaching profession, they appear to be making a personal career choice. Beginning educators look ahead, envisioning the teachers they hope to become. At this time it is rare to look backward, to…

Teaching through Mnemonics in Elementary School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite-McGough, Arianne

2012-01-01

Mnemonics and songs are used to help students excel and build are their knowledge in all content areas. This method of teaching and reinforcement of information helps students to commit new information to memory and continue to use this material throughout their lives. Using mnemonics is a lessons way to teach and make the classroom a unique…

Journeys toward Reflective Practice: How Engaging in National Board Certification Influences Teacher Identities and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchins, MaryLu

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of accomplished teaching practitioners by tracing the development of the teaching expertise of participants using a narrative inquiry frame. This allowed time and space for participants to engage in making meaning of the memories of lived teaching experiences. This perspective took…

Perfect Day: A Meditation about Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valadez, Gilbert

2004-01-01

When asked by a student in a seminar recently if he could remember a perfect day teaching elementary school, the author writes memories of one he distinctly remembers because he gained new insight into teaching on that particular day. After returning to work following the devastating loss of a younger 19 year-old brother in a car crash, he resumed…

Teaching Vocabulary in Colour.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gnoinska, Anna

1998-01-01

Describes one teacher's use of color to make classroom instruction more interesting. Techniques included using colored paper for handouts, conducting an experiment to see whether the use of colors could enhance students' memory power, and using colored flashcards to teach vocabulary. (Author/VWL)

Student performance and their perception of a patient-oriented problem-solving approach with audiovisual aids in teaching pathology: a comparison with traditional lectures

PubMed Central

Singh, Arjun

2011-01-01

Purpose We use different methods to train our undergraduates. The patient-oriented problem-solving (POPS) system is an innovative teaching–learning method that imparts knowledge, enhances intrinsic motivation, promotes self learning, encourages clinical reasoning, and develops long-lasting memory. The aim of this study was to develop POPS in teaching pathology, assess its effectiveness, and assess students’ preference for POPS over didactic lectures. Method One hundred fifty second-year MBBS students were divided into two groups: A and B. Group A was taught by POPS while group B was taught by traditional lectures. Pre- and posttest numerical scores of both groups were evaluated and compared. Students then completed a self-structured feedback questionnaire for analysis. Results The mean (SD) difference in pre- and post-test scores of groups A and B was 15.98 (3.18) and 7.79 (2.52), respectively. The significance of the difference between scores of group A and group B teaching methods was 16.62 (P < 0.0001), as determined by the z-test. Improvement in post-test performance of group A was significantly greater than of group B, demonstrating the effectiveness of POPS. Students responded that POPS facilitates self-learning, helps in understanding topics, creates interest, and is a scientific approach to teaching. Feedback response on POPS was strong in 57.52% of students, moderate in 35.67%, and negative in only 6.81%, showing that 93.19% students favored POPS over simple lectures. Conclusion It is not feasible to enforce the PBL method of teaching throughout the entire curriculum; However, POPS can be incorporated along with audiovisual aids to break the monotony of dialectic lectures and as alternative to PBL. PMID:23745071

Memorizing Is Not a Dirty Word: What Should a Mathematics Teacher Know to Use It Effectively in Teaching and Learning Mathematics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Mahesh C.

1985-01-01

This bulletin concerns the role of memorization in mathematics instruction. Sections of the bulletin are devoted to discussions of: old math vs. new math; the importance of memorization ability on mathematics learning; misconceptions about memory; how to enhance the memory, including short-term vs. long-term memory systems, attention, interest,…

The Effects of a Short Training in the Use of Rehearsal Strategy on Memory for Words and Pictures in Children with Down Syndrome.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laws, Glynis; And Others

1996-01-01

A study of 27 British children (ages 5-19) with Down syndrome investigated the effects of using a memory training program at schools for children with severe learning difficulties. Results found a small but significant improvement in memory spans for children who were trained by teachers or teaching assistants.(Author/CR)

The Effect of Teaching Memory Strategies on Iranian EFL Learner's Vocabulary Retention in Terms of Learners' Multiple Intelligences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbassi, Adele; Hassaskhah, Jaleh; Tahriri, Abdorreza

2018-01-01

This study targeted to explore the effect of memory strategy on EFL learners' vocabulary retention with a consideration of learners' multiple intelligences. In this study, the memory strategy consisted of three parts of grouping, acronym and images. The participants of this study were 80 male and female EFL learners of intermediate level who…

Teaching for Successful Intelligence Raises School Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sternberg, Robert J.; Torff, Bruce; Grigorenko, Elena

1998-01-01

A "successful intelligence" intervention improved school achievement for a group of 225 ethnically diverse third-graders, both on performance assessments measuring analytical, creative, and practical achievements and on conventional multiple-choice memory assessments. Teaching for triarchic thinking facilitates factual recall, because learning…

New ideas for teaching electrocardiogram interpretation and improving classroom teaching content.

PubMed

Zeng, Rui; Yue, Rong-Zheng; Tan, Chun-Yu; Wang, Qin; Kuang, Pu; Tian, Pan-Wen; Zuo, Chuan

2015-01-01

Interpreting an electrocardiogram (ECG) is not only one of the most important parts of diagnostics but also one of the most difficult areas to teach. Owing to the abstract nature of the basic theoretical knowledge of the ECG, its scattered characteristics, and tedious and difficult-to-remember subject matter, teaching how to interpret ECGs is as difficult for teachers to teach as it is for students to learn. In order to enable medical students to master basic knowledge of ECG interpretation skills in a limited teaching time, we modified the content used for traditional ECG teaching and now propose a new ECG teaching method called the "graphics-sequence memory method." A prospective randomized controlled study was designed to measure the actual effectiveness of ECG learning by students. Two hundred students were randomly placed under a traditional teaching group and an innovative teaching group, with 100 participants in each group. The teachers in the traditional teaching group utilized the traditional teaching outline, whereas the teachers in the innovative teaching group received training in line with the proposed teaching method and syllabus. All the students took an examination in the final semester by analyzing 20 ECGs from real clinical cases and submitted their ECG reports. The average ECG reading time was 32 minutes for the traditional teaching group and 18 minutes for the innovative teaching group. The average ECG accuracy results were 43% for the traditional teaching group and 77% for the innovative teaching group. Learning to accurately interpret ECGs is an important skill in the cardiac discipline, but the ECG's mechanisms are intricate and the content is scattered. Textbooks tend to make the students feel confused owing to the restrictions of the length and the format of the syllabi, apart from many other limitations. The graphics-sequence memory method was found to be a useful method for ECG teaching.

Training the 21st-Century Worker: Policy Advice from the Dark Network of Implicit Memory. IBE Working Papers on Curriculum Issues No. 16

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abadzi, Helen

2015-01-01

Research on memory functions and their applications is a vast field that has unfolded for decades; some important studies are sixty years old. However, the research has remained a well-kept secret of cognitive psychologists. Education faculties rarely teach memory specifics, so people working in education typically do not know about the above…

Chromosomes on the move: The educational and neurological advantages of using body movement to teach cellular division

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumwoll, Alma Aron

As education and neuroscience begin to merge, creating the new field of brain-based education, teachers are working to integrate scientific research into the classroom. While working to improve my own teaching, I developed a lesson plan to teach mitosis and meiosis through movement. My thesis reviews education theory and neuroscience to support using movement as a teaching tool in high-level, subject-based classrooms. I then outline my lesson plan and present my investigations of its effectiveness as demonstrated through short-term memory, long-term memory, and students' personal responses to the class. Two experiments were completed with biology lab sections at Northeastern University between 2009 and 2012; I taught my lesson to experimental groups while control groups learned through video-based lessons. The short-term study showed significant improvement in both the grades and enjoyment of the experimental groups. The long-term, retroactive study yielded no significant data, possibly due to weaknesses in the experimental design.

Using a Prop Box to Create Emotional Memory and Creative Play for Teaching Shakespeare's "Othello"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dulaney, Margaret A.

2012-01-01

After teaching in rural North Carolina for about six years, the author was on the verge of giving up on teaching Shakespeare to her students. Although they seemed to enjoy the action and the drama of Shakespeare's plays, the lack of connection between the students and the language and culture of the plays interfered with her ability to generate a…

From "Double Vision" to Panorama: Using History of Memory to Bridge "Event Space" When Exploring Interpretations of Nazi Popularity with Year 13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, James Edward

2017-01-01

Jim Carroll relished the opportunity, in the new A-level specification he was teaching, to find an effective way of teaching his students to analyse interpretations in their coursework essays. Reflecting on the difficulties he had faced as a trainee teacher teaching younger pupils about interpretations, and dissatisfied with examination board…

Making long-term memories in minutes: a spaced learning pattern from memory research in education

PubMed Central

Kelley, Paul; Whatson, Terry

2013-01-01

Memory systems select from environmental stimuli those to encode permanently. Repeated stimuli separated by timed spaces without stimuli can initiate Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) and long-term memory (LTM) encoding. These processes occur in time scales of minutes, and have been demonstrated in many species. This study reports on using a specific timed pattern of three repeated stimuli separated by 10 min spaces drawn from both behavioral and laboratory studies of LTP and LTM encoding. A technique was developed based on this pattern to test whether encoding complex information into LTM in students was possible using the pattern within a very short time scale. In an educational context, stimuli were periods of highly compressed instruction, and spaces were created through 10 min distractor activities. Spaced Learning in this form was used as the only means of instruction for a national curriculum Biology course, and led to very rapid LTM encoding as measured by the high-stakes test for the course. Remarkably, learning at a greatly increased speed and in a pattern that included deliberate distraction produced significantly higher scores than random answers (p < 0.00001) and scores were not significantly different for experimental groups (one hour spaced learning) and control groups (four months teaching). Thus learning per hour of instruction, as measured by the test, was significantly higher for the spaced learning groups (p < 0.00001). In a third condition, spaced learning was used to replace the end of course review for one of two examinations. Results showed significantly higher outcomes for the course using spaced learning (p < 0.0005). The implications of these findings and further areas for research are briefly considered. PMID:24093012

Cognition, academic achievement, and epilepsy in school-age children: a case-control study in a developing country.

PubMed

Melbourne Chambers, R; Morrison-Levy, N; Chang, S; Tapper, J; Walker, S; Tulloch-Reid, M

2014-04-01

We conducted a case-control study of 33 Jamaican children 7 to 12years old with uncomplicated epilepsy and 33 of their classroom peers matched for age and gender to determine whether epilepsy resulted in differences in cognitive ability and school achievement and if socioeconomic status or the environment had a moderating effect on any differences. Intelligence, language, memory, attention, executive function, and mathematics ability were assessed using selected tests from NEPSY, WISCR, TeaCh, WRAT3 - expanded, and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. The child's environment at home was measured using the Middle Childhood HOME inventory. Socioeconomic status was determined from a combination of household, crowding, possessions, and sanitation. We compared the characteristics of the cases and controls and used random effects regression models (using the matched pair as the cluster) to examine the relationship between cognition and epilepsy. We found that there was no significant difference in IQ, but children with epilepsy had lower scores on tests of memory (p<0.05), language (p<0.05), and attention (p<0.01) compared with their controls. In random effects models, epilepsy status had a significant effect on memory (coefficient=-0.14, CI: -0.23, -0.05), language (coefficient=-0.13, CI: -0.23, -0.04), and mathematics ability (coefficient=-0.01, CI: -0.02, -0.00). Adjustment for the home environment and socioeconomic status and inclusion of interaction terms for these variables did not alter these effects. In conclusion, we found that epilepsy status in Jamaican children has a significant effect on performance on tests of memory, language, and mathematics and that this effect is not modified or explained by socioeconomic status or the child's home environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cultural Memory Banking in Preservice Science Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handa, Vicente C.; Tippins, Deborah J.

2012-01-01

This study focused on the exemplification of cultural memory banking as an ethnographic tool to understand cultural practices relevant to science teaching and learning in a rural coastal village in a central island of the Philippine archipelago. Using the collaborative action ethnography as a research methodology, 10 prospective science teachers…

Cultural Memory in the Classroom Public Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ching, Stuart

2011-01-01

How does the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) help teachers and students foster cultural memory? In this article, the author underscores three areas of NCTE that have facilitated the integration of his experiences and cultural background into his teaching mission. First, NCTE has published groundbreaking research in this area: most…

War Memories and Online Encyclopedias

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makhortykh, Mykola

2017-01-01

This article examines how digital media interact with collective memories and teaching practices by exploring a selection of Wikipedia articles that describe the capture of Lviv by the Germans on 30 June 1941. This event constitutes an important episode in the history of Ukraine and a complex case of violence that produced several controversies…

Defining the "D" in ISD. Part 1: Task-General Instructional Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Ruth Colvin

1986-01-01

The first of two articles designed to provide guidelines for the instructional development phase of instructional systems development focuses on general instructional methods supporting all instructional tasks. Teaching methods that support selective attention, processing in working memory, and connecting in long-term memory are described and…

Cognitive rehabilitation for memory deficits following stroke.

PubMed

Majid, M J; Lincoln, N B; Weyman, N

2000-01-01

Memory problems occur following stroke. Cognitive rehabilitation programmes are provided to retrain memory function or to teach patients strategies to cope despite memory impairment. To determine the effects of cognitive rehabilitation for memory problems following stroke. We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register, Medline, EMBASE, CINHAL and CLIN PSYCH databases and reference lists from relevant articles. Date of most recent searches: December 1998. Controlled trials of memory retraining in stroke. Studies with mixed aetiology groups were excluded unless they had more than 75% of stroke patients or separate data were available for the stroke patients. Two reviewers extracted trial data and assessed trial quality. Reviewers contacted investigators for further details of trials. One trial was identified with 12 participants. This showed memory strategy training had no significant effect on memory impairment or subjective memory complaints. There is insufficient evidence to support or refute the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for memory problems after stroke.

Directors of Naturoptics for Safe Recovery of Vision, Inc. Release Patented Process to Awardees for their Personal Use and Mentored Teaching of the Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giordano, Paul J.; D., N.; C., D.; McLeod, Roger David

2008-05-01

The Board of Directors of Naturoptics for Safe Recovery of Vision, Inc., US Patent Office, trademark issued, patent issue date April 8, 2008, has granted ``The David Matthew Mc Leod Memorial Award,'' to named individuals. Naturoptics teaching earnings by recipients are to be disbursed according to agreed percentages to named academic entities and to the awardees. When awardees sign non-disclosure agreements, they are shown why the process is safe. They are also taught that no diagnostic or treatment techniques are used, necessary or allowed for the processes. This is an educational consultation that explains how Naturoptics inventor, Roger David Mc Leod, safely and rapidly recovered his vision. The now patented processes as taught is released for the use of those awardees that sign agreements that they were merely provided a teaching service, and will only be doing educational consulting for their clients. Such clients must follow similar procedures. Other equivalent work-study grants are named ``The Kaan Balam Matagamon Memorial Award,'' also in memory of DMM. The American Indians in Science and Engineering Society may also be participating.

Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching, 1995.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Accelerative Learning and Teaching, 1995

1995-01-01

Issues 1 and 2 (combined) of the 1995 journal contain these articles: "Accelerated Learning in a Beginning College-Level French Class at the University of Houston" (Patrice Caux); "The Psychobiology of Learning and Memory" (Don Schuster); "Do the Seeds of Accelerated Language Learning and Teaching Lie in a Behavioral…

20 Ways To Promote Brain-Based Teaching and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prigge, Debra J.

2002-01-01

Based on current knowledge about cognitive processes, this article presents strategies for preparing the learner, managing the environment to motivate students, gaining and keeping learner attention, and increasing memory and recall by making learning personally relevant to students. Resources are listed for brain-based teaching and learning. (CR)

Discovering Nature: The Benefits of Teaching Outside of the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobi-Vessels, Jill L.

2013-01-01

Nature play can be an effective teaching strategy across the curriculum and may provide children and teachers with lasting memories. Research shows that experiences in natural settings provide multiple benefits to young children, including increased physical activity, reduced obesity, improved concentration, and enhanced social skills. Early…

Teaching Beginning College Students with Adapted Published Research Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klemm, William R.

2013-01-01

This study used peer-reviewed published research reports to teach a seminar on learning and memory to first-semester college students. Complete reports (not summaries, reviews, or news reports) were re-written by this author to be more "student friendly" to college freshmen. These adapted published research reports (APRRs) retained…

Relationships Between Teacher Aptitudes, Teaching Behaviors, and Pupil Outcomes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekstrom, Ruth B.

A model of elementary school teacher behavior affecting pupil outcomes is presented, and research based upon that model is discussed. A portion of the model, the relationship between teacher aptitudes and knowledge, teaching behavior, and pupil outcomes is focused upon. Aptitudes considered important included verbal and reasoning ability, memory,…

The Unfinished Lincoln Memorial. Teaching with Documents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC.

Construction began on the memorial to Abraham Lincoln in 1915, fifty years after his assassination. Sculptor, Daniel Chester French, designed the statue to honor the 16th U.S. President. French had gained a national reputation with his earlier portrayal of "The Minute Man," a statue to honor those colonials who died at Lexington and…

Zen and the art of classroom teaching.

PubMed

Keshavan, Matcheri S

2014-04-01

Effective teaching involves applying the scientific principles underlying motivation, learning and memory. Intrinsic motivation, which stems from the inherent pleasure of focused engagement, facilitates sustained pursuit of teaching goals. Active, as compared to passive learning, is more effective; learning that is optimally challenging, repeated, and reinforced with real-world application tends to be remembered well. Central to the art of teaching is the relationship between teacher and the taught; good teaching can get the teacher and the student in a state of flow, not unlike Zen, that lets both of them grow. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Executive functions predict conceptual learning of science.

PubMed

Rhodes, Sinéad M; Booth, Josephine N; Palmer, Lorna Elise; Blythe, Richard A; Delibegovic, Mirela; Wheate, Nial J

2016-06-01

We examined the relationship between executive functions and both factual and conceptual learning of science, specifically chemistry, in early adolescence. Sixty-three pupils in their second year of secondary school (aged 12-13 years) participated. Pupils completed tasks of working memory (Spatial Working Memory), inhibition (Stop-Signal), attention set-shifting (ID/ED), and planning (Stockings of Cambridge), from the CANTAB. They also participated in a chemistry teaching session, practical, and assessment on the topic of acids and alkalis designed specifically for this study. Executive function data were related to (1) the chemistry assessment which included aspects of factual and conceptual learning and (2) a recent school science exam. Correlational analyses between executive functions and both the chemistry assessment and science grades revealed that science achievements were significantly correlated with working memory. Linear regression analysis revealed that visuospatial working memory ability was predictive of chemistry performance. Interestingly, this relationship was observed solely in relation to the conceptual learning condition of the assessment highlighting the role of executive functions in understanding and applying knowledge about what is learned within science teaching. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Student memories: Insights for science reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaillie, Jane Hall

The purpose of this study was to examine the recollections pre-service teachers majoring in elementary education have of their science experiences during their elementary years and to explore the recollections in the context of science education reform efforts. At the beginning of science methods course work, pre-service elementary teachers reflected on their memories of their own elementary education experiences. Themes from 102 reflective essays collected in two settings and time periods were identified and compared. The themes remained consistent over both settings and time frames studied and fall into three general categories: curriculum and instruction, teacher traits, and student traits. The pre-service teachers expressed difficulty in recalling elementary science experiences and attributed their limited memories to what they perceived as a low priority of science content in the elementary curriculum. Teaching strategies played a prominent role in the memories reported. Hands-on and active learning strategies produced positive memories, while lectures, reading textbooks, and completing worksheets resulted in more negative memories. Furthermore, pre-service teacher essays often failed to connect the learning activities with concept development or understanding. Pre-service teachers were split nearly equally between those who liked and those who disliked elementary science. The attributes of elementary teachers received the least attention in the categories and focused primarily on passion for teaching science. Implications for science reform leaders, teacher education preparation programs, and school administrators and curriculum directors are identified.

Cultural Memory Banking in Preservice Science Teacher Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handa, Vicente C.; Tippins, Deborah J.

2012-12-01

This study focused on the exemplification of cultural memory banking as an ethnographic tool to understand cultural practices relevant to science teaching and learning in a rural coastal village in a central island of the Philippine archipelago. Using the collaborative action ethnography as a research methodology, 10 prospective science teachers and a science teacher educator/doctoral candidate formed a research team and documented community funds of knowledge relevant to science teaching and learning through their participation in a Community Immersion course. The study employed the use of the cultural memory banking as a meditational tool to analyze, make sense of, and represent interview, focus-group discussion, and observation data, among others, for the development of culturally relevant science lessons. Originally used as an anthropological tool to preserve cultural knowledge associated with the cultivation of indigenous plant varieties, the cultural memory banking, as adapted in science education, was used, both as a data collection and analytic tool, to locate relevant science at the intersection of community life. The research team developed a cultural memory bank exemplar, "Ginamos: The Stinky Smell that Sells," to highlight the learning experiences and meaning-making process of those involved in its development. Dilemmas and insights on the development and use of cultural memory banking were discussed with respect to issues of knowledge mining and mainstreaming of indigenous/local funds of knowledge, troubling the privileged position of Western-inspired nature of science.

The development of elementary teacher identities as teachers of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrier, Sarah J.; Whitehead, Ashley N.; Walkowiak, Temple A.; Luginbuhl, Sarah C.; Thomson, Margareta M.

2017-09-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the contributions of pre-service teachers' memories of science and science education, combined with their experiences in a STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, to their developing identities as elementary school teachers of science. Data collected over three years include a series of interviews and observations of science teaching during elementary teacher preparation and the first year of teaching. Grounded within a theoretical framework of identity and using a case-study research design, we examined experiences that contributed to the participants' identity development, focusing on key themes from teacher interviews: memories of science and science instruction, STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, field experiences, first year of teaching, and views of effective science instruction. Findings indicate the importance of exposure to reform strategies during teacher preparation and are summarised in main assertions and discussed along with implications for teacher preparation and research.

Diagnostic grand rounds: a new teaching concept to train diagnostic reasoning.

PubMed

Stieger, Stefan; Praschinger, Andrea; Kletter, Kurt; Kainberger, Franz

2011-06-01

Diagnostic reasoning is a core skill in teaching and learning in undergraduate curricula. Diagnostic grand rounds (DGRs) as a subform of grand rounds are intended to train the students' skills in the selection of appropriate tests and in the interpretation of test results. The aim of this study was to test DGRs for their ability to improve diagnostic reasoning by using a pre-post-test design. During one winter term, all 398 fifth-year students (36.1% male, 63.9% female) solved 23 clinical cases presented in 8 DGRs. In an online questionnaire, a Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) with 41 items was evaluated for flexibility in thinking and structure of knowledge in memory. Results were correlated with those from a summative multiple-choice knowledge test and of the learning objectives in a logbook. The students' DTI scores in the post-test were significantly higher than those reported in the pre-test. DTI scores at either testing time did not correlate with medical knowledge as assessed by a multiple-choice knowledge test. Abilities acquired during clinical clerkships as documented in a logbook could only account for a small proportion of the increase in the flexibility subscale score. This effect still remained significant after accounting for potential confounders. Establishing DGRs proofed to be an effective way of successfully improving both students' diagnostic reasoning and the ability to select the appropriate test method in routine clinical practice. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Musical plus phonological input for young foreign language readers

PubMed Central

Fonseca-Mora, M. C.; Jara-Jiménez, Pilar; Gómez-Domínguez, María

2015-01-01

Based on previous studies showing that phonological awareness is related to reading abilities and that music training improves phonological processing, the aim of the present study was to test for the efficiency of a new method for teaching to read in a foreign language. Specifically, we tested the efficacy of a phonological training program, with and without musical support that aimed at improving early reading skills in 7–8-year-old Spanish children (n = 63) learning English as a foreign language. Of interest was also to explore the impact of this training program on working memory and decoding skills. To achieve these goals we tested three groups of children before and after training: a control group, an experimental group with phonological non-musical intervention (active control), and an experimental group with musical intervention. Results clearly point to the beneficial effects of the phonological teaching approach but the further impact of the music support was not demonstrated. Moreover, while children in the music group showed low musical aptitudes before training, they nevertheless performed better than the control group. Therefore, the phonological training program with and without music support seem to have significant effects on early reading skills. PMID:25852604

Musical plus phonological input for young foreign language readers.

PubMed

Fonseca-Mora, M C; Jara-Jiménez, Pilar; Gómez-Domínguez, María

2015-01-01

Based on previous studies showing that phonological awareness is related to reading abilities and that music training improves phonological processing, the aim of the present study was to test for the efficiency of a new method for teaching to read in a foreign language. Specifically, we tested the efficacy of a phonological training program, with and without musical support that aimed at improving early reading skills in 7-8-year-old Spanish children (n = 63) learning English as a foreign language. Of interest was also to explore the impact of this training program on working memory and decoding skills. To achieve these goals we tested three groups of children before and after training: a control group, an experimental group with phonological non-musical intervention (active control), and an experimental group with musical intervention. Results clearly point to the beneficial effects of the phonological teaching approach but the further impact of the music support was not demonstrated. Moreover, while children in the music group showed low musical aptitudes before training, they nevertheless performed better than the control group. Therefore, the phonological training program with and without music support seem to have significant effects on early reading skills.

From Student to Teacher: Changes in Preservice Teacher Educational Beliefs throughout the Learning-to-Teach Journey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wall, Carrie R. Giboney

2016-01-01

Preservice teachers enter programs with beliefs about teaching and learning, constructed from prior schooling experiences. This longitudinal study examines preservice teachers' K-12 memories, their initial educational beliefs, and the changes in those beliefs over their teacher education program. Analysis of questionnaires, interviews, work…

A Walk in the Woods: "Re-Membering" a Place to Teach Preservation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Joshua E.

2015-01-01

This ethnographic study explores the educational practice of interpretive naturalists in a Midwestern US state park. The construction of affective memories and direct experiences is examined from the perspectives of a group of naturalists to understand how they teach about a specific place. Enlisting phenomenological insights of lived experience…

Seeing Thinking on the Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Daisy; Wineburg, Sam

2008-01-01

Teaching a way of thinking requires making thinking visible. Educators need to pull back the curtains from historical cognition to show students not only what historians think, but "how" they think. Given that many students believe that history is a single story to be committed to memory and that texts speak for themselves, teaching historical…

Fostering Agency and Artistry in Dancers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chavasse, Amy

2015-01-01

Returning to the classroom each year is an act of radical repositioning. Even as I return to the knowledge, experience, and accumulated memories of my teaching and creative practice, I look to ways to restructure how I deliver information and search for new methodologies of learning. Acknowledging the fluid conditions that define teaching movement…

Beyond Tokenism: Teaching a Diverse History in the Post-14 Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Nick

2016-01-01

Nick Dennis shows how a "multidirectional memory" approach to teaching history can move history teachers beyond seeing black history as separate or distracting from the history that must be taught at examination level. He gives examples of ways in which a diverse history can be built into examination courses, strengthening historical…

Personal Reflection: We Will Teach Them... How?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Ricky

2008-01-01

In this personal reflection, the author reviews how a conference presentation on the role of liberal arts in higher education helped him appreciate a paraphrased quote from William Wordsworth, "Others will love what we have loved, and we must teach them how." The words produced fond memories regarding his love of chemistry, and reminded…

"My Job Was to Teach": Educators' Memories of Teaching in British Columbia during World War II

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raptis, Helen

2018-01-01

Substantial historical research indicates that during World War II Canadian schools were considered optimal sites for fostering nationalistic sentiments in teachers and learners. Policymakers directed educators and students to collect scrap metals, purchase war savings certificates, salute the flag, and undertake marching drills. These…

The Memory Quilt: Heart-and-Hands Learning for Palliative Care.

PubMed

Flanagan, Patricia; DeMetro, Nancy

Nursing students' learning of adult and pediatric palliative care is a daunting experience. An effective initial teaching strategy using a Memory Quilt activity can improve nursing students' interpersonal and communication skills and help prepare them for end-of-life caring. These skills help students meet patient and family needs, as they transition to care settings.

Effectiveness and Retention of Teaching Memory Strategy Use to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bebko, James M.; Rhee, Thomas; Ncube, Busisiwe L.; Dahary, Hadas

2017-01-01

Although low levels of memory strategy use have been found in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), few studies have explored the effectiveness of interventions for improving strategy use with this population. In two studies, we examined the short- and longer term effectiveness of rehearsal strategy training. In Study 1, children with…

Using Information Processing Theory to Teach Social Stratification to Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jennifer L.

2015-01-01

Information in context has meaning for the student, easily understood, easily retrieved, and successfully moves to long term memory. If information is not in context, rote memorization occurs with the less meaningful information, and information is not easily retrieved or successfully stored in long term memory. The purpose of this study was to…

Teaching the Very Recent Past: "Miriam's Vision" and the London Bombings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitson, Alison; Thompson, Sarah

2015-01-01

"Miriam's Vision" is an educational project developed by the Miriam Hyman Memorial Trust, an organisation set up in memory of Miriam Hyman, one of the 52 victims of the London bombings of 2005. The project has developed a number of subject-based modules, including history, which are provided free to schools through the website…

Shape Memory Alloy Actuator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumbick, Robert J. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

The present invention discloses and teaches a unique, remote optically controlled micro actuator particularly suitable for aerospace vehicle applications wherein hot gas, or in the alternative optical energy, is employed as the medium by which shape memory alloy elements are activated. In gas turbine powered aircraft the source of the hot gas may be the turbine engine compressor or turbine sections.

Shape Memory Alloy Actuator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumbick, Robert J. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

The present invention discloses and teaches a unique, remote optically controlled micro actuator particularly suitable for aerospace vehicle applications wherein hot gas, or in the alternative optical energy, is employed as the medium by which shape memory alloy elements are activated. In gas turbine powered aircraft the source of the hot gas may be the turbine engine compressor or turbine sections.

Seeing Coloured Fruits: Utilisation of the Theory of Adaptive Memory in Teaching Botany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prokop, Pavol; Fancovicová, Jana

2014-01-01

Plants are characterised by a great diversity of easily observed features such as colours or shape, but children show low interest in learning about them. Here, we integrated modern theory of adaptive memory and evolutionary views of the function of fruit colouration on children's retention of information. Survival-relevant (fruit toxicity) and…

They're Why We're Here

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Razook, Nim

2009-01-01

The author began teaching at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1970s. In this article, the author shares two memories of those times on campus. The first was looking out his office window and seeing Iranian students marching on campus, shouting, "The Shah is a Fascist Pig." The second memory provoked this paper. It made the author…

English Orthographic Learning in Chinese-L1 Young EFL Beginners.

PubMed

Cheng, Yu-Lin

2017-12-01

English orthographic learning, among Chinese-L1 children who were beginning to learn English as a foreign language, was documented when: (1) only visual memory was at their disposal, (2) visual memory and either some letter-sound knowledge or some semantic information was available, and (3) visual memory, some letter-sound knowledge and some semantic information were all available. When only visual memory was available, orthographic learning (measured via an orthographic choice test) was meagre. Orthographic learning was significant when either semantic information or letter-sound knowledge supplemented visual memory, with letter-sound knowledge generating greater significance. Although the results suggest that letter-sound knowledge plays a more important role than semantic information, letter-sound knowledge alone does not suffice to achieve perfect orthographic learning, as orthographic learning was greatest when letter-sound knowledge and semantic information were both available. The present findings are congruent with a view that the orthography of a foreign language drives its orthographic learning more than L1 orthographic learning experience, thus extending Share's (Cognition 55:151-218, 1995) self-teaching hypothesis to include non-alphabetic L1 children's orthographic learning of an alphabetic foreign language. The little letter-sound knowledge development observed in the experiment-I control group indicates that very little letter-sound knowledge develops in the absence of dedicated letter-sound training. Given the important role of letter-sound knowledge in English orthographic learning, dedicated letter-sound instruction is highly recommended.

The Influence of Professional Identity on Teaching Practice: Experiences of Four Music Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrillo, Carmen; Baguley, Margaret; Vilar, Mercè

2015-01-01

This study explores the influence of professional identity on the teaching practice of four school music educators, two from Spain and two from Australia. Narrative inquiry methodology was utilized in order to investigate the full spectrum of their musical experiences, ranging from their earliest childhood memories to their current positions in…

Teaching Students to Think Critically about Science and Origins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seals, Mark A.

2010-01-01

In David Long's article, "Scientists at Play in a Field of the Lord," he studies the discourse between a network of regional scientists, atheists, activists and evolutionists at the opening of The Creation Museum on Memorial Day, 2007. This review essay examines the teaching of evolution through the teacher's "lens of empathy" and also considers a…

Thinking Makes It So: Cognitive Psychology and History Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fordham, Michael

2017-01-01

What, exactly, is learned knowledge? And why does it matter in history teaching? Does it matter? Michael Fordham seeks to use the general tenets of cognitive psychology to inform the debate about how history teachers might get the best from their students, in particular in considering the role of memory. Fordham surveys the latest research…

Following Zahka: Using Nobel Prize Winners' Speeches and Ideas to Teach Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanahan, Martin P.; Wilson, John K.; Becker, William E.

2012-01-01

Over 20 years ago, the late William Zahka (1990, 1998) outlined how the acceptance speeches of those who received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science could be used to teach undergraduates. This article updates and expands Zahka's work, identifying some of the issues discussed by recent Nobel Laureates, classifying their speeches by topic…

Writing, Teaching, and Researching: An Interview with Rene Saldana, Jr.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saldana, Rene, Jr.; Moore, David W.

2010-01-01

Rene Saldana, Jr., an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, is a writer of short stories, poetry, and novels. In order to get his storytelling right, he has relied on his memory when writing memoirs and consulted popular culture and family when writing fiction. In order to get his university teaching right, he reads seminal texts on…

The Secret Places: Essays on Imaginative Work in English Teaching and on Culture of the Child.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, David

A child's own purpose in life is to educate himself and to explore experience; consequently, secondary-school children will benefit from English teaching that encourages their imaginative creativity rather than forces strict adherence to arbitrary rules. When considering their childhood memories and the adult experiences before them, children…

Teaching Facts of Addition to Brazilian Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costa, Adriana Corrêa; Rohde, Luis Augusto; Dorneles, Beatriz Vargas

2015-01-01

Storage and/or automatic retrieval of the basic facts of addition from the long-term memory seems to be impaired in children with ADHD presenting arithmetical difficulties. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention model designed to teach basic facts of addition as a means of advancing from…

We Have Met Our Past and Our Future: Thanks for the Walk down Memory Lane

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiseman, Robert C.

2006-01-01

In this article, the author takes the readers for a walk down memory lane on the use of teaching aids. He shares his experience of the good old days of Audio Visual--opaque projector, motion pictures/films, recorders, and overhead projector. Computers have arrived, and now people can make graphics, pictures, motion pictures, and many different…

Age-Related Differences on Cognitive Overload in an Audio-Visual Memory Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Jennifer; Thomson, Mary E.

2011-01-01

The present study aimed to provide evidence outlining whether the type of stimuli used in teaching would provoke differing levels of recall across three different academic age groups. One hundred and twenty-one participants, aged 11-25 years, were given a language-based memory task in the form of a wordlist consisting of 15 concrete and 15…

Ghosts of Research Past: Institutional Memory and Its Implications for Educational Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conner, Jerusha O.

2012-01-01

Not all research projects progress according to plan. When a project culminates in a published piece that the research participants do not support, what are the effects and for how long do they endure? Using a retrospective case study, this article explores what memory can teach us about the long-term ramifications of research conducted in…

The Effects of 3D Computer Simulation on Biology Students' Achievement and Memory Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elangovan, Tavasuria; Ismail, Zurida

2014-01-01

A quasi experimental study was conducted for six weeks to determine the effectiveness of two different 3D computer simulation based teaching methods, that is, realistic simulation and non-realistic simulation on Form Four Biology students' achievement and memory retention in Perak, Malaysia. A sample of 136 Form Four Biology students in Perak,…

Technology and Teaching: Searching under Cups for Clues about Memory--An Online Demonstration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahan, Todd A.; Mathis, Katherine M.

2007-01-01

An online demonstration, designed to enhance comprehension of Sternberg's (1966) short-term memory scanning task, involved rapidly searching under virtual cups for a ball. We randomly assigned students to 1 of 3 groups, all of whom read the same textbook description of Sternberg's work: A demonstration group used 3 search methods to look for balls…

Informatics in dental education: a horizon of opportunity.

PubMed

Abbey, L M

1989-11-01

Computers have presented society with the largest array of opportunities since the printing press. More specifically in dental education they represent the path to freedom from the memory-based curriculum. Computers allow us to be constantly in touch with the entire scope of knowledge necessary for decision making in every aspect of the process of preparing young men and women to practice dentistry. No longer is it necessary to spend the energy or time previously used to memorize facts, test for retention of facts or be concerned with remembering facts when dealing with our patients. Modern information management systems can assume that task allowing dentists to concentrate on understanding, skill, judgement and wisdom while helping patients deal with their problems within a health care system that is simultaneously baffling in its complexity and overflowing with options. This paper presents a summary of the choices facing dental educators as computers continue to afford us the freedom to look differently at teaching, research and practice. The discussion will elaborate some of the ways dental educators must think differently about the educational process in order to utilize fully the power of computers in curriculum development and tracking, integration of basic and clinical teaching, problem solving, patient management, record keeping and research. Some alternative strategies will be discussed that may facilitate the transition from the memory-based to the computer-based curriculum and practice.

New, Patented Technique for Naturally Restoring Healthy Vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anganes, Andrew A.; McLeod, Roger David; Machado, Milena

2009-05-01

The patented NATUROPTIC METHOD FOR RESTORING HEALTHY VISION claims to be a novel teaching method for safely and naturally improving vision. It is a simple tutoring process designed to work quickly, requiring only a minimal number of sessions for improvement. We investigated these claims, implementing Naturoptics for safe recovery of vision, ourselves, over a period of time. Research was conducted at off campus locations, mentored by the creator of the Naturoptic Method. We assessed our initial visual acuity and subsequent progress, using standard Snellen Eye Charts. Our research is designed to document successive improvements in vision, and to assess our potential for teaching the method. Naturoptics' Board encourages work-study memorial awards for students. They are: ``The David Matthew McLeod Memorial Award,'' or ``The Kaan Balam Matagamon Memorial Award,'' with net earnings shared by the designees, academic entities, the American Indians in Science and Engineering Society, AISES, or charity. The Board requires awardees, students, and associated entities, to sign non-disclosure agreements.

A generalized memory test algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milner, E. J.

1982-01-01

A general algorithm for testing digital computer memory is presented. The test checks that (1) every bit can be cleared and set in each memory work, and (2) bits are not erroneously cleared and/or set elsewhere in memory at the same time. The algorithm can be applied to any size memory block and any size memory word. It is concise and efficient, requiring the very few cycles through memory. For example, a test of 16-bit-word-size memory requries only 384 cycles through memory. Approximately 15 seconds were required to test a 32K block of such memory, using a microcomputer having a cycle time of 133 nanoseconds.

Current trends in cognitive rehabilitation for memory disorders.

PubMed

Kashima, H; Kato, M; Yoshimasu, H; Muramatsu, T

1999-06-01

Progress in the neuropsychology of memory disorders has provided a foundation for development of cognitive rehabilitation for amnesic patients. Accumulating evidence in the past two decades suggested that certain training techniques could be beneficial to many amnesic patients, such as teaching and acquisition of domain-specific knowledge, motor coding, reality orientation, and meta-cognition improvement. In this article we review and discuss the current trends in cognitive rehabilitation of memory disorders and provide a future direction in this emerging field. In addition, our experience in the successful rehabilitation of Korsakoff syndrome patients is also introduced.

The Effect of Teachers’ Memory-Relevant Language on Children’s Strategy Use and Knowledge

PubMed Central

Grammer, Jennie; Coffman, Jennifer L.; Ornstein, Peter

2014-01-01

Building on longitudinal findings of linkages between aspects of teachers’ language during instruction and children’s use of mnemonic strategies, this investigation was designed to examine experimentally the impact of instruction on memory development. First and second graders (N=54, mean age=7 years) were randomly assigned to a science unit that varied only in teachers’ use of memory-relevant language. Pretest, posttest, and 1-month follow-up assessments revealed that although all participating children learned new information as a result of instruction, those exposed to memory-rich teaching exhibited greater levels of strategic knowledge and engaged in more sophisticated strategy use in a memory task involving instructional content than did students exposed to low-memory instruction. The findings provide support for a causal linkage between teachers’ language and children’s strategic efforts. PMID:23574097

William James's "Talks to Teachers" (1899) and McKeachie's "Teaching Tips" (1999)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKeachie, Wilbert J.

2003-01-01

What has changed and what has stayed the same in the years since the first publication of James's "Talks to Teachers on Psychology: And to Students on some of Life's Ideals" (1899) and the 10 editions of McKeachie's "Teaching Tips"? Although research and theory have given us better understanding of learning, memory, cognition, and motivation, much…

Not Stopping at First: Racial Literacy and the Teaching of Barack Obama

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, William L.

2014-01-01

In this article the author speaks to the teaching of Barack Obama in U.S. schools. Drawing from scholarly literature on the heroification of American historical figures in public memory, the author argues that focusing on Obama's firstness as an African American may lead students to have incomplete and misleading understandings of what the…

The Critical Orientation in Research on Historical School Narrative and Its Relation with the History of Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skórzynska, Izabela; Glowacka-Sobiech, Edyta; Chmura-Rutkowska, Iwona

2017-01-01

The article attempts to present selected theoretical standpoints concerning the place and role of school textbook narrative in teaching history to school students. In this context we posit a hypothesis about the hybrid construction (history memories and ideology) of the narration for teaching history in Polish school textbooks in lower secondary…

Reconstructing Memory through the Archives: Public Pedagogy, Citizenship and Letizia Battaglia's Photographic Record of Mafia Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salvio, Paula M.

2014-01-01

This essay shuttles between the archive in its literal sense as a site of storage, and in its figurative senses as a migrating, foundational concept that is fused with affect and speaks of memory and forgetting, disavowal and betrayals. I maintain that a productive ground for theorising the archive as a site of radical public teaching can be found…

Memory and Imagination: The Paschal Triduum Teaching How to Live and How to Die

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eschenauer, Donna

2012-01-01

Memory and imagination, complex activities of the brain, act as the cornerstone for ritual prayer. These brain functions ground us in hope and aid in our discovery of what it means to be human at a deep level. This article explores the ritual of the Paschal Triduum, the Roman Catholic Church's highest expression of faith. It interprets the Triduum…

Constructing Patriotism: Teaching History and Memories in Global Worlds. Advances in Cultural Psychology: Constructing Human Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carretero, Mario

2011-01-01

Memory construction and national identity are key issues in our societies, as well as it is patriotism. How can we nowadays believe and give sense to traditional narrations that explain the origins of nations and communities? How do these narrations function in a process of globalization? How should we remember the recent past? In the construction…

Memory outcomes following cognitive interventions in children with neurological deficits: A review with a focus on under-studied populations.

PubMed

Schaffer, Yael; Geva, Ronny

2016-01-01

Given the primary role of memory in children's learning and well-being, the aim of this review was to examine the outcomes of memory remediation interventions in children with neurological deficits as a function of the affected memory system and intervention method. Fifty-seven studies that evaluated the outcome of memory interventions in children were identified. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria, and were included in a systematic review. Diverse rehabilitation methods for improving explicit and implicit memory in children were reviewed. The analysis indicates that teaching restoration strategies may improve, and result in the generalisation of, semantic memory and working memory performance in children older than 7 years with mild to moderate memory deficits. Factors such as longer protocols, emotional support, and personal feedback contribute to intervention efficacy. In addition, the use of compensation aids seems to be highly effective in prospective memory tasks. Finally, the review unveiled a lack of studies with young children and the absence of group interventions. These findings point to the importance of future evidence-based intervention protocols in these areas.

"G.P.S Matrices" programme: A method to improve the mastery level of social science students in matrices operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ken Voon

2013-04-01

The purpose of this action research was to increase the mastery level of Form Five Social Science students in Tawau II National Secondary School in the operations of addition, subtraction and multiplication of matrices in Mathematics. A total of 30 students were involved. Preliminary findings through the analysis of pre-test results and questionnaire had identified the main problem faced in which the students felt confused with the application of principles of the operations of matrices when performing these operations. Therefore, an action research was conducted using an intervention programme called "G.P.S Matrices" to overcome the problem. This programme was divided into three phases. 'Gift of Matrices' phase aimed at forming matrix teaching aids. The second and third phases were 'Positioning the Elements of Matrices' and 'Strenghtening the Concept of Matrices'. These two phases were aimed at increasing the level of understanding and memory of the students towards the principles of matrix operations. Besides, this third phase was also aimed at creating an interesting learning environment. A comparison between the results of pre-test and post-test had shown a remarkable improvement in students' performances after implementing the programme. In addition, the analysis of interview findings also indicated a positive feedback on the changes in students' attitude, particularly in the aspect of students' understanding level. Moreover, the level of students' memory also increased following the use of the concrete matrix teaching aids created in phase one. Besides, teachers felt encouraging when conducive learning environment was created through students' presentation activity held in third phase. Furthermore, students were voluntarily involved in these student-centred activities. In conclusion, this research findings showed an increase in the mastery level of students in these three matrix operations and thus the objective of the research had been achieved.

Unique and shared validity of the "Wechsler logical memory test", the "California verbal learning test", and the "verbal learning and memory test" in patients with epilepsy.

PubMed

Helmstaedter, Christoph; Wietzke, Jennifer; Lutz, Martin T

2009-12-01

This study was set-up to evaluate the construct validity of three verbal memory tests in epilepsy patients. Sixty-one consecutively evaluated patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) or extra-temporal epilepsy (E-TLE) underwent testing with the verbal learning and memory test (VLMT, the German equivalent of the Rey auditory verbal learning test, RAVLT); the California verbal learning test (CVLT); the logical memory and digit span subtests of the Wechsler memory scale, revised (WMS-R); and testing of intelligence, attention, speech and executive functions. Factor analysis of the memory tests resulted in test-specific rather than test over-spanning factors. Parameters of the CVLT and WMS-R, and to a much lesser degree of the VLMT, were highly correlated with attention, language function and vocabulary. Delayed recall measures of logical memory and the VLMT differentiated TLE from E-TLE. Learning and memory scores off all three tests differentiated mesial temporal sclerosis from other pathologies. A lateralization of the epilepsy was possible only for a subsample of 15 patients with mesial TLE. Although the three tests provide overlapping indicators for a temporal lobe epilepsy or a mesial pathology, they can hardly be taken in exchange. The tests have different demands on semantic processing and memory organization, and they appear differentially sensitive to performance in non-memory domains. The tests capability to lateralize appears to be poor. The findings encourage the further discussion of the dependency of memory outcomes on test selection.

Cognitive Rehabilitation of Episodic Memory Disorders: From Theory to Practice

PubMed Central

Ptak, Radek; der Linden, Martial Van; Schnider, Armin

2010-01-01

Memory disorders are among the most frequent and most debilitating cognitive impairments following acquired brain damage. Cognitive remediation strategies attempt to restore lost memory capacity, provide compensatory techniques or teach the use of external memory aids. Memory rehabilitation has strongly been influenced by memory theory, and the interaction between both has stimulated the development of techniques such as spaced retrieval, vanishing cues or errorless learning. These techniques partly rely on implicit memory and therefore enable even patients with dense amnesia to acquire new information. However, knowledge acquired in this way is often strongly domain-specific and inflexible. In addition, individual patients with amnesia respond differently to distinct interventions. The factors underlying these differences have not yet been identified. Behavioral management of memory failures therefore often relies on a careful description of environmental factors and measurement of associated behavioral disorders such as unawareness of memory failures. The current evidence suggests that patients with less severe disorders benefit from self-management techniques and mnemonics whereas rehabilitation of severely amnesic patients should focus on behavior management, the transmission of domain-specific knowledge through implicit memory processes and the compensation for memory deficits with memory aids. PMID:20700383

The Unintentional Memory Load in Tests for Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Margaret Hubbard

The validity of certain standardized tests may be affected by the short-term memory load therein and its relation to a child's short-term memory capacity. Factors of testing which increase a test's memory load and consequently interfere with comprehension are discussed. It is hypothesized that a test which strains the short-term memory capacity of…

Examining the Quality of Preservice Science Teachers' Written Reflections When Using Video Recordings, Audio Recordings, and Memories of a Teaching Event

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calandra, Brendan; Brantley-Dias, Laurie; Yerby, Johnathan; Demir, Kadir

2018-01-01

A group of preservice science teachers edited video footage of their practice teaching to identify and isolate critical incidents. They then wrote guided reflection papers on those critical incidents using different forms of media prompts while they wrote. The authors used a counterbalanced research design to compare the quality of writing that…

Where Do We Go from Here? Making Sense of Prospective Social Studies Teachers' Memories, Conceptions, and Visions of Social Studies Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawley, Todd S.; Crowe, Alicia R.; Brooks, Elizabeth W.

2012-01-01

Like most teacher educators, the authors are aware that prospective teachers enter programs with many experiences in schools, and social studies classrooms in particular, that influence their beliefs about schooling, what it means to teach, their subject, and students. These experiences and beliefs inform how they then experience their program…

Seeing the Wood for the Trees: Applying the Dual-Memory System Model to Investigate Expert Teachers' Observational Skills in Natural Ecological Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stolpe, Karin; Bjorklund, Lars

2012-01-01

This study aims to investigate two expert ecology teachers' ability to attend to essential details in a complex environment during a field excursion, as well as how they teach this ability to their students. In applying a cognitive dual-memory system model for learning, we also suggest a rationale for their behaviour. The model implies two…

Dynamic memory searches: Selective output interference for the memory of facts.

PubMed

Aue, William R; Criss, Amy H; Prince, Melissa A

2015-12-01

The benefits of testing on later memory performance are well documented; however, the manner in which testing harms memory performance is less well understood. This research is concerned with the finding that accuracy decreases over the course of testing, a phenomena termed "output interference" (OI). OI has primarily been investigated with episodic memory, but there is limited research investigating OI in measures of semantic memory (i.e., knowledge). In the current study, participants were twice tested for their knowledge of factual questions; they received corrective feedback during the first test. No OI was observed during the first test, when participants presumably searched semantic memory to answer the general-knowledge questions. During the second test, OI was observed. Conditional analyses of Test 2 performance revealed that OI was largely isolated to questions answered incorrectly during Test 1. These were questions for which participants needed to rely on recent experience (i.e., the feedback in episodic memory) to respond correctly. One possible explanation is that episodic memory is more susceptible to the sort of interference generated during testing (e.g., gradual changes in context, encoding/updating of items) relative to semantic memory. Alternative explanations are considered.

The cortisol awakening response and memory performance in older men and women.

PubMed

Almela, Mercedes; van der Meij, Leander; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Villada, Carolina; Salvador, Alicia

2012-12-01

The activity and regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis has been related to cognitive decline during aging. This study investigated whether the cortisol awakening response (CAR) is related to memory performance among older adults. The sample was composed of 88 participants (44 men and 44 women) from 55 to 77 years old. The memory assessment consisted of two tests measuring declarative memory (a paragraph recall test and a word list learning test) and two tests measuring working memory (a spatial span test and a spatial working memory test). Among those participants who showed the CAR on two consecutive days, we found that a greater CAR was related to poorer declarative memory performance in both men and women, and to better working memory performance only in men. The results of our study suggest that the relationship between CAR and memory performance is negative in men and women when memory performance is largely dependent on hippocampal functioning (i.e. declarative memory), and positive, but only in men, when memory performance is largely dependent on prefrontal cortex functioning (i.e. working memory). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of lecture and team-based learning in medical ethics education.

PubMed

Ozgonul, Levent; Alimoglu, Mustafa Kemal

2017-01-01

Medical education literature suggests that ethics education should be learner-centered and problem-based rather than theory-based. Team-based learning is an appropriate method for this suggestion. However, its effectiveness was not investigated enough in medical ethics education. Is team-based learning effective in medical ethics education in terms of knowledge retention, in-class learner engagement, and learner reactions? This was a prospective controlled follow-up study. We changed lecture with team-based learning method to teach four topics in a 2-week medical ethics clerkship, while the remaining topics were taught by lectures. For comparison, we formed team-based learning and lecture groups, in which the students and instructor are the same, but the topics and teaching methodologies are different. We determined in-class learner engagement by direct observation and student satisfaction by feedback forms. Student success for team-based learning and lecture topics in the end-of-clerkship exam and two retention tests performed 1 year and 2 years later were compared. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval for the study was granted by Akdeniz University Board of Ethics on Noninvasive Clinical Human Studies Ethics committee. Short-term knowledge retention did not differ; however, team-based learning was found superior to lecture at long-term retention tests. Student satisfaction was high with team-based learning and in-class engagement was better in team-based learning sessions. Our results on learner engagement and satisfaction with team-based learning were similar to those of previous reports. However, knowledge retention results in our study were contrary to literature. The reason might be the fact that students prepared for the end-of-clerkship pass/fail exam (short term) regardless of the teaching method. But, at long-term retention tests, they did not prepare for the exam and answered the questions just using the knowledge retained in their memories. Our findings suggest that team-based learning is a better alternative to lecture to teach ethics in medical education.

The Metronome and Rote Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milman, Charlotte

1979-01-01

A teaching method for enhancing rote memory ability is described. The use of a metronome was found to establish a tempo, or rhythm, which enabled children to learn multiplication tables more easily. (PHR)

Say It to Play It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, William C.

1980-01-01

Author discusses the importance of vocalization in the development of basic musicianship. He cites studies demonstrating that vocal teaching strategies, such as singing tonal patterns, aids music reading, memory, and instrumental performance. (SJL)

Education after Auschwitz in a United Germany: A Comparative Analysis of the Teaching of the History of National Socialism in East and West Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meseth, Wolfgang

2012-01-01

This article explores the teaching of the history of National Socialism in East and West Germany. Against the backdrop of the dual politics of memory that existed before reunification, the article examines how the divergent value systems of the two German nations came together to produce a single national conception of "Education after…

USSR Report Machine Tools and Metalworking Equipment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-04-22

directors decided to teach the Bulat a new trade. This generator is now used to strengthen high-speed cutting mills by hardening them in a medium of...modules (GPM) and flexible production complexes ( GPK ). The flexible automated line is usually used for mass production of components. Here the...of programmable coordinates (x^ithout grip) 5 4 Method of programming teaching Memory capacity of robot system, points 300 Positioning error, mm

The Wonder and Enrichment of Teaching Wright Morris's "A Fight between a White Boy and a Black Boy in the Dusk of a Fall Afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCaffrey, Jerrine

2001-01-01

Outlines a teaching method for Wright Morris's "A Fight Between a White Boy and a Black Boy in the Dusk of a Fall Afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska." Proposes that the story provides and opportunity to introduce stream-of-consciousness writing and to convey the significance of memory recall. (PM)

Test-Retest Reliability of Computerized, Everyday Memory Measures and Traditional Memory Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youngjohn, James R.; And Others

Test-retest reliabilities and practice effect magnitudes were considered for nine computer-simulated tasks of everyday cognition and five traditional neuropsychological tests. The nine simulated everyday memory tests were from the Memory Assessment Clinic battery as follows: (1) simple reaction time while driving; (2) divided attention (driving…

Increasing relational memory in childhood with unitization strategies.

PubMed

Robey, Alison; Riggins, Tracy

2018-01-01

Young children often experience relational memory failures, which are thought to result from immaturity of the recollection processes presumed to be required for these tasks. However, research in adults has suggested that relational memory tasks can be accomplished using familiarity, a process thought to be mature by the end of early childhood. The goal of the present study was to determine whether relational memory performance could be improved in childhood by teaching young children memory strategies that have been shown to increase the contribution of familiarity in adults (i.e., unitization). Groups of 6- and 8-year-old children were taught to use visualization strategies that either unitized or did not unitize pictures and colored borders. Estimates of familiarity and recollection were extracted by fitting receiver operator characteristic curves (Yonelinas, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 20, 1341-1354, 1994, Yonelinas, Memory & Cognition 25, 747-763, 1997) based on dual-process models of recognition. Bayesian analysis revealed that strategies involving unitization improved memory performance and increased the contribution of familiarity in both age groups.

Success Teaching Spelling with Music.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Mariellen

1983-01-01

A spelling approach which incorporates music on a cassette with spelling, pronunciation, and definition of specific words was successful in improving junior high learning disabled students' spelling performance, self-esteem, and sequential memories. (CL)

Sherlock Holmes and the Educational Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellog, Richard L.

1980-01-01

Examines significant factors in the teaching-learning process which appear in Arthur Conan Doyle's fiction about Sherlock Holmes. These processes include deduction, memory, specialized knowledge, perception, emotional control, and divergent thinking. (Author/KC)

Schizophrenia patients demonstrate a dissociation on declarative and non-declarative memory tests.

PubMed

Perry, W; Light, G A; Davis, H; Braff, D L

2000-12-15

Declarative memory refers to the recall and recognition of factual information. In contrast, non-declarative memory entails a facilitation of memory based on prior exposure and is typically assessed with priming and perceptual-motor sequencing tasks. In this study, schizophrenia patients were compared to normal comparison subjects on two computerized memory tasks: the Word-stem Priming Test (n=30) and the Pattern Sequence Learning Test (n=20). Word-stem Priming includes recall, recognition (declarative) and priming (non-declarative) components of memory. The schizophrenia patients demonstrated an impaired performance on recall of words with relative improvement during the recognition portion of the test. Furthermore, they performed normally on the priming portion of the test. Thus, on tests of declarative memory, the patients had retrieval deficits with intact performance on the non-declarative memory component. The Pattern Sequence Learning Test utilizes a serial reaction time paradigm to assess non-declarative memory. The schizophrenia patients' serial reaction time was significantly slower than that of comparison subjects. However, the patients' rate of acquisition was not different from the normal comparison group. The data suggest that patients with schizophrenia process more slowly than normal, but have an intact non-declarative memory. The schizophrenia patients' dissociation on declarative vs. non-declarative memory tests is discussed in terms of possible underlying structural impairment.

Memory of myself: autobiographical memory and identity in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Addis, Donna Rose; Tippett, Lynette J

2004-01-01

A number of theories posit a relationship between autobiographical memory and identity. To test this we assessed the status of autobiographical memory and identity in 20 individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 20 age-matched controls, and investigated whether degree of autobiographical memory impairment was associated with changes in identity. Two tests of autobiographical memory (Autobiographical Memory Interview, autobiographical fluency) and two measures of identity (Twenty Statements Test, identity items of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale) were administered. AD participants exhibited significant impairments on both memory tests, and changes in the strength, quality, and direction of identity relative to controls. Impairments of some components of autobiographical memory, particularly autobiographical memory for childhood and early adulthood, were related to changes in the strength and quality of identity. These findings support the critical role of early adulthood autobiographical memories (16-25 years) in identity, and suggest autobiographical memory loss affects identity.

Accurate forced-choice recognition without awareness of memory retrieval.

PubMed

Voss, Joel L; Baym, Carol L; Paller, Ken A

2008-06-01

Recognition confidence and the explicit awareness of memory retrieval commonly accompany accurate responding in recognition tests. Memory performance in recognition tests is widely assumed to measure explicit memory, but the generality of this assumption is questionable. Indeed, whether recognition in nonhumans is always supported by explicit memory is highly controversial. Here we identified circumstances wherein highly accurate recognition was unaccompanied by hallmark features of explicit memory. When memory for kaleidoscopes was tested using a two-alternative forced-choice recognition test with similar foils, recognition was enhanced by an attentional manipulation at encoding known to degrade explicit memory. Moreover, explicit recognition was most accurate when the awareness of retrieval was absent. These dissociations between accuracy and phenomenological features of explicit memory are consistent with the notion that correct responding resulted from experience-dependent enhancements of perceptual fluency with specific stimuli--the putative mechanism for perceptual priming effects in implicit memory tests. This mechanism may contribute to recognition performance in a variety of frequently-employed testing circumstances. Our results thus argue for a novel view of recognition, in that analyses of its neurocognitive foundations must take into account the potential for both (1) recognition mechanisms allied with implicit memory and (2) recognition mechanisms allied with explicit memory.

Test program for 4-K memory card, JOLT microprocessor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lilley, R. W.

1976-01-01

A memory test program is described for use with the JOLT microcomputer 4,096-word memory board used in development of an Omega navigation receiver. The program allows a quick test of the memory board by cycling the memory through all possible bit combinations in all words.

The Category Cued Recall test in very mild Alzheimer's disease: discriminative validity and correlation with semantic memory functions.

PubMed

Vogel, A; Mortensen, E L; Gade, A; Waldemar, G

2007-01-01

Episodic memory tests that measure cued recall may be particularly effective in the diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease (AD) because they examine both episodic and semantic memory functions. The Category Cued Recall (CCR) test provides superordinate semantic cues at encoding and retrieval, and high discriminative validity has been claimed for this test. The aim of this study was to investigate the discriminative validity for this test when compared with the 10-word memory list from Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) that measures free recall. The clinical diagnosis of AD was taken as the standard. It was also investigated whether the two episodic memory tests correlated with measures of semantic memory. The tests were administered to 35 patients with very mild AD (Mini Mental State Examination score >22) and 28 control subjects. Both tests had high sensitivity (>88%) with high specificity (>89%). One out of the five semantic memory tests was significantly correlated to performances on CCR, whereas delayed recall on the ADAS-cog memory test was significantly correlated to two semantic tests. In conclusion, the discriminative validity of the CCR test and the ADAS-cog memory test was equivalent in very mild AD. This may be because CCR did not tap more semantic processes, which are impaired in the earliest phases of AD, than a test of free recall.

Post-encoding emotional arousal enhances consolidation of item memory, but not reality-monitoring source memory.

PubMed

Wang, Bo; Sun, Bukuan

2017-03-01

The current study examined whether the effect of post-encoding emotional arousal on item memory extends to reality-monitoring source memory and, if so, whether the effect depends on emotionality of learning stimuli and testing format. In Experiment 1, participants encoded neutral words and imagined or viewed their corresponding object pictures. Then they watched a neutral, positive, or negative video. The 24-hour delayed test showed that emotional arousal had little effect on both item memory and reality-monitoring source memory. Experiment 2 was similar except that participants encoded neutral, positive, and negative words and imagined or viewed their corresponding object pictures. The results showed that positive and negative emotional arousal induced after encoding enhanced consolidation of item memory, but not reality-monitoring source memory, regardless of emotionality of learning stimuli. Experiment 3, identical to Experiment 2 except that participants were tested only on source memory for all the encoded items, still showed that post-encoding emotional arousal had little effect on consolidation of reality-monitoring source memory. Taken together, regardless of emotionality of learning stimuli and regardless of testing format of source memory (conjunction test vs. independent test), the facilitatory effect of post-encoding emotional arousal on item memory does not generalize to reality-monitoring source memory.

Initial Results from On-Orbit Testing of the Fram Memory Test Experiment on the Fastsat Micro-Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacLeond, Todd C.; Sims, W. Herb; Varnavas,Kosta A.; Ho, Fat D.

2011-01-01

The Memory Test Experiment is a space test of a ferroelectric memory device on a low Earth orbit satellite that launched in November 2010. The memory device being tested is a commercial Ramtron Inc. 512K memory device. The circuit was designed into the satellite avionics and is not used to control the satellite. The test consists of writing and reading data with the ferroelectric based memory device. Any errors are detected and are stored on board the satellite. The data is sent to the ground through telemetry once a day. Analysis of the data can determine the kind of error that was found and will lead to a better understanding of the effects of space radiation on memory systems. The test is one of the first flight demonstrations of ferroelectric memory in a near polar orbit which allows testing in a varied radiation environment. The initial data from the test is presented. This paper details the goals and purpose of this experiment as well as the development process. The process for analyzing the data to gain the maximum understanding of the performance of the ferroelectric memory device is detailed.

Cranial nerve clock. Part II: functional MR imaging of brain activation during a declarative memory task.

PubMed

Weiss, K L; Welsh, R C; Eldevik, P; Bieliauskas, L A; Steinberg, B A

2001-12-01

The authors performed this study to assess brain activation during encoding and successful recall with a declarative memory paradigm that has previously been demonstrated to be effective for teaching students about the cranial nerves. Twenty-four students underwent functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging during encoding and recall of the name, number, and function of the 12 cranial nerves. The students viewed mnemonic graphic and text slides related to individual nerves, as well as their respective control slides. For the recall paradigm, students were prompted with the numbers 1-12 (test condition) intermixed with the number 14 (control condition). Subjects were tested about their knowledge of cranial nerves outside the MR unit before and after functional MR imaging. Students learned about the cranial nerves while undergoing functional MR imaging (mean post- vs preparadigm score, 8.1 +/- 3.4 [of a possible 12] vs 0.75 +/- 0.94, bilateral prefrontal cortex, left greater than right; P < 2.0 x 10(-12)) and maintained this knowledge at I week. The encoding and recall paradigms elicited distributed networks of brain activation. Encoding revealed statistically significant activation in the bilateral prefrontal cortex, left greater than right [corrected]; bilateral occipital and parietal associative cortices, parahippocampus region, fusiform gyri, and cerebellum. Successful recall activated the left much more than the right prefrontal, parietal associative, and anterior cingulate cortices; bilateral precuneus and cerebellum; and right more than the left posterior cingulate. A predictable pattern of brain activation at functional MR imaging accompanies the encoding and successful recall of the cranial nerves with this declarative memory paradigm.

Frozen moments: flashback memories of critical incidents in emergency personnel.

PubMed

Kleim, Birgit; Bingisser, Martina-Barbara; Westphal, Maren; Bingisser, Roland

2015-07-01

Emergency Department personnel regularly face highly stressful situations or critical incidents (CIs) that may subsequently be recalled as unbidden intrusive memories. In their most extreme form, such memories are reexperienced as if they were happening again in the present, as flashbacks. This study examined (1) which CIs are associated with flashback memories; (2) candidate person and work-related features that predict flashback memories; and (3) the association between flashback memories and anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion. Emergency nurses (N = 91; 80.2% female) were recruited from two urban teaching hospitals and filled in self-report questionnaires. A majority (n = 59, 65%) experienced intrusive memories; almost half of the sample reported that their memories had flashback character. Those involved in resuscitations in the past week were at a fourfold risk for experiencing flashbacks. Having worked more consecutive days without taking time off was associated with a somewhat lower incidence of flashbacks. Moreover, older individuals who reported more work-related conflicts were at greater risk for experiencing flashback memories than their younger colleagues with heightened work conflict and flashback memory scores, respectively. Flashback memories were associated with heightened symptoms of anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion. The present findings have implications for evidence-based health promotion in emergency personnel and other individuals regularly exposed to CIs.

Cause and Effect: Testing a Mechanism and Method for the Cognitive Integration of Basic Science.

PubMed

Kulasegaram, Kulamakan; Manzone, Julian C; Ku, Cheryl; Skye, Aimee; Wadey, Veronica; Woods, Nicole N

2015-11-01

Methods of integrating basic science with clinical knowledge are still debated in medical training. One possibility is increasing the spatial and temporal proximity of clinical content to basic science. An alternative model argues that teaching must purposefully expose relationships between the domains. The authors compared different methods of integrating basic science: causal explanations linking basic science to clinical features, presenting both domains separately but in proximity, and simply presenting clinical features First-year undergraduate health professions students were randomized to four conditions: (1) science-causal explanations (SC), (2) basic science before clinical concepts (BC), (3) clinical concepts before basic science (CB), and (4) clinical features list only (FL). Based on assigned conditions, participants were given explanations for four disorders in neurology or rheumatology followed by a memory quiz and diagnostic test consisting of 12 cases which were repeated after one week. Ninety-four participants completed the study. No difference was found on memory test performance, but on the diagnostic test, a condition by time interaction was found (F[3,88] = 3.05, P < .03, ηp = 0.10). Although all groups had similar immediate performance, the SC group had a minimal decrease in performance on delayed testing; the CB and FL groups had the greatest decreases. These results suggest that creating proximity between basic science and clinical concepts may not guarantee cognitive integration. Although cause-and-effect explanations may not be possible for all domains, making explicit and specific connections between domains will likely facilitate the benefits of integration for learners.

Working and strategic memory deficits in schizophrenia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, M.; Gabrieli, J. D.; Stebbins, G. T.; Sullivan, E. V.

1998-01-01

Working memory and its contribution to performance on strategic memory tests in schizophrenia were studied. Patients (n = 18) and control participants (n = 15), all men, received tests of immediate memory (forward digit span), working memory (listening, computation, and backward digit span), and long-term strategic (free recall, temporal order, and self-ordered pointing) and nonstrategic (recognition) memory. Schizophrenia patients performed worse on all tests. Education, verbal intelligence, and immediate memory capacity did not account for deficits in working memory in schizophrenia patients. Reduced working memory capacity accounted for group differences in strategic memory but not in recognition memory. Working memory impairment may be central to the profile of impaired cognitive performance in schizophrenia and is consistent with hypothesized frontal lobe dysfunction associated with this disease. Additional medial-temporal dysfunction may account for the recognition memory deficit.

Modulating influences of memory strength and sensitivity of the retrieval test on the detectability of the sleep consolidation effect.

PubMed

Schoch, Sarah F; Cordi, Maren J; Rasch, Björn

2017-11-01

Emotionality can increase recall probability of memories as emotional information is highly relevant for future adaptive behavior. It has been proposed that memory processes acting during sleep selectively promote the consolidation of emotional memories, so that neutral memories no longer profit from sleep consolidation after learning. This appears as a selective effect of sleep for emotional memories. However, other factors contribute to the appearance of a consolidation benefit and influence this interpretation. Here we show that the strength of the memory trace before sleep and the sensitivity of the retrieval test after sleep are critical factors contributing to the detection of the benefit of sleep on memory for emotional and neutral stimuli. 228 subjects learned emotional and neutral pictures and completed a free recall after a 12-h retention interval of either sleep or wakefulness. We manipulated memory strength by including an immediate retrieval test before the retention interval in half of the participants. In addition, we varied the sensitivity of the retrieval test by including an interference learning task before retrieval testing in half of the participants. We show that a "selective" benefit of sleep for emotional memories only occurs in the condition with high memory strength. Furthermore, this "selective" benefit disappeared when we controlled for the memory strength before the retention interval and used a highly sensitive retrieval test. Our results indicate that although sleep benefits are more robust for emotional memories, neutral memories similarly profit from sleep after learning when more sensitive indicators are used. We conclude that whether sleep benefits on memory appear depends on several factors, including emotion, memory strength and sensitivity of the retrieval test. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the relation between memory and intelligence in children with learning disabilities.

PubMed

Hoerig, Dianne C; David, Andrew S; D'Amato, Rik Carl

2002-12-01

Although both intelligence tests and memory tests are commonly used in neuropsychological examinations, the relationship between memory and intelligence has not been fully explored, particularly for children having learning disabilities. Memory, or the ability to retain information, was evaluated using the Test of Memory and Learning, a recently released test that gives a comprehensive measure of global memory functioning. This, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition, used to assess intelligence, were given to 80 students with learning disabilities. The correlation between a global measure of memory and a global measure f intelligence was significant (r = .59), indicating that memory should be viewed as an important component when evaluating children with learning disabilities.

Semantic Webbing, Semantic-Pictorial Webbing and Standard Basal Teaching Techniques: A Comparison of Three Strategies To Enhance Learning and Memory of a Reading Comprehension Task in the Fourth Grade Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy-Tucker, Sherri

A study analyzed the relative effectiveness of three teaching strategies for enhancing vocabulary and reading comprehension. Sixty-eight students in three fourth-grade classrooms in a suburban southwestern public school were presented with a vocabulary lesson on weather from the reading text according to one of the following strategies: (1) basal…

[Evaluation of memory in acquired brain injury: a comparison between the Wechsler Memory Scale and the Rivermead Behaviour Memory Test].

PubMed

Guinea-Hidalgo, A; Luna-Lario, P; Tirapu-Ustárroz, J

Learning processes and memory are frequently compromised in acquired brain injury (ABI), while at the same time such involvement is often heterogeneous and a source of deficits in other cognitive capacities and significant functional limitations. A good neuropsychological evaluation of memory is designed to study not only the type, intensity and nature of the problems, but also the way they manifest in daily life. This study examines the correlation between a traditional memory test, the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III), and a memory test that is considered to be functional, the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT), in a sample of 60 patients with ABI. All the correlations that were observed were moderate. Greater correlations were found among the verbal memory subtests than among the visual memory tests. An important number of subjects with below-normal scalar scores on the WMS-III correctly performed (either fully or partially) the corresponding test in the RBMT. The joint use of the WMS-III and RBMT in evaluation can provide a more comprehensive analysis of the memory deficits and their rehabilitation. The lower scores obtained in the WMS-III compared to those of the RBMT indicate greater sensitivity of the former. Nevertheless, further testing needs to be carried out in the future to compare the performance in the tests after the patients and those around them have subjectively assessed their functional limitations. This would make it possible to determine which of the two tests offers the best balance between sensitivity and specificity, as well as a higher predictive value.

Grapheme-colour synaesthesia yields an ordinary rather than extraordinary memory advantage: evidence from a group study.

PubMed

Rothen, Nicolas; Meier, Beat

2010-04-01

In synaesthesia, the input of one sensory modality automatically triggers an additional experience, not normally triggered by the input of that modality. Therefore, compared to non-synaesthetes, additional experiences exist and these may be used as retrieval cues when memory is tested. Previous case studies have suggested that synaesthesia may yield even extraordinary memory abilities. However, group studies found either a task-specific memory advantage or no performance advantage at all. The aim of the present study was to test whether grapheme-colour synaesthesia gives rise to a general memory benefit using a standardised memory test (Wechsler Memory Scale). The synaesthetes showed a performance advantage in episodic memory tests, but not in short-term memory tests. However, performance was still within the ordinary range. The results support the hypothesis that synaesthesia provides for a richer world of experience and as a consequence additional retrieval cues may be available and beneficial but not to the point of extraordinary memory ability.

Satellite Test of Radiation Impact on Ramtron 512K FRAM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacLeod, Todd C.; Sayyah, Rana; Sims, W. Herb; Varnavas, Kosta A.; Ho, Fat D.

2009-01-01

The Memory Test Experiment is a space test of a ferroelectric memory device on a low Earth orbit satellite. The test consists of writing and reading data with a ferroelectric based memory device. Any errors are detected and are stored on board the satellite. The data is send to the ground through telemetry once a day. Analysis of the data can determine the kind of error that was found and will lead to a better understanding of the effects of space radiation on memory systems. The test will be one of the first flight demonstrations of ferroelectric memory in a near polar orbit which allows testing in a varied radiation environment. The memory devices being tested is a Ramtron Inc. 512K memory device. This paper details the goals and purpose of this experiment as well as the development process. The process for analyzing the data to gain the maximum understanding of the performance of the ferroelectric memory device is detailed.

Developmental reversals in false memory: now you see them, now you don't!

PubMed

Holliday, Robyn E; Brainerd, Charles J; Reyna, Valerie F

2011-03-01

A developmental reversal in false memory is the counterintuitive phenomenon of higher levels of false memory in older children, adolescents, and adults than in younger children. The ability of verbatim memory to suppress this age trend in false memory was evaluated using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. Seven and 11-year-old children studied DRM lists either in a standard condition (whole words) that normally produces high levels of false memory or in an alternative condition that should enhance verbatim memory (word fragments). Half the children took 1 recognition test, and the other half took 3 recognition tests. In the single-test condition, the typical age difference in false memory was found for the word condition (higher false memory for 11-year-olds than for 7-year-olds), but in the word fragment condition false memory was lower in the older children. In the word condition, false memory increased over successive recognition tests. Our findings are consistent with 2 principles of fuzzy-trace theory's explanation of false memories: (a) reliance on verbatim rather than gist memory causes such errors to decline with age, and (b) repeated testing increases reliance on gist memory in older children and adults who spontaneously connect meaning across events. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Twelve-Week Exercise Influences Memory Complaint but not Memory Performance in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Study.

PubMed

Iuliano, Enzo; Fiorilli, Giovanni; Aquino, Giovanna; Di Costanzo, Alfonso; Calcagno, Giuseppe; di Cagno, Alessandra

2017-10-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different types of exercise on memory performance and memory complaint after a 12-week intervention. Eighty community-dwelling volunteers, aged 66.96 ± 11.73 years, were randomly divided into four groups: resistance, cardiovascular, postural, and control groups (20 participants for each group). All participants were tested for their cognitive functions before and after their respective 12-week intervention using Rey memory words test, Prose memory test, and Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q). Statistical analysis showed that the three experimental groups significantly improved MAC-Q scores in comparison with the control group (p < .05). The variation of MAC-Q scores and the variations of Rey and Prose memory tests scores were not correlated. These results indicate that the 12-week interventions exclusively influenced memory complaint but not memory performance. Further investigations are needed to understand the relation between memory complaint and memory performance, and the factors that can influence this relationship.

In search of memory tests equivalent for experiments on animals and humans.

PubMed

Brodziak, Andrzej; Kołat, Estera; Różyk-Myrta, Alicja

2014-12-19

Older people often exhibit memory impairments. Contemporary demographic trends cause aging of the society. In this situation, it is important to conduct clinical trials of drugs and use training methods to improve memory capacity. Development of new memory tests requires experiments on animals and then clinical trials in humans. Therefore, we decided to review the assessment methods and search for tests that evaluate analogous cognitive processes in animals and humans. This review has enabled us to propose 2 pairs of tests of the efficiency of working memory capacity in animals and humans. We propose a basic set of methods for complex clinical trials of drugs and training methods to improve memory, consisting of 2 pairs of tests: 1) the Novel Object Recognition Test - Sternberg Item Recognition Test and 2) the Object-Location Test - Visuospatial Memory Test. We postulate that further investigations of methods that are equivalent in animals experiments and observations performed on humans are necessary.

Declarative memory.

PubMed

Riedel, Wim J; Blokland, Arjan

2015-01-01

Declarative Memory consists of memory for events (episodic memory) and facts (semantic memory). Methods to test declarative memory are key in investigating effects of potential cognition-enhancing substances--medicinal drugs or nutrients. A number of cognitive performance tests assessing declarative episodic memory tapping verbal learning, logical memory, pattern recognition memory, and paired associates learning are described. These tests have been used as outcome variables in 34 studies in humans that have been described in the literature in the past 10 years. Also, the use of episodic tests in animal research is discussed also in relation to the drug effects in these tasks. The results show that nutritional supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids has been investigated most abundantly and, in a number of cases, but not all, show indications of positive effects on declarative memory, more so in elderly than in young subjects. Studies investigating effects of registered anti-Alzheimer drugs, cholinesterase inhibitors in mild cognitive impairment, show positive and negative effects on declarative memory. Studies mainly carried out in healthy volunteers investigating the effects of acute dopamine stimulation indicate enhanced memory consolidation as manifested specifically by better delayed recall, especially at time points long after learning and more so when drug is administered after learning and if word lists are longer. The animal studies reveal a different picture with respect to the effects of different drugs on memory performance. This suggests that at least for episodic memory tasks, the translational value is rather poor. For the human studies, detailed parameters of the compositions of word lists for declarative memory tests are discussed and it is concluded that tailored adaptations of tests to fit the hypothesis under study, rather than "off-the-shelf" use of existing tests, are recommended.

Examining the Test of Memory Malingering Trial 1 and Word Memory Test Immediate Recognition as Screening Tools for Insufficient Effort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Lyndsey; O'Bryant, Sid E.; Lynch, Julie K.; McCaffrey, Robert J.; Fisher, Jerid M.

2007-01-01

Assessing effort level during neuropsychological evaluations is critical to support the accuracy of cognitive test scores. Many instruments are designed to measure effort, yet they are not routinely administered in neuropsychological assessments. The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and the Word Memory Test (WMT) are commonly administered symptom…

The role of source memory in gambling task decision making.

PubMed

Whitney, Paul; Hinson, John M

2012-01-01

The role of memory in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was tested in two experiments that dissociated item memory (memory for losses obtained) from source memory (the deck that produced a given loss). In Experiment 1, participants observed 75 choices that had been made by controls or patients in previous research, followed by memory tests, and then 25 active choices from the participant. In Experiment 2, participants made choices for 75 trials, performed the memory tests, and then made 25 final choices. The data show that item and source memory can diverge within the IGT, and that source memory makes a significant contribution to IGT performance.

Testing Memories of Personally Experienced Events: The Testing Effect Seems Not to Persist in Autobiographical Memory

PubMed Central

Emmerdinger, Kathrin J.; Kuhbandner, Christof

2018-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that retrieving contents from memory in a test improves long-term retention for those contents, even when compared to restudying (i.e., the “testing effect”). The beneficial effect of retrieval practice has been demonstrated for many different types of memory representations; however, one particularly important memory system has not been addressed in previous testing effect research: autobiographical memory. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of retrieving memories for personally experienced events on long-term memory for those events. In an initial elicitation session, participants described memories for personally experienced events in response to a variety of cue words. In a retrieval practice/restudy session the following day, they repeatedly practiced retrieval for half of their memories by recalling and writing down the previously described events; the other half of memories was restudied by rereading and copying the event descriptions. Long-term retention of all previously collected memories was assessed at two different retention intervals (2 weeks and 13 weeks). In the retrieval practice session, a hypermnesic effect emerged, with memory performance increasing across the practice cycles. Long-term memory performance significantly dropped from the 2-weeks to the 13-weeks retention interval, but no significant difference in memory performance was observed between previously repeatedly retrieved and previously repeatedly restudied memories. Thus, in autobiographical memory, retrieval practice seems to be no more beneficial for long-term retention than repeated re-exposure. PMID:29881365

Testing Memories of Personally Experienced Events: The Testing Effect Seems Not to Persist in Autobiographical Memory.

PubMed

Emmerdinger, Kathrin J; Kuhbandner, Christof

2018-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that retrieving contents from memory in a test improves long-term retention for those contents, even when compared to restudying (i.e., the "testing effect"). The beneficial effect of retrieval practice has been demonstrated for many different types of memory representations; however, one particularly important memory system has not been addressed in previous testing effect research: autobiographical memory. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of retrieving memories for personally experienced events on long-term memory for those events. In an initial elicitation session, participants described memories for personally experienced events in response to a variety of cue words. In a retrieval practice/restudy session the following day, they repeatedly practiced retrieval for half of their memories by recalling and writing down the previously described events; the other half of memories was restudied by rereading and copying the event descriptions. Long-term retention of all previously collected memories was assessed at two different retention intervals (2 weeks and 13 weeks). In the retrieval practice session, a hypermnesic effect emerged, with memory performance increasing across the practice cycles. Long-term memory performance significantly dropped from the 2-weeks to the 13-weeks retention interval, but no significant difference in memory performance was observed between previously repeatedly retrieved and previously repeatedly restudied memories. Thus, in autobiographical memory, retrieval practice seems to be no more beneficial for long-term retention than repeated re-exposure.

Working Memory, Motivation, and Teacher-Initiated Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, David W.; Shell, Duane F.

2006-03-01

Working memory is where we "think" as we learn. A notion that emerges as a synthesis from several threads in the research literatures of cognition, motivation, and connectionism is that motivation in learning is the process whereby working memory resource allocation is instigated and sustained. This paper reviews much literature on motivation and working memory, and concludes that the apparent novelty of the proposal offered to describe motivation in terms of working memory results from the apparent lack of cross-channel exchange among these research traditions. The relation between working memory and motivation is explored in the context of the interactive compensatory model of learning (ICML) in which learning is considered to result from the interaction of ability, motivation, and prior learning. The ICML is recast in light of the revised definition of motivation offered here. This paper goes on to suggest ways in which a range of teaching and learning issues and activities may be reconceptualized in the context of a model emphasizing a learner's working memory that makes use of chunks of previously acquired knowledge.

Sleep and memory in healthy children and adolescents - a critical review.

PubMed

Kopasz, Marta; Loessl, Barbara; Hornyak, Magdolna; Riemann, Dieter; Nissen, Christoph; Piosczyk, Hannah; Voderholzer, Ulrich

2010-06-01

There is mounting evidence that sleep is important for learning, memory and the underlying neural plasticity. This article aims to review published studies that evaluate the association between sleep, its distinct stages and memory systems in healthy children and adolescents. Furthermore it intends to suggest directions for future research. A computerised search of the literature for relevant articles published between 1966 and March 2008 was performed using the keywords "sleep", "memory", "learn", "child", "adolescents", "adolescence" and "teenager". Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Published studies focused on the impact of sleep on working memory and memory consolidation. In summary, most studies support the hypothesis that sleep facilitates working memory as well as memory consolidation in children and adolescents. There is evidence that performance in abstract and complex tasks involving higher brain functions declines more strongly after sleep deprivation than the performance in simple memory tasks. Future studies are needed to better understand the impact of a variety of variables potentially modulating the interplay between sleep and memory, such as developmental stage, socioeconomic burden, circadian factors, or the level of post-learning sensory and motor activity (interference). This line of research can provide valuable input relevant to teaching, learning and public health policy. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sex-based memory advantages and cognitive aging: a challenge to the cognitive reserve construct?

PubMed

Caselli, Richard J; Dueck, Amylou C; Locke, Dona E C; Baxter, Leslie C; Woodruff, Bryan K; Geda, Yonas E

2015-02-01

Education and related proxies for cognitive reserve (CR) are confounded by associations with environmental factors that correlate with cerebrovascular disease possibly explaining discrepancies between studies examining their relationships to cognitive aging and dementia. In contrast, sex-related memory differences may be a better proxy. Since they arise developmentally, they are less likely to reflect environmental confounds. Women outperform men on verbal and men generally outperform women on visuospatial memory tasks. Furthermore, memory declines during the preclinical stage of AD, when it is clinically indistinguishable from normal aging. To determine whether CR mitigates age-related memory decline, we examined the effects of gender and APOE genotype on longitudinal memory performances. Memory decline was assessed in a cohort of healthy men and women enriched for APOE ɛ4 who completed two verbal [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), Buschke Selective Reminding Test (SRT)] and two visuospatial [Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT), and Benton Visual Retention Test (VRT)] memory tests, as well as in a separate larger and older cohort [National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC)] who completed a verbal memory test (Logical Memory). Age-related memory decline was accelerated in APOE ɛ4 carriers on all verbal memory measures (AVLT, p=.03; SRT p<.001; logical memory p<.001) and on the VRT p=.006. Baseline sex associated differences were retained over time, but no sex differences in rate of decline were found for any measure in either cohort. Sex-based memory advantage does not mitigate age-related memory decline in either APOE ɛ4 carriers or non-carriers.

PKMζ Differentially Utilized between Sexes for Remote Long-Term Spatial Memory

PubMed Central

Sebastian, Veronica; Vergel, Tatyana; Baig, Raheela; Schrott, Lisa M.; Serrano, Peter A.

2013-01-01

It is well established that male rats have an advantage in acquiring place-learning strategies, allowing them to learn spatial tasks more readily than female rats. However many of these differences have been examined solely during acquisition or in 24h memory retention. Here, we investigated whether sex differences exist in remote long-term memory, lasting 30d after training, and whether there are differences in the expression pattern of molecular markers associated with long-term memory maintenance. Specifically, we analyzed the expression of protein kinase M zeta (PKMζ) and the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluA2. To adequately evaluate memory retention, we used a robust training protocol to attenuate sex differences in acquisition and found differential effects in memory retention 1d and 30d after training. Female cohorts tested for memory retention 1d after 60 training trials outperformed males by making significantly fewer reference memory errors at test. In contrast, male cohorts tested 30d after 60 training trials outperformed females of the same condition, making fewer reference memory errors and achieving significantly higher retention test scores. Furthermore, given 60 training trials, females tested 30d later showed significantly worse memory compared to females tested 1d later, while males tested 30d later did not differ from males tested 1d later. Together these data suggest that with robust training males do no retain spatial information as well as females do 24h post-training but maintain this spatial information for longer. Males also showed a significant increase in synaptic PKMζ expression and a positive correlation with retention test scores, while females did not. Interestingly, both sexes showed a positive correlation between retention test scores and synaptic GluA2 expression. Furthermore, the increased expression of synaptic PKMζ, associated with male memory but not with female memory, identifies another potential sex-mediated difference in memory processing. PMID:24244733

In search for instructional techniques to maximize the use of germane cognitive resources: A case of teaching complex tasks in physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sliva, Yekaterina

The purpose of this study was to introduce an instructional technique for teaching complex tasks in physics, test its effectiveness and efficiency, and understand cognitive processes taking place in learners' minds while they are exposed to this technique. The study was based primarily on cognitive load theory (CLT). CLT determines the amount of total cognitive load imposed on a learner by a learning task as combined intrinsic (invested in comprehending task complexity) and extraneous (wasteful) cognitive load. Working memory resources associated with intrinsic cognitive load are defined as germane resources caused by element interactivity that lead to learning, in contrast to extraneous working memory resources that are devoted to dealing with extraneous cognitive load. However, the amount of learner's working memory resources actually devoted to a task depends on how well the learner is engaged in the learning environment. Since total cognitive load has to stay within limits of working memory capacity, both extraneous and intrinsic cognitive load need to be reduced. In order for effective learning to occur, the use of germane cognitive resources should be maximized. In this study, the use of germane resources was maximized for two experimental groups by providing a learning environment that combined problem-solving procedure with prompts to self-explain with and without completion problems. The study tested three hypotheses and answered two research questions. The first hypothesis predicting that experimental treatments would reduce total cognitive load was not supported. The second hypothesis predicting that experimental treatments would increase performance was supported for the self-explanation group only. The third hypothesis that tested efficiency measure as adopted from Paas and van Merrienboer (1993) was not supported. As for the research question of whether the quality of self-explanations would change with time for the two experimental conditions, it was determined that time had a positive effect on such quality. The research question that investigated learners' attitudes towards the instructions revealed that experimental groups understood the main idea behind the suggested technique and positively reacted to it. The results of the study support the conclusions that (a) prompting learners to self-explain while independently solving problems can increase performance, especially on far transfer questions; (b) better performance is achieved in combination with increased mental effort; (c) self-explanations do not increase time on task; and (d) quality of self-explanations can be improved with time. Results based on the analyses of learners' attitudes further support that learners in the experimental groups understood the main idea behind the suggested techniques and positively reacted to them. The study also raised concern about application of efficiency formula for instructional conditions that increase both performance and mental effort in CLT. As a result, an alternative model was suggested to explain the relationship between performance and mental effort based on Yerkes-Dodson law (1908). Keywords: instructional design, cognitive load, complex tasks, problem-solving, self-explanation.

A Pilot Study of a Test for Visual Recognition Memory in Adults with Moderate to Severe Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pyo, Geunyeong; Ala, Tom; Kyrouac, Gregory A.; Verhulst, Steven J.

2010-01-01

Objective assessment of memory functioning is an important part of evaluation for Dementia of Alzheimer Type (DAT). The revised Picture Recognition Memory Test (r-PRMT) is a test for visual recognition memory to assess memory functioning of persons with intellectual disabilities (ID), specifically targeting moderate to severe ID. A pilot study was…

Reduced Capacity in a Dichotic Memory Test for Adult Patients with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dige, Niels; Maahr, Eija; Backenroth-Ohsako, Gunnel

2010-01-01

Objective: To evaluate whether a dichotic memory test would reveal deficits in short-term working-memory recall and long-term memory recall in a group of adult patients with ADHD. Methods: A dichotic memory test with ipsilateral backward speech distraction in an adult ADHD group (n = 69) and a control group (n = 66) is used to compare performance…

Rey's 15-Item Visual Memory Test for the Detection of Malingering: Normative Observations on Patients with Neurological Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Gregory P.; And Others

1992-01-01

To gather normative observations on a visual memory test developed by A. Rey (1964), it was administered to 100 temporal-lobe epilepsy patients with memory deficits and 56 outpatients with neurological disorders. Results suggest a cutoff score of 7 on the memory test may alert the clinician to possible factitious memory complaints. (SLD)

The Doors and People Test: The Effect of Frontal Lobe Lesions on Recall and Recognition Memory Performance

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Objective: Memory deficits in patients with frontal lobe lesions are most apparent on free recall tasks that require the selection, initiation, and implementation of retrieval strategies. The effect of frontal lesions on recognition memory performance is less clear with some studies reporting recognition memory impairments but others not. The majority of these studies do not directly compare recall and recognition within the same group of frontal patients, assessing only recall or recognition memory performance. Other studies that do compare recall and recognition in the same frontal group do not consider recall or recognition tests that are comparable for difficulty. Recognition memory impairments may not be reported because recognition memory tasks are less demanding. Method: This study aimed to investigate recall and recognition impairments in the same group of 47 frontal patients and 78 healthy controls. The Doors and People Test was administered as a neuropsychological test of memory as it assesses both verbal and visual recall and recognition using subtests that are matched for difficulty. Results: Significant verbal and visual recall and recognition impairments were found in the frontal patients. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that when frontal patients are assessed on recall and recognition memory tests of comparable difficulty, memory impairments are found on both types of episodic memory test. PMID:26752123

The Doors and People Test: The effect of frontal lobe lesions on recall and recognition memory performance.

PubMed

MacPherson, Sarah E; Turner, Martha S; Bozzali, Marco; Cipolotti, Lisa; Shallice, Tim

2016-03-01

Memory deficits in patients with frontal lobe lesions are most apparent on free recall tasks that require the selection, initiation, and implementation of retrieval strategies. The effect of frontal lesions on recognition memory performance is less clear with some studies reporting recognition memory impairments but others not. The majority of these studies do not directly compare recall and recognition within the same group of frontal patients, assessing only recall or recognition memory performance. Other studies that do compare recall and recognition in the same frontal group do not consider recall or recognition tests that are comparable for difficulty. Recognition memory impairments may not be reported because recognition memory tasks are less demanding. This study aimed to investigate recall and recognition impairments in the same group of 47 frontal patients and 78 healthy controls. The Doors and People Test was administered as a neuropsychological test of memory as it assesses both verbal and visual recall and recognition using subtests that are matched for difficulty. Significant verbal and visual recall and recognition impairments were found in the frontal patients. These results demonstrate that when frontal patients are assessed on recall and recognition memory tests of comparable difficulty, memory impairments are found on both types of episodic memory test. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Inflectional spelling deficits in developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Egan, Joanne; Tainturier, Marie-Josèphe

2011-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine past-tense spelling deficits in developmental dyslexia and their relationship to phonological abilities, spoken morphological awareness and word specific orthographic memory. Three groups of children (28 9-year-old dyslexic, 28 chronological age-matched and 28 reading/spelling age-matched children) completed a battery of tests including spelling regularly inflected words (e.g., kissed) and matched one-morpheme words (e.g., wrist). They were also assessed on a range of tests of reading and spelling abilities and associated linguistic measures. Dyslexic children were impaired in relation to chronological age-matched controls on all measures. Furthermore, they were significantly poorer than younger reading and spelling age-matched controls at spelling inflected verbs, supporting the existence of a specific deficit in past-tense spelling in dyslexia. In addition to under-using the -ed spelling on inflected verbs, the dyslexic children were less likely to erroneously apply this spelling to one-morpheme words than younger controls. Dyslexics were also poorer than younger controls at using a consistent spelling for stems presented in isolation versus as part of an inflected word, indicating that they make less use of the morphological relations between words to support their spelling. In line with this interpretation, regression analyses revealed another qualitative difference between the spelling and reading age-matched group and the dyslexic group: while both spoken morphological awareness and orthographic word specific memory were significant predictors of the accuracy of past-tense spelling in the former group, only orthographic memory (irregular word reading and spelling) was a significant factor in the dyslexic group. Finally, we identified a subgroup of seven dyslexic children who were severely deficient in past-tense spelling. This subgroup was also significantly worse than other dyslexics and than younger controls on scores of orthographic memory. The implications of our findings for teaching and remediation strategies are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

The effects of free recall testing on subsequent source memory.

PubMed

Brewer, Gene A; Marsh, Richard L; Meeks, Joseph T; Clark-Foos, Arlo; Hicks, Jason L

2010-05-01

The testing effect is the finding that prior retrieval of information from memory will result in better subsequent memory for that material. One explanation for these effects is that initial free recall testing increases the recollective details for tested information, which then becomes more available during a subsequent test phase. In three experiments we explored this hypothesis using a source-monitoring test phase after the initial free recall tests. We discovered that memory is differentially enhanced for certain recollective details depending on the nature of the free recall task. Thus further research needs to be conducted to specify how different kinds of memorial details are enhanced by free recall testing.

Musical and Verbal Memory in Alzheimer's Disease: A Study of Long-Term and Short-Term Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menard, Marie-Claude; Belleville, Sylvie

2009-01-01

Musical memory was tested in Alzheimer patients and in healthy older adults using long-term and short-term memory tasks. Long-term memory (LTM) was tested with a recognition procedure using unfamiliar melodies. Short-term memory (STM) was evaluated with same/different judgment tasks on short series of notes. Musical memory was compared to verbal…

Academic Outcomes 2 Years After Working Memory Training for Children With Low Working Memory: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Roberts, Gehan; Quach, Jon; Spencer-Smith, Megan; Anderson, Peter J; Gathercole, Susan; Gold, Lisa; Sia, Kah-Ling; Mensah, Fiona; Rickards, Field; Ainley, John; Wake, Melissa

2016-05-02

Working memory training may help children with attention and learning difficulties, but robust evidence from population-level randomized controlled clinical trials is lacking. To test whether a computerized adaptive working memory intervention program improves long-term academic outcomes of children 6 to 7 years of age with low working memory compared with usual classroom teaching. Population-based randomized controlled clinical trial of first graders from 44 schools in Melbourne, Australia, who underwent a verbal and visuospatial working memory screening. Children were classified as having low working memory if their scores were below the 15th percentile on either the Backward Digit Recall or Mister X subtest from the Automated Working Memory Assessment, or if their scores were below the 25th percentile on both. These children were randomly assigned by an independent statistician to either an intervention or a control arm using a concealed computerized random number sequence. Researchers were blinded to group assignment at time of screening. We conducted our trial from March 1, 2012, to February 1, 2015; our final analysis was on October 30, 2015. We used intention-to-treat analyses. Cogmed working memory training, comprising 20 to 25 training sessions of 45 minutes' duration at school. Directly assessed (at 12 and 24 months) academic outcomes (reading, math, and spelling scores as primary outcomes) and working memory (also assessed at 6 months); parent-, teacher-, and child-reported behavioral and social-emotional functioning and quality of life; and intervention costs. Of 1723 children screened (mean [SD] age, 6.9 [0.4] years), 226 were randomized to each arm (452 total), with 90% retention at 1 year and 88% retention at 2 years; 90.3% of children in the intervention arm completed at least 20 sessions. Of the 4 short-term and working memory outcomes, 1 outcome (visuospatial short-term memory) benefited the children at 6 months (effect size, 0.43 [95% CI, 0.25-0.62]) and 12 months (effect size, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.28-0.70]), but not at 24 months. There were no benefits to any other outcomes; in fact, the math scores of the children in the intervention arm were worse at 2 years (mean difference, -3.0 [95% CI, -5.4 to -0.7]; P = .01). Intervention costs were A$1035 per child. Working memory screening of children 6 to 7 years of age is feasible, and an adaptive working memory training program may temporarily improve visuospatial short-term memory. Given the loss of classroom time, cost, and lack of lasting benefit, we cannot recommend population-based delivery of Cogmed within a screening paradigm. anzctr.org.au Identifier: ACTRN12610000486022.

Diagnosing criterion-level effects on memory: what aspects of memory are enhanced by repeated retrieval?

PubMed

Vaughn, Kalif E; Rawson, Katherine A

2011-09-01

Previous research has shown that increasing the criterion level (i.e., the number of times an item must be correctly retrieved during practice) improves subsequent memory, but which specific components of memory does increased criterion level enhance? In two experiments, we examined the extent to which the criterion level affects associative memory, target memory, and cue memory. Participants studied Lithuanian-English word pairs via cued recall with restudy until items were correctly recalled one to five times. In Experiment 1, participants took one of four recall tests and one of three recognition tests after a 2-day delay. In Experiment 2, participants took only recognition tests after a 1-week delay. In both experiments, increasing the criterion level enhanced associative memory, as indicated by enhanced performance on forward and backward cued-recall tests and on tests of associative recognition. An increased criterion level also improved target memory, as indicated by enhanced free recall and recognition of targets, and improved cue memory, as indicated by enhanced free recall and recognition of cues.

TEACH-M: A pilot study evaluating an instructional sequence for persons with impaired memory and executive functions.

PubMed

Ehlhardt, L A; Sohlberg, M M; Glang, A; Albin, R

2005-08-10

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate an instructional package that facilitates learning and retention of multi-step procedures for persons with severe memory and executive function impairments resulting from traumatic brain injury. The study used a multiple baseline across participants design. Four participants, two males and two females, ranging in age from 36-58 years, were taught a 7-step e-mail task. The instructional package (TEACH-M) was the experimental intervention and the number of correct e-mail steps learned was the dependent variable. Treatment effects were replicated across the four participants and maintained at 30 days post-treatment. Generalization and social validity data further supported the treatment programme. The results suggest that individuals with severe cognitive impairments are capable of learning new skills. Directions for future research include application of the instructional package to other multi-step procedures.

Bringing back the body into the mind: gestures enhance word learning in foreign language.

PubMed

Macedonia, Manuela

2014-01-01

Foreign language education in the twenty-first century still teaches vocabulary mainly through reading and listening activities. This is due to the link between teaching practice and traditional philosophy of language, where language is considered to be an abstract phenomenon of the mind. However, a number of studies have shown that accompanying words or phrases of a foreign language with gestures leads to better memory results. In this paper, I review behavioral research on the positive effects of gestures on memory. Then I move to the factors that have been addressed as contributing to the effect, and I embed the reviewed evidence in the theoretical framework of embodiment. Finally, I argue that gestures accompanying foreign language vocabulary learning create embodied representations of those words. I conclude by advocating the use of gestures in future language education as a learning tool that enhances the mind.

Illusory expectations can affect retrieval-monitoring accuracy.

PubMed

McDonough, Ian M; Gallo, David A

2012-03-01

The present study investigated how expectations, even when illusory, can affect the accuracy of memory decisions. Participants studied words presented in large or small font for subsequent memory tests. Replicating prior work, judgments of learning indicated that participants expected to remember large words better than small words, even though memory for these words was equivalent on a standard test of recognition memory and subjective judgments. Critically, we also included tests that instructed participants to selectively search memory for either large or small words, thereby allowing different memorial expectations to contribute to performance. On these tests we found reduced false recognition when searching memory for large words relative to small words, such that the size illusion paradoxically affected accuracy measures (d' scores) in the absence of actual memory differences. Additional evidence for the role of illusory expectations was that (a) the accuracy effect was obtained only when participants searched memory for the aspect of the stimuli corresponding to illusory expectations (size instead of color) and (b) the accuracy effect was eliminated on a forced-choice test that prevented the influence of memorial expectations. These findings demonstrate the critical role of memorial expectations in the retrieval-monitoring process. 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Comparing Performance on Implicit Memory Tests

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-30

tests. Journal 2f E"c•l•rmal P Learni= Memory and Cogia. Roediger, H.L. & Wheeler, M.A. (in press). Hypermnesia in episodic and semantic memory ... Memory _____________ 2L PERSONAL AUTHOR(S)’ -Henry L. Roediger, 1II 24. Tfpt of REPORT 13b. TIPAC COvEASO *4 AT% of RESPORT ’Y,’. .lf.. Da) 11 PAGE OUN...examine effects of various types of repetition on several memory tests; HI. experiments designed to examine the effect of distinctive events on these tests

[Building and validation of a test evaluating verbal recognition memory: The Forty test (f40)].

PubMed

Marqué, A; Hommet, C; Constans, T; Perrier, D; Bardet, F; Chaput, M; Mondon, K

2011-04-01

Neuropsychologic evaluation is a primordial diagnostic tool. Numerous tests explore episodic memory but few tests exist to assess incidental verbal episodic memory or verbal recognition memory. This memory is however impaired early in certain neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Our objective was to create a test sensitive and specific to this cognitive dysfunction. Our test was performed by 33 healthy volunteers and 51 patients (19 with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, 16 with Alzheimer's disease at the prodromal stage and 16 with Alzheimer's disease). Independently of age, education level and global cognitive impairment, the young and old healthy volunteers and the patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease displayed results significantly better than the group of Alzheimer's disease at the prodromal stage and Alzheimer's disease patients. Our test appears to be sensitive to dysfunction of verbal recognition memory. A score of 30/40 or less on the Forty test discriminates 91% of subjects with a cortical pattern of memory. This test could be recommended for clinical neuropsychological practice. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparable performance of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy controls for verbal and nonverbal memory accuracy and confidence: time to forget the forgetfulness hypothesis of OCD?

PubMed

Moritz, Steffen; Kloss, Martin; von Eckstaedt, Francesca Vitzthum; Jelinek, Lena

2009-04-30

The memory deficit or forgetfulness hypothesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has received considerable attention and empirical effort over the past decades. The present study aimed to provide a fair test of its various formulations: (1) memory dysfunction in OCD is ubiquitous, that is, manifests irrespective of modality and material; (2) memory dysfunction is found for nonverbal but not verbal material, (3) memory dysfunction is secondary to executive impairment; and (4) memory dysfunction affects meta-memory rather than memory accuracy. Participants comprised 43 OCD patients and 46 healthy controls who were tested on the Picture Word Memory Test (PWMT), which provides several unconfounded parameters for nonverbal and verbal memory accuracy and confidence measures across different time-points. In addition, the Trail-Making Test B was administered to test assumption number 3. Replicating earlier work of our group, samples displayed similar performance on all indices. None of the different formulations of the memory deficit hypothesis were supported. In view of waning evidence for a global memory deficit in OCD, neuropsychological research on OCD should more thoroughly investigate moderators and triggers of occasional instances of impaired performance, particularly cognitive biases such as perfectionism and an inflated sense of responsibility.

An Experimental Analysis of Memory Processing

PubMed Central

Wright, Anthony A

2007-01-01

Rhesus monkeys were trained and tested in visual and auditory list-memory tasks with sequences of four travel pictures or four natural/environmental sounds followed by single test items. Acquisitions of the visual list-memory task are presented. Visual recency (last item) memory diminished with retention delay, and primacy (first item) memory strengthened. Capuchin monkeys, pigeons, and humans showed similar visual-memory changes. Rhesus learned an auditory memory task and showed octave generalization for some lists of notes—tonal, but not atonal, musical passages. In contrast with visual list memory, auditory primacy memory diminished with delay and auditory recency memory strengthened. Manipulations of interitem intervals, list length, and item presentation frequency revealed proactive and retroactive inhibition among items of individual auditory lists. Repeating visual items from prior lists produced interference (on nonmatching tests) revealing how far back memory extended. The possibility of using the interference function to separate familiarity vs. recollective memory processing is discussed. PMID:18047230

Corticosterone administration after a single-trial contextual fear conditioning does not influence the strength and specificity of recent and remote memory in rats.

PubMed

Bueno, Ana Paula A; de Paiva, Joselisa Péres Queiroz; Corrêa, Moisés Dos Santos; Tiba, Paula Ayako; Fornari, Raquel Vecchio

2017-03-15

It is well established that corticosterone (CORT) enhances memory consolidation of emotionally arousing experiences. Despite emotional memories being usually referred to as well remembered for long periods, there are no studies that have investigated the effects of CORT in modulating the duration and specificity of memory. In the present study, we trained Wistar rats in a single-trial contextual fear conditioning protocol and injected CORT (0.3, 1.0 or 3.0mg/kg), immediately after training, to investigate its effects on memory consolidation. Rats were tested 2 and 29days after the training session or only 29days after training to assess recent or remote memory. Our results show that animals tested for recent memory discriminated the training context from a novel one, while those tested only for remote memory generalized the fear response to both contexts. Animals tested for remote memory after being tested for recent memory were able to discriminate both contexts. These results support the literature regarding memory specificity and duration. However, CORT treatment, even at the dose of 1.0mg/kg that effectively enhanced the plasmatic hormone levels, did not affect the strength or the specificity of memory in either recent or remote memory tests. We hypothesize that the lack of effect of CORT treatment could be due to the low arousing training experience of the single-trial protocol which, despite being sufficient to induce significant recent and remote memory consolidation, may not be sufficient to allow the memory-enhancing effect of CORT. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploratory study of the relations between spatial ability and drawing from memory.

PubMed

Czarnolewski, Mark Y; Eliot, John

2012-04-01

Test scores of 119 students, attending either a public four-year college or a technical school, were related to their proportionality and detail drawing scores on the Memory for Designs Test. In regression models, the ETS Maze Tracing, Eliot-Price Mental Rotations, and Bender-Gestalt tests were consistent predictors of proportionality scores, with the latter two tests uniquely related to these. The ETS Shapes Memory Test and the Form Board Test were the strongest predictors for detail accuracy scores. The Shapes test predicted proportionality when the CTY Visual Memory Test BB was excluded. The models then provided support for the hypothesis that drawing designs from memory, a critical skill in drawing, regardless of whether one focuses on accuracy for proportionality scores or for detail scores, is jointly related to the measures of recognition, production, and traditional spatial ability measures. This study identified multifaceted skills in drawing from memory.

Modeling Coevolution between Language and Memory Capacity during Language Origin

PubMed Central

Gong, Tao; Shuai, Lan

2015-01-01

Memory is essential to many cognitive tasks including language. Apart from empirical studies of memory effects on language acquisition and use, there lack sufficient evolutionary explorations on whether a high level of memory capacity is prerequisite for language and whether language origin could influence memory capacity. In line with evolutionary theories that natural selection refined language-related cognitive abilities, we advocated a coevolution scenario between language and memory capacity, which incorporated the genetic transmission of individual memory capacity, cultural transmission of idiolects, and natural and cultural selections on individual reproduction and language teaching. To illustrate the coevolution dynamics, we adopted a multi-agent computational model simulating the emergence of lexical items and simple syntax through iterated communications. Simulations showed that: along with the origin of a communal language, an initially-low memory capacity for acquired linguistic knowledge was boosted; and such coherent increase in linguistic understandability and memory capacities reflected a language-memory coevolution; and such coevolution stopped till memory capacities became sufficient for language communications. Statistical analyses revealed that the coevolution was realized mainly by natural selection based on individual communicative success in cultural transmissions. This work elaborated the biology-culture parallelism of language evolution, demonstrated the driving force of culturally-constituted factors for natural selection of individual cognitive abilities, and suggested that the degree difference in language-related cognitive abilities between humans and nonhuman animals could result from a coevolution with language. PMID:26544876

Modeling Coevolution between Language and Memory Capacity during Language Origin.

PubMed

Gong, Tao; Shuai, Lan

2015-01-01

Memory is essential to many cognitive tasks including language. Apart from empirical studies of memory effects on language acquisition and use, there lack sufficient evolutionary explorations on whether a high level of memory capacity is prerequisite for language and whether language origin could influence memory capacity. In line with evolutionary theories that natural selection refined language-related cognitive abilities, we advocated a coevolution scenario between language and memory capacity, which incorporated the genetic transmission of individual memory capacity, cultural transmission of idiolects, and natural and cultural selections on individual reproduction and language teaching. To illustrate the coevolution dynamics, we adopted a multi-agent computational model simulating the emergence of lexical items and simple syntax through iterated communications. Simulations showed that: along with the origin of a communal language, an initially-low memory capacity for acquired linguistic knowledge was boosted; and such coherent increase in linguistic understandability and memory capacities reflected a language-memory coevolution; and such coevolution stopped till memory capacities became sufficient for language communications. Statistical analyses revealed that the coevolution was realized mainly by natural selection based on individual communicative success in cultural transmissions. This work elaborated the biology-culture parallelism of language evolution, demonstrated the driving force of culturally-constituted factors for natural selection of individual cognitive abilities, and suggested that the degree difference in language-related cognitive abilities between humans and nonhuman animals could result from a coevolution with language.

Teaching older adults by adapting for aging changes.

PubMed

Weinrich, S P; Weinrich, M C; Boyd, M D; Atwood, J; Cervenka, B

1994-12-01

Few teaching programs are geared to meet the special learning needs of the elderly. This pilot study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design to measure the effect of the Adaptation for Aging Changes (AAC) Method on fecal occult blood screening (FOBS) at meal sites for the elderly in the South. The AAC Method uses techniques that adjust the presentation to accommodate for normal aging changes and includes a demonstration of the procedure for collection of the stool blood test, memory reminders of the date to return the stool blood test, and written materials adapted to the 5th grade reading level. In addition, actual practice of the FOBS with the use of peanut butter was added to the AAC Method, making it the AAC with Practice Method (AACP) in two sites. The American Cancer Society's colorectal cancer educational slide-tape show served as the basis for all of the methods. Hemoccult II kits were distributed at no cost to the participants. Descriptive statistics, chi 2, and logistic regressions were used to analyze data from 135 Council on Aging meal sites' participants. The average age of the participants was 72 years; the average educational level was 8th grade; over half the sample was African-American; and half of the participants had incomes below the poverty level. Results support a significant increase in participation in FOBS in participants taught by the AACP Method [chi 2 (1, n = 56) = 5.34, p = 0.02; odds ratio = 6.2]. This research provides support for teaching that makes adaptations for aging changes, especially adaptations that include actual practice of the procedure.

Training working memory in older adults: Is there an advantage of using strategies?

PubMed

Borella, Erika; Carretti, Barbara; Sciore, Roberta; Capotosto, Emanuela; Taconnat, Laurence; Cornoldi, Cesare; De Beni, Rossana

2017-03-01

The purpose of the present study was to test the efficacy of a working memory (WM) training in elderly people, and to compare the effects of a WM training based on an adaptive procedure with one combining the same procedure with the use of a strategy, based on the construction of visual mental images. Eighteen older adults received training with a WM task (the WM group), another 18 received the same WM training and were also taught to use a visual imagery strategy (the WM + Strategy group), and another 18 served as active controls. Training-related gains in the WM (criterion) task and transfer effects on measures of verbal and visuospatial WM, short-term memory (STM), processing speed, and reasoning were considered. Training gains and transfer effects were also assessed after 6 months. After the training, both the trained groups performed better than the control group in the WM criterion task, and maintained these gains 6 months later; they also showed immediate transfer effects on processing speed. The two trained groups also outperformed the control group in the long term in the WM tasks, in one of the STM tasks (backward span task), and in the processing speed measure. Long-term large effect sizes were found for all the tasks involving memory processes in the WM + Strategy group, but only for the processing speed task in the WM group. Findings are discussed in terms of the benefits and limits of teaching older people a strategy in combination with an adaptive WM training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

When we test, do we stress? Impact of the testing environment on cortisol secretion and memory performance in older adults.

PubMed

Sindi, Shireen; Fiocco, Alexandra J; Juster, Robert-Paul; Pruessner, Jens; Lupien, Sonia J

2013-08-01

The majority of studies find that older adults have worse memory performance than young adults. However, contextual features in the testing environment may be perceived as stressful by older adults, increasing their stress hormone levels. Given the evidence that older adults are highly sensitive to the effects of stress hormones (cortisol) on memory performance, it is postulated that a stressful testing environment in older adults can lead to an acute stress response and to memory impairments. The current study compared salivary cortisol levels and memory performance in young and older adults tested in environments manipulated to be stressful (unfavourable condition) or not stressful (favourable condition) for each age group. 28 young adults and 32 older adults were tested in two testing conditions: (1) a condition favouring young adults (constructed to be less stressful for young adults), and (2) a condition favouring older adults (constructed to be less stressful for older adults). The main outcome measure was salivary cortisol levels. Additionally, immediate and delayed memory performances were assessed during each condition. In older adults only, we found significantly high cortisol levels and low memory performance in the condition favouring young adults. In contrast, cortisol levels were lower and memory performance was better when older adults were tested in conditions favouring them. There was no effect of testing condition in young adults. The results demonstrate that older adults' memory performance is highly sensitive to the testing environment. These findings have important implications for both research and clinical settings in which older adults are tested for memory performance. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Control of Working Memory in Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

PubMed Central

Tu, Hsiao-Wei; Hampton, Robert R.

2014-01-01

Cognitive control is critical for efficiently using the limited resources in working memory. It is well established that humans use rehearsal to increase the probability of remembering needed information, but little is known in nonhumans, with some studies reporting the absence of active control and others subject to alternative explanations. We trained monkeys in a visual matching-to-sample paradigm with a post-sample memory cue. Monkeys either saw a remember cue that predicted the occurrence of a matching test that required memory for the sample, or a forget cue that predicted a discrimination test that did not require memory of the sample. Infrequent probe trials on which monkeys were given tests of the type not cued on that trial were used to assess whether memory was under cognitive control. Our procedures controlled for reward expectation and for the surprising nature of the probes. Monkeys matched less accurately after forget cues, while discrimination accuracy was equivalent in the two cue conditions. We also tested monkeys with lists of two consecutive sample images that shared the same cue. Again, memory for expected memory tests was superior to that on unexpected tests. Together these results show that monkeys cognitively control their working memory. PMID:25436219

Symptom validity testing in memory clinics: Hippocampal-memory associations and relevance for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Rienstra, Anne; Groot, Paul F C; Spaan, Pauline E J; Majoie, Charles B L M; Nederveen, Aart J; Walstra, Gerard J M; de Jonghe, Jos F M; van Gool, Willem A; Olabarriaga, Silvia D; Korkhov, Vladimir V; Schmand, Ben

2013-01-01

Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) do not always convert to dementia. In such cases, abnormal neuropsychological test results may not validly reflect cognitive symptoms due to brain disease, and the usual brain-behavior relationships may be absent. This study examined symptom validity in a memory clinic sample and its effect on the associations between hippocampal volume and memory performance. Eleven of 170 consecutive patients (6.5%; 13% of patients younger than 65 years) referred to memory clinics showed noncredible performance on symptom validity tests (SVTs, viz. Word Memory Test and Test of Memory Malingering). They were compared to a demographically matched group (n = 57) selected from the remaining patients. Hippocampal volume, measured by an automated volumetric method (Freesurfer), was correlated with scores on six verbal memory tests. The median correlation was r = .49 in the matched group. However, the relation was absent (median r = -.11) in patients who failed SVTs. Memory clinic samples may include patients who show noncredible performance, which invalidates their MCI diagnosis. This underscores the importance of applying SVTs in evaluating patients with cognitive complaints that may signify a predementia stage, especially when these patients are relatively young.

Memory functions in chronic pain: examining contributions of attention and age to test performance.

PubMed

Oosterman, Joukje M; Derksen, Laura C; van Wijck, Albert J M; Veldhuijzen, Dieuwke S; Kessels, Roy P C

2011-01-01

Previous studies have revealed that memory performance is diminished in chronic pain patients. Few studies, however, have assessed multiple components of memory in a single sample. It is currently also unknown whether attentional problems, which are commonly observed in chronic pain, mediate the decline in memory. Finally, previous studies have focused on middle-aged adults, and a possible detrimental effect of aging on memory performance in chronic pain patients has been commonly disregarded. This study, therefore, aimed at describing the pattern of semantic, working, and visual and verbal episodic memory performance in participants with chronic pain, while testing for possible contributions of attention and age to task performance. Thirty-four participants with chronic pain and 32 pain-free participants completed tests of episodic, semantic, and working memory to assess memory performance and a test of attention. Participants with chronic pain performed worse on tests of working memory and verbal episodic memory. A decline in attention explained some, but not all, group differences in memory performance. Finally, no additional effect of age on the diminished task performance in participants with chronic pain was observed. Taken together, the results indicate that chronic pain significantly affects memory performance. Part of this effect may be caused by underlying attentional dysfunction, although this could not fully explain the observed memory decline. An increase in age in combination with the presence of chronic pain did not additionally affect memory performance.

Bridging naturalistic and laboratory assessment of memory: the Baycrest mask fit test.

PubMed

Armson, Michael J; Abdi, Hervé; Levine, Brian

2017-09-01

Autobiographical memory tests provide a naturalistic counterpoint to the artificiality of laboratory research methods, yet autobiographical events are uncontrolled and, in most cases, unverifiable. In this study, we capitalised on a scripted, complex naturalistic event - the mask fit test (MFT), a standardised procedure required of hospital employees - to bridge the gap between naturalistic and laboratory memory assessment. We created a test of recognition memory for the MFT and administered it to 135 hospital employees who had undertaken the MFT at various points over the past five years. Multivariate analysis revealed two dimensions defined by accuracy and response bias. Accuracy scores showed the expected relationship to encoding-test delay, supporting the validity of this measure. Relative to younger adults, older adults' memory for this naturalistic event was better than would be predicted from the cognitive ageing literature, a result consistent with the notion that older adults' memory performance is enhanced when stimuli are naturalistic and personally relevant. These results demonstrate that testing recognition memory for a scripted event is a viable method of studying autobiographical memory.

Memory Test Performance on Analogous Verbal and Nonverbal Memory Tests in Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Baldock, Deanna; Miller, Justin B; Leger, Gabriel C; Banks, Sarah Jane

2016-01-01

Patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) typically have initial deficits in language or changes in personality, while the defining characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is memory impairment. Neuropsychological findings in the two diseases tend to differ, but can be confounded by verbal impairment in FTD impacting performance on memory tests in these patients. Twenty-seven patients with FTD and 102 patients with AD underwent a neuropsychological assessment before diagnosis. By utilizing analogous versions of a verbal and nonverbal memory test, we demonstrated differences in these two modalities between AD and FTD. Better differentiation between AD and FTD is found in a nonverbal memory test, possibly because it eliminates the confounding variable of language deficits found in patients with FTD. These results highlight the importance of nonverbal learning tests with multiple learning trials in diagnostic testing.

Release from output interference in recognition memory: A test of the attention hypothesis.

PubMed

Criss, Amy H; Salomão, Cristina; Malmberg, Kenneth J; Aue, William; Kılıç, Aslı; Claridge, MarkAvery

2018-05-01

Retrieval results in both costs and benefits to episodic memory. Output interference (OI) refers to the finding that episodic memory accuracy decreases with increasing test trials. Release from OI is the restoration of original accuracy at some point during the test. For example, a release from OI in recognition memory testing occurs when the semantic similarity between stimuli decreases midway through testing, suggesting that item representations stored on early trials cause interference on tests occurring on later trials to the extent that the earlier items share features with the latter items. In two recognition memory experiments, we demonstrate release from OI for words and faces. We also test whether release from OI is the result of interference or is due to a boost in attention caused by reorienting to a novel stimulus type. A test for the foils presented during the initial test list supports the interference account of OI. Implications for models of memory are discussed.

Arithmetic memory networks established in childhood are changed by experience in adulthood

PubMed Central

Martinez-Lincoln, Amanda; Cortinas, Christina; Wicha, Nicole Y. Y.

2014-01-01

Adult bilinguals show stronger access to multiplication tables when using the language in which they learned arithmetic during childhood (LA+) than the other language (LA−), implying language-specific encoding of math facts. However, most bilinguals use LA+ throughout their life, confounding the impact of encoding and use. We tested if using arithmetic facts in LA− could reduce this LA− disadvantage. We measured event related brain potentials while bilingual teachers judged the correctness of multiplication problems in each of their languages. Critically, each teacher taught arithmetic in either LA+ or LA−. Earlier N400 peak latency was observed in both groups for the teaching than non-teaching language, showing more efficient access to these facts with use. LA+ teachers maintained an LA+ advantage, while LA− teachers showed equivalent N400 congruency effects (for incorrect versus correct solutions) in both languages. LA− teachers also showed a late positive component that may reflect conflict monitoring between their LA+ and a strong LA−. Thus, the LA− disadvantage for exact arithmetic established in early bilingual education can be mitigated by later use of LA−. PMID:25445361

In the DNA Exoneration Cases, Eyewitness Memory Was Not the Problem: A Reply to Berkowitz and Frenda (2018) and Wade, Nash, and Lindsay (2018).

PubMed

Wixted, John T; Mickes, Laura; Fisher, Ronald P

2018-05-01

The available real-world evidence suggests that, on an initial test, eyewitness memory is often reliable. Ironically, even the DNA exoneration cases-which generally involved nonpristine testing conditions and which are usually construed as an indictment of eyewitness memory-show how reliable an initial test of eyewitness memory can be in the real world. We endorse the use of pristine testing procedures, but their absence does not automatically imply that eyewitness memory is unreliable.

Divided attention improves delayed, but not immediate retrieval of a consolidated memory.

PubMed

Kessler, Yoav; Vandermorris, Susan; Gopie, Nigel; Daros, Alexander; Winocur, Gordon; Moscovitch, Morris

2014-01-01

A well-documented dissociation between memory encoding and retrieval concerns the role of attention in the two processes. The typical finding is that divided attention (DA) during encoding impairs future memory, but retrieval is relatively robust to attentional manipulations. However, memory research in the past 20 years had demonstrated that retrieval is a memory-changing process, in which the strength and availability of information are modified by various characteristics of the retrieval process. Based on this logic, several studies examined the effects of DA during retrieval (Test 1) on a future memory test (Test 2). These studies yielded inconsistent results. The present study examined the role of memory consolidation in accounting for the after-effect of DA during retrieval. Initial learning required a classification of visual stimuli, and hence involved incidental learning. Test 1 was administered 24 hours after initial learning, and therefore required retrieval of consolidated information. Test 2 was administered either immediately following Test 1 or after a 24-hour delay. Our results show that the effect of DA on Test 2 depended on this delay. DA during Test 1 did not affect performance on Test 2 when it was administered immediately, but improved performance when Test 2 was given 24-hours later. The results are consistent with other findings showing long-term benefits of retrieval difficulty. Implications for theories of reconsolidation in human episodic memory are discussed.

Using electrophysiology to demonstrate that cuing affects long-term memory storage over the short term

PubMed Central

Maxcey, Ashleigh M.; Fukuda, Keisuke; Song, Won S.; Woodman, Geoffrey F.

2015-01-01

As researchers who study working memory, we often assume that participants keep a representation of an object in working memory when we present a cue that indicates that object will be tested in a couple of seconds. This intuitively accounts for how well people can remember a cued object relative to their memory for that same object presented without a cue. However, it is possible that this superior memory does not purely reflect storage of the cued object in working memory. We tested the hypothesis that cued presented during a stream of objects, followed by a short retention interval and immediate memory test, change how information is handled by long-term memory. We tested this hypothesis using a family of frontal event-related potentials (ERPs) believed to reflect long-term memory storage. We found that these frontal indices of long-term memory were sensitive to the task relevance of objects signaled by auditory cues, even when objects repeat frequently such that proactive interference was high. Our findings indicate the problematic nature of assuming process purity in the study of working memory, and demonstrate how frequent stimulus repetitions fail to isolate the role of working memory mechanisms. PMID:25604772

Using electrophysiology to demonstrate that cueing affects long-term memory storage over the short term.

PubMed

Maxcey, Ashleigh M; Fukuda, Keisuke; Song, Won S; Woodman, Geoffrey F

2015-10-01

As researchers who study working memory, we often assume that participants keep a representation of an object in working memory when we present a cue that indicates that the object will be tested in a couple of seconds. This intuitively accounts for how well people can remember a cued object, relative to their memory for that same object presented without a cue. However, it is possible that this superior memory does not purely reflect storage of the cued object in working memory. We tested the hypothesis that cues presented during a stream of objects, followed by a short retention interval and immediate memory test, can change how information is handled by long-term memory. We tested this hypothesis by using a family of frontal event-related potentials believed to reflect long-term memory storage. We found that these frontal indices of long-term memory were sensitive to the task relevance of objects signaled by auditory cues, even when the objects repeated frequently, such that proactive interference was high. Our findings indicate the problematic nature of assuming process purity in the study of working memory, and demonstrate that frequent stimulus repetitions fail to isolate the role of working memory mechanisms.

Are There Multiple Kinds of Episodic Memory? An fMRI Investigation Comparing Autobiographical and Recognition Memory Tasks.

PubMed

Chen, Hung-Yu; Gilmore, Adrian W; Nelson, Steven M; McDermott, Kathleen B

2017-03-08

What brain regions underlie retrieval from episodic memory? The bulk of research addressing this question with fMRI has relied upon recognition memory for materials encoded within the laboratory. Another, less dominant tradition has used autobiographical methods, whereby people recall events from their lifetime, often after being cued with words or pictures. The current study addresses how the neural substrates of successful memory retrieval differed as a function of the targeted memory when the experimental parameters were held constant in the two conditions (except for instructions). Human participants studied a set of scenes and then took two types of memory test while undergoing fMRI scanning. In one condition (the picture memory test), participants reported for each scene (32 studied, 64 nonstudied) whether it was recollected from the prior study episode. In a second condition (the life memory test), participants reported for each scene (32 studied, 64 nonstudied) whether it reminded them of a specific event from their preexperimental lifetime. An examination of successful retrieval (yes responses) for recently studied scenes for the two test types revealed pronounced differences; that is, autobiographical retrieval instantiated with the life memory test preferentially activated the default mode network, whereas hits in the picture memory test preferentially engaged the parietal memory network as well as portions of the frontoparietal control network. When experimental cueing parameters are held constant, the neural underpinnings of successful memory retrieval differ when remembering life events and recently learned events. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Episodic memory is often discussed as a solitary construct. However, experimental traditions examining episodic memory use very different approaches, and these are rarely compared to one another. When the neural correlates associated with each approach have been directly contrasted, results have varied considerably and at times contradicted each other. The present experiment was designed to match the two primary approaches to studying episodic memory in an unparalleled manner. Results suggest a clear separation of systems supporting memory as it is typically tested in the laboratory and memory as assessed under autobiographical retrieval conditions. These data provide neurobiological evidence that episodic memory is not a single construct, challenging the degree to which different experimental traditions are studying the same construct. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/372764-12$15.00/0.

A year-long caregiver training program improves cognition in preschool Ugandan children with human immunodeficiency virus.

PubMed

Boivin, Michael J; Bangirana, Paul; Nakasujja, Noeline; Page, Connie F; Shohet, Cilly; Givon, Deborah; Bass, Judith K; Opoka, Robert O; Klein, Pnina S

2013-11-01

To evaluate mediational intervention for sensitizing caregivers (MISC). MISC biweekly caregiver training significantly enhanced child development compared with biweekly training on health and nutrition (active control) and to evaluate whether MISC training improved the emotional well-being of the caregivers compared with controls. Sixty of 120 rural Ugandan preschool child/caregiver dyads with HIV were assigned by randomized clusters to biweekly MISC training, alternating between home and clinic for 1 year. Control dyads received a health and nutrition curriculum. Children were evaluated at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year with the Mullen Early Learning Scales and the Color-Object Association Test for memory. Caldwell Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment and videotaped child/caregiver MISC interactions also were evaluated. Caregivers were evaluated for depression and anxiety with the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist. Between-group repeated-measures ANCOVA comparisons were made with age, sex, CD4 levels, viral load, material socioeconomic status, physical development, and highly active anti-retroviral therapy treatment status as covariates. The children given MISC had significantly greater gains compared with controls on the Mullen Visual Reception scale (visual-spatial memory) and on Color-Object Association Test memory. MISC caregivers significantly improved on Caldwell Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment scale and total frequency of MISC videotaped interactions. MISC caregivers also were less depressed. Mortality was less for children given MISC compared with controls during the training year. MISC was effective in teaching Ugandan caregivers to enhance their children's cognitive development through practical and sustainable techniques applied during daily interactions in the home. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of Next Generation Memory Test Experiment for Deployment on a Small Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

MacLeod, Todd; Ho, Fat D.

2012-01-01

The original Memory Test Experiment successfully flew on the FASTSAT satellite launched in November 2010. It contained a single Ramtron 512K ferroelectric memory. The memory device went through many thousands of read/write cycles and recorded any errors that were encountered. The original mission length was schedule to last 6 months but was extended to 18 months. New opportunities exist to launch a similar satellite and considerations for a new memory test experiment should be examined. The original experiment had to be designed and integrated in less than two months, so the experiment was a simple design using readily available parts. The follow-on experiment needs to be more sophisticated and encompass more technologies. This paper lays out the considerations for the design and development of this follow-on flight memory experiment. It also details the results from the original Memory Test Experiment that flew on board FASTSAT. Some of the design considerations for the new experiment include the number and type of memory devices to be used, the kinds of tests that will be performed, other data needed to analyze the results, and best use of limited resources on a small satellite. The memory technologies that are considered are FRAM, FLASH, SONOS, Resistive Memory, Phase Change Memory, Nano-wire Memory, Magneto-resistive Memory, Standard DRAM, and Standard SRAM. The kinds of tests that could be performed are read/write operations, non-volatile memory retention, write cycle endurance, power measurements, and testing Error Detection and Correction schemes. Other data that may help analyze the results are GPS location of recorded errors, time stamp of all data recorded, radiation measurements, temperature, and other activities being perform by the satellite. The resources of power, volume, mass, temperature, processing power, and telemetry bandwidth are extremely limited on a small satellite. Design considerations must be made to allow the experiment to not interfere with the satellite s primary mission.

[A new assessment for episodic memory. Episodic memory test and caregiver's episodic memory test].

PubMed

Ojea Ortega, T; González Álvarez de Sotomayor, M M; Pérez González, O; Fernández Fernández, O

2013-10-01

The purpose of the episodic memory test and the caregiver's episodic memory test is to evaluate episodic memory according to its definition in a way that is feasible for families and achieves high degrees of sensitivity and specificity. We administered a test consisting of 10 questions about episodic events to 332 subjects, of whom 65 had Alzheimer's disease (AD), 115 had amnestic MCI (aMCI) and 152 showed no cognitive impairment according to Reisberg's global deterioration scale (GDS). We calculated the test's sensitivity and specificity to distinguish AD from episodic aMCI and from normal ageing. The area under the ROC curve for the diagnosis of aMCI was 0.94 and the best cut-off value was 20; for that value, sensitivity was 89% and specificity was 82%. For a diagnosis of AD, the area under the ROC curve was 0.99 and the best cut-off point was 17, with a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 91%. A subsequent study using similar methodology yielded similar results when the test was administered directly by the caregiver. The episodic memory test and the caregiver's episodic memory test are useful as brief screening tools for identifying patients with early-stage AD. It is suitable for use by primary care medical staff and in the home, since it can be administered by a caregiver. The test's limitations are that it must be administered by a reliable caregiver and the fact that it measures episodic memory only. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

78 FR 32539 - Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-30

.... Scripture teaches us that ``greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends...: proud Americans, often far too young, guided by deep and abiding love for their families, for each other...

Helping Remedial Readers Master the Reading Vocabulary through a Seven Step Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aaron, Robert L.

1981-01-01

An outline of seven important steps for teaching vocabulary development includes components of language development, visual memory, visual-auditory perception, speeded recall, spelling, reading the word in a sentence, and word comprehension in written context. (JN)

Re-Cycling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Robert W.; Covault, Corbin E.

2015-01-01

An old comedy routine on Saturday Night Live by Father Guido Sarducci introduced a "Five-Minute University," because five minutes is all that's remembered after graduation anyway. In counterpoint, we discuss "cycling," a teaching method for memory enhancement. Our principal implementation consists of offering a simple version…

Using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to assess the cognitive impact of electroconvulsive therapy on visual and visuospatial memory.

PubMed

Falconer, D W; Cleland, J; Fielding, S; Reid, I C

2010-06-01

The cognitive impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is rarely measured systematically in everyday clinical practice even though patient and clinician acceptance is limited by its adverse affect on memory. If patients are tested it is often with simple paper and pencil tests of visual or verbal memory. There are no reported studies of computerized neuropsychological testing to assess the cognitive impact of ECT on visuospatial memory. Twenty-four patients with severe depression were treated with a course of bilateral ECT and assessed with a battery of visual memory tests within the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). These included spatial and pattern recognition memory, pattern-location associative learning and a delayed matching to sample test. Testing was carried out before ECT, during ECT, within the week after ECT and 1 month after ECT. Patients showed significant impairments in visual and visuospatial memory both during and within the week after ECT. Most impairments resolved 1 month following ECT; however, significant impairment in spatial recognition memory remained. This is one of only a few studies that have detected anterograde memory deficits more than 2 weeks after treatment. Patients receiving ECT displayed a range of visual and visuospatial deficits over the course of their treatment. These deficits were most prominent for tasks dependent on the use of the right medial temporal lobe; frontal lobe function may also be implicated. The CANTAB appears to be a useful instrument for measuring the adverse cognitive effects of ECT on aspects of visual and visuospatial memory.

Dietary effects on object recognition: The impact of high-fat high-sugar diets on recollection and familiarity-based memory.

PubMed

Tran, Dominic M D; Westbrook, R Frederick

2018-05-31

Exposure to a high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diet rapidly impairs novel-place- but not novel-object-recognition memory in rats (Tran & Westbrook, 2015, 2017). Three experiments sought to investigate the generality of diet-induced cognitive deficits by examining whether there are conditions under which object-recognition memory is impaired. Experiments 1 and 3 tested the strength of short- and long-term object-memory trace, respectively, by varying the interval of time between object familiarization and subsequent novel object test. Experiment 2 tested the effect of increasing working memory load on object-recognition memory by interleaving additional object exposures between familiarization and test in an n-back style task. Experiments 1-3 failed to detect any differences in object recognition between HFHS and control rats. Experiment 4 controlled for object novelty by separately familiarizing both objects presented at test, which included one remote-familiar and one recent-familiar object. Under these conditions, when test objects differed in their relative recency, HFHS rats showed a weaker memory trace for the remote object compared to chow rats. This result suggests that the diet leaves intact recollection judgments, but impairs familiarity judgments. We speculate that the HFHS diet adversely affects "where" memories as well as the quality of "what" memories, and discuss these effects in relation to recollection and familiarity memory models, hippocampal-dependent functions, and episodic food memories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Not all order memory is equal: Test demands reveal dissociations in memory for sequence information.

PubMed

Jonker, Tanya R; MacLeod, Colin M

2017-02-01

Remembering the order of a sequence of events is a fundamental feature of episodic memory. Indeed, a number of formal models represent temporal context as part of the memory system, and memory for order has been researched extensively. Yet, the nature of the code(s) underlying sequence memory is still relatively unknown. Across 4 experiments that manipulated encoding task, we found evidence for 3 dissociable facets of order memory. Experiment 1 introduced a test requiring a judgment of which of 2 alternatives had immediately followed a word during encoding. This measure revealed better retention of interitem associations following relational encoding (silent reading) than relatively item-specific encoding (judging referent size), a pattern consistent with that observed in previous research using order reconstruction tests. In sharp contrast, Experiment 2 demonstrated the reverse pattern: Memory for the studied order of 2 sequentially presented items was actually better following item-specific encoding than following relational encoding. Experiment 3 reproduced this dissociation in a single experiment using both tests. Experiment 4 extended these findings by further dissociating the roles of relational encoding and item strength in the 2 tests. Taken together, these results indicate that memory for event sequence is influenced by (a) interitem associations, (b) the emphasized directionality of an association, and (c) an item's strength independent of other items. Memory for order is more complicated than has been portrayed in theories of memory and its nuances should be carefully considered when designing tests and models of temporal and relational memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison of memory and meta-memory abilities of children with cochlear implant and normal hearing peers.

PubMed

Engel-Yeger, Batya; Durr, Doris H; Josman, Naomi

2011-01-01

This study aimed (1) to compare visual memory and meta-memory abilities, including the use of strategies as context, of children with cochlear implant (CI) and children with normal hearing; (2) to examine the concurrent and construct validity of 'The Contextual Memory Test for Children' (CMT-CH). Twenty children with CI and 20 children with normal hearing, aged 8-10 years, participated in this study. Memory abilities were measured by two subtests of the Children's Memory Scale (CMS) and by CMT-CH, which also measures meta-memory abilities. Children with CI scored significantly lower in both tests of memory and meta-memory and showed less efficient use of context to memorise. Significant positive correlations were found between CMS and CMT-CH memory tests in both groups. Visual memory and meta-memory abilities may be impaired in children with CI. Evaluation and intervention for children with CI should refer to their memory and meta-memory abilities in order to measure the outcomes of CIs, and enhance language development academic achievements. Although more studies on CMT-CH should be performed, the CMT-CH may be used for the evaluation of visual memory of children with CI.

Test-retest reliability and validity of the Sniffin' TOM odor memory test.

PubMed

Croy, Ilona; Zehner, Cora; Larsson, Maria; Zucco, Gesualdo M; Hummel, Thomas

2015-03-01

Few attempts have been made to develop an olfactory test that captures episodic retention of olfactory information. Assessment of episodic odor memory is of particular interest in aging and in the cognitively impaired as both episodic memory deficits and olfactory loss have been targeted as reliable hallmarks of cognitive decline and impending dementia. Here, 96 healthy participants (18-92 years) and an additional 19 older people with mild cognitive impairment were tested (73-82 years). Participants were presented with 8 common odors with intentional encoding instructions that were followed by a yes-no recognition test. After recognition completion, participants were asked to identify all odors by means of free or cued identification. A retest of the odor memory test (Sniffin' TOM = test of odor memory) took place 17 days later. The results revealed satisfactory test-retest reliability (0.70) of odor recognition memory. Both recognition and identification performance were negatively affected by age and more pronounced among the cognitively impaired. In conclusion, the present work presents a reliable, valid, and simple test of episodic odor recognition memory that may be used in clinical groups where both episodic memory deficits and olfactory loss are prevalent preclinically such as Alzheimer's disease. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Females scan more than males: a potential mechanism for sex differences in recognition memory.

PubMed

Heisz, Jennifer J; Pottruff, Molly M; Shore, David I

2013-07-01

Recognition-memory tests reveal individual differences in episodic memory; however, by themselves, these tests provide little information regarding the stage (or stages) in memory processing at which differences are manifested. We used eye-tracking technology, together with a recognition paradigm, to achieve a more detailed analysis of visual processing during encoding and retrieval. Although this approach may be useful for assessing differences in memory across many different populations, we focused on sex differences in face memory. Females outperformed males on recognition-memory tests, and this advantage was directly related to females' scanning behavior at encoding. Moreover, additional exposures to the faces reduced sex differences in face recognition, which suggests that males may be able to improve their recognition memory by extracting more information at encoding through increased scanning. A strategy of increased scanning at encoding may prove to be a simple way to enhance memory performance in other populations with memory impairment.

Effects of Age and Working Memory Capacity on Speech Recognition Performance in Noise Among Listeners With Normal Hearing.

PubMed

Gordon-Salant, Sandra; Cole, Stacey Samuels

2016-01-01

This study aimed to determine if younger and older listeners with normal hearing who differ on working memory span perform differently on speech recognition tests in noise. Older adults typically exhibit poorer speech recognition scores in noise than younger adults, which is attributed primarily to poorer hearing sensitivity and more limited working memory capacity in older than younger adults. Previous studies typically tested older listeners with poorer hearing sensitivity and shorter working memory spans than younger listeners, making it difficult to discern the importance of working memory capacity on speech recognition. This investigation controlled for hearing sensitivity and compared speech recognition performance in noise by younger and older listeners who were subdivided into high and low working memory groups. Performance patterns were compared for different speech materials to assess whether or not the effect of working memory capacity varies with the demands of the specific speech test. The authors hypothesized that (1) normal-hearing listeners with low working memory span would exhibit poorer speech recognition performance in noise than those with high working memory span; (2) older listeners with normal hearing would show poorer speech recognition scores than younger listeners with normal hearing, when the two age groups were matched for working memory span; and (3) an interaction between age and working memory would be observed for speech materials that provide contextual cues. Twenty-eight older (61 to 75 years) and 25 younger (18 to 25 years) normal-hearing listeners were assigned to groups based on age and working memory status. Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 words and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers sentences were presented in noise using an adaptive procedure to measure the signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to 50% correct performance. Cognitive ability was evaluated with two tests of working memory (Listening Span Test and Reading Span Test) and two tests of processing speed (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test and The Letter Digit Substitution Test). Significant effects of age and working memory capacity were observed on the speech recognition measures in noise, but these effects were mediated somewhat by the speech signal. Specifically, main effects of age and working memory were revealed for both words and sentences, but the interaction between the two was significant for sentences only. For these materials, effects of age were observed for listeners in the low working memory groups only. Although all cognitive measures were significantly correlated with speech recognition in noise, working memory span was the most important variable accounting for speech recognition performance. The results indicate that older adults with high working memory capacity are able to capitalize on contextual cues and perform as well as young listeners with high working memory capacity for sentence recognition. The data also suggest that listeners with normal hearing and low working memory capacity are less able to adapt to distortion of speech signals caused by background noise, which requires the allocation of more processing resources to earlier processing stages. These results indicate that both younger and older adults with low working memory capacity and normal hearing are at a disadvantage for recognizing speech in noise.

Construct validity of the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test in older adults with memory complaints.

PubMed

Clerici, Francesca; Ghiretti, Roberta; Di Pucchio, Alessandra; Pomati, Simone; Cucumo, Valentina; Marcone, Alessandra; Vanacore, Nicola; Mariani, Claudio; Cappa, Stefano Francesco

2017-06-01

The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) is the memory test recommended by the International Working Group on Alzheimer's disease (AD) for the detection of amnestic syndrome of the medial temporal type in prodromal AD. Assessing the construct validity and internal consistency of the Italian version of the FCSRT is thus crucial. The FCSRT was administered to 338 community-dwelling participants with memory complaints (57% females, age 74.5 ± 7.7 years), including 34 with AD, 203 with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and 101 with Subjective Memory Impairment. Internal Consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. To assess convergent validity, five FCSRT scores (Immediate Free Recall, Immediate Total Recall, Delayed Free Recall, Delayed Total Recall, and Index of Sensitivity of Cueing) were correlated with three well-validated memory tests: Story Recall, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test, and Rey Complex Figure (RCF) recall (partial correlation analysis). To assess divergent validity, a principal component analysis (an exploratory factor analysis) was performed including, in addition to the above-mentioned memory tasks, the following tests: Word Fluencies, RCF copy, Clock Drawing Test, Trail Making Test, Frontal Assessment Battery, Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices, and Stroop Colour-Word Test. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for immediate recalls (IFR and ITR) and delayed recalls (DFR and DTR) were, respectively, .84 and .81. All FCSRT scores were highly correlated with those of the three well-validated memory tests. The factor analysis showed that the FCSRT does not load on the factors saturated by non-memory tests. These findings indicate that the FCSRT has a good internal consistency and has an excellent construct validity as an episodic memory measure. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Implicit memory. Retention without remembering.

PubMed

Roediger, H L

1990-09-01

Explicit measures of human memory, such as recall or recognition, reflect conscious recollection of the past. Implicit tests of retention measure transfer (or priming) from past experience on tasks that do not require conscious recollection of recent experiences for their performance. The article reviews research on the relation between explicit and implicit memory. The evidence points to substantial differences between standard explicit and implicit tests, because many variables create dissociations between these tests. For example, although pictures are remembered better than words on explicit tests, words produce more priming than do pictures on several implicit tests. These dissociations may implicate different memory systems that subserve distinct memorial functions, but the present argument is that many dissociations can be understood by appealing to general principles that apply to both explicit and implicit tests. Phenomena studied under the rubric of implicit memory may have important implications in many other fields, including social cognition, problem solving, and cognitive development.

Selective attention meets spontaneous recognition memory: Evidence for effects at retrieval.

PubMed

Moen, Katherine C; Miller, Jeremy K; Lloyd, Marianne E

2017-03-01

Previous research on the effects of Divided Attention on recognition memory have shown consistent impairments during encoding but more variable effects at retrieval. The present study explored whether effects of Selective Attention at retrieval and subsequent testing were parallel to those of Divided Attention. Participants studied a list of pictures and then had a recognition memory test that included both full attention and selective attention (the to be responded to object was overlaid atop a blue outlined object) trials. All participants then completed a second recognition memory test. The results of 2 experiments suggest that subsequent tests consistently show impacts of the status of the ignored stimulus, and that having an initial test changes performance on a later test. The results are discussed in relation to effect of attention on memory more generally as well as spontaneous recognition memory research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Externalising the autobiographical self: sharing personal memories online facilitated memory retention.

PubMed

Wang, Qi; Lee, Dasom; Hou, Yubo

2017-07-01

Internet technology provides a new means of recalling and sharing personal memories in the digital age. What is the mnemonic consequence of posting personal memories online? Theories of transactive memory and autobiographical memory would make contrasting predictions. In the present study, college students completed a daily diary for a week, listing at the end of each day all the events that happened to them on that day. They also reported whether they posted any of the events online. Participants received a surprise memory test after the completion of the diary recording and then another test a week later. At both tests, events posted online were significantly more likely than those not posted online to be recalled. It appears that sharing memories online may provide unique opportunities for rehearsal and meaning-making that facilitate memory retention.

Extinction and recovery of an avoidance memory impaired by scopolamine.

PubMed

Navarro, N M; Krawczyk, M C; Boccia, M M; Blake, M G

2017-03-15

Pre-training administration of scopolamine (SCP) resembles situations of cholinergic dysfunction, leading to memory impairment of mice trained in an inhibitory avoidance task. We suggest here that SCP does not impair memory formation, but acquisition is affected in a way that reduces the strength of the stored memory, thus making this memory less able to control behavior when tested. Hence, a memory trace is stored, but is poorly expressed during the test. Although weakly expressed, this memory shows extinction during successive tests, and can be strengthened by using a reminder. Our results indicate that memories stored under cholinergic dysfunction conditions seem absent or lost, but are in fact present and experience common memory processes, such as extinction, and could be even recovered by using appropriate protocols. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Memory reconsolidation, emotional arousal, and the process of change in psychotherapy: New insights from brain science.

PubMed

Lane, Richard D; Ryan, Lee; Nadel, Lynn; Greenberg, Leslie

2015-01-01

Since Freud, clinicians have understood that disturbing memories contribute to psychopathology and that new emotional experiences contribute to therapeutic change. Yet, controversy remains about what is truly essential to bring about psychotherapeutic change. Mounting evidence from empirical studies suggests that emotional arousal is a key ingredient in therapeutic change in many modalities. In addition, memory seems to play an important role but there is a lack of consensus on the role of understanding what happened in the past in bringing about therapeutic change. The core idea of this paper is that therapeutic change in a variety of modalities, including behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, emotion-focused therapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy, results from the updating of prior emotional memories through a process of reconsolidation that incorporates new emotional experiences. We present an integrated memory model with three interactive components - autobiographical (event) memories, semantic structures, and emotional responses - supported by emerging evidence from cognitive neuroscience on implicit and explicit emotion, implicit and explicit memory, emotion-memory interactions, memory reconsolidation, and the relationship between autobiographical and semantic memory. We propose that the essential ingredients of therapeutic change include: (1) reactivating old memories; (2) engaging in new emotional experiences that are incorporated into these reactivated memories via the process of reconsolidation; and (3) reinforcing the integrated memory structure by practicing a new way of behaving and experiencing the world in a variety of contexts. The implications of this new, neurobiologically grounded synthesis for research, clinical practice, and teaching are discussed.

A New Look to a Classic Issue: Reasoning and Academic Achievement at Secondary School

PubMed Central

Gómez-Veiga, Isabel; Vila Chaves, José O.; Duque, Gonzalo; García Madruga, Juan A.

2018-01-01

Higher-order thinking abilities such as abstract reasoning and meaningful school learning occur sequentially. The fulfillment of these tasks demands that people activate and use all of their working memory resources in a controlled and supervised way. The aims of this work were: (a) to study the interplay between two new reasoning measures, one mathematical (Cognitive Reflection Test) and the other verbal (Deductive Reasoning Test), and a third classical visuo-spatial reasoning measure (Raven Progressive Matrices Test); and (b) to investigate the relationship between these measures and academic achievement. Fifty-one 4th grade secondary school students participated in the experiment and completed the three reasoning tests. Academic achievement measures were the final numerical scores in seven basic subjects. The results demonstrated that cognitive reflection, visual, and verbal reasoning are intimately related and predicts academic achievement. This work confirms that abstract reasoning constitutes the most important higher-order cognitive ability that underlies academic achievement. It also reveals the importance of dual processes, verbal deduction and metacognition in ordinary teaching and learning at school. PMID:29643823

A New Look to a Classic Issue: Reasoning and Academic Achievement at Secondary School.

PubMed

Gómez-Veiga, Isabel; Vila Chaves, José O; Duque, Gonzalo; García Madruga, Juan A

2018-01-01

Higher-order thinking abilities such as abstract reasoning and meaningful school learning occur sequentially. The fulfillment of these tasks demands that people activate and use all of their working memory resources in a controlled and supervised way. The aims of this work were: (a) to study the interplay between two new reasoning measures, one mathematical (Cognitive Reflection Test) and the other verbal (Deductive Reasoning Test), and a third classical visuo-spatial reasoning measure (Raven Progressive Matrices Test); and (b) to investigate the relationship between these measures and academic achievement. Fifty-one 4th grade secondary school students participated in the experiment and completed the three reasoning tests. Academic achievement measures were the final numerical scores in seven basic subjects. The results demonstrated that cognitive reflection, visual, and verbal reasoning are intimately related and predicts academic achievement. This work confirms that abstract reasoning constitutes the most important higher-order cognitive ability that underlies academic achievement. It also reveals the importance of dual processes, verbal deduction and metacognition in ordinary teaching and learning at school.

The paced auditory serial addition test for working memory assessment: Psychometric properties

PubMed Central

Nikravesh, Maryam; Jafari, Zahra; Mehrpour, Masoud; Kazemi, Roozbeh; Amiri Shavaki, Younes; Hossienifar, Shamim; Azizi, Mohamad Parsa

2017-01-01

Background: The paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) was primarily developed to assess the effects of traumatic brain injury on cognitive functioning. Working memory (WM) is one of the most important aspects of cognitive function, and WM impairment is one of the clinically remarkable signs of aphasia. To develop the Persian version of PASAT, an initial version was used in individuals with aphasia (IWA). Methods: In this study, 25 individuals with aphasia (29-60 years) and 85 controls (18-60 years) were included. PASAT was presented in the form of recorded 61 single-digit numbers (1 to 9). The participants repeatedly added the 2 recent digits. The psychometric properties of PASAT including convergent validity (using the digit memory span tasks), divergent validity (using results in the control group and IWA group), and face validity were investigated. Test-retest reliability was considered as well. Results: The relationship between the PASAT and digit memory span tests was moderate to strong in the control group (forward digit memory span test: r= 0.52, p< 0.0001; backward digit memory span test: r = 0.48, p< 0.0001). A strong relationship was found in IWA (forward digit memory span test: r= 0.72, p< 0.0001; backward digit memory span test: r= 0.53, p= 0.006). Also, strong testretest reliability (intraclass correlation= 0.95, p< 0.0001) was observed. Conclusion: According to our results, the PASAT is a valid and reliable test to assess working memory, particularly in IWA. It could be used as a feasible tool for clinical and research applications. PMID:29445690

Memory assessment in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy to predict memory impairment after surgery: A systematic review.

PubMed

Parra-Díaz, P; García-Casares, N

2017-04-19

Given that surgical treatment of refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy may cause memory impairment, determining which patients are eligible for surgery is essential. However, there is little agreement on which presurgical memory assessment methods are best able to predict memory outcome after surgery and identify those patients with a greater risk of surgery-induced memory decline. We conducted a systematic literature review to determine which presurgical memory assessment methods best predict memory outcome. The literature search of PubMed gathered articles published between January 2005 and December 2015 addressing pre- and postsurgical memory assessment in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients by means of neuropsychological testing, functional MRI, and other neuroimaging techniques. We obtained 178 articles, 31 of which were included in our review. Most of the studies used neuropsychological tests and fMRI; these methods are considered to have the greatest predictive ability for memory impairment. Other less frequently used techniques included the Wada test and FDG-PET. Current evidence supports performing a presurgical assessment of memory function using both neuropsychological tests and functional MRI to predict memory outcome after surgery. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Episodic and semantic memory in children with mesial temporal sclerosis.

PubMed

Rzezak, Patricia; Guimarães, Catarina; Fuentes, Daniel; Guerreiro, Marilisa M; Valente, Kette Dualibi Ramos

2011-07-01

The aim of this study was to analyze semantic and episodic memory deficits in children with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) and their correlation with clinical epilepsy variables. For this purpose, 19 consecutive children and adolescents with MTS (8 to 16 years old) were evaluated and their performance on five episodic memory tests (short- and long-term memory and learning) and four semantic memory tests was compared with that of 28 healthy volunteers. Patients performed worse on tests of immediate and delayed verbal episodic memory, visual episodic memory, verbal and visual learning, mental scanning for semantic clues, object naming, word definition, and repetition of sentences. Clinical variables such as early age at seizure onset, severity of epilepsy, and polytherapy impaired distinct types of memory. These data confirm that children with MTS have episodic memory deficits and add new information on semantic memory. The data also demonstrate that clinical variables contribute differently to episodic and semantic memory performance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Memory Erasure Experiments Indicate a Critical Role of CaMKII in Memory Storage.

PubMed

Rossetti, Tom; Banerjee, Somdeb; Kim, Chris; Leubner, Megan; Lamar, Casey; Gupta, Pooja; Lee, Bomsol; Neve, Rachael; Lisman, John

2017-09-27

The abundant synaptic protein CaMKII is necessary for long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory. However, whether CaMKII is required only during initial processes or whether it also mediates memory storage remains unclear. The most direct test of a storage role is the erasure test. In this test, a putative memory molecule is inhibited after learning. The key prediction is that this should produce persistent memory erasure even after the inhibitory agent is removed. We conducted this test using transient viral (HSV) expression of dominant-negative CaMKII-alpha (K42M) in the hippocampus. This produced persistent erasure of conditioned place avoidance. As an additional test, we found that expression of activated CaMKII (T286D/T305A/T306A) impaired place avoidance, a result not expected if a process other than CaMKII stores memory. Our behavioral results, taken together with prior experiments on LTP, strongly support a critical role of CaMKII in LTP maintenance and memory storage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The beneficial effect of testing: an event-related potential study

PubMed Central

Bai, Cheng-Hua; Bridger, Emma K.; Zimmer, Hubert D.; Mecklinger, Axel

2015-01-01

The enhanced memory performance for items that are tested as compared to being restudied (the testing effect) is a frequently reported memory phenomenon. According to the episodic context account of the testing effect, this beneficial effect of testing is related to a process which reinstates the previously learnt episodic information. Few studies have explored the neural correlates of this effect at the time point when testing takes place, however. In this study, we utilized the ERP correlates of successful memory encoding to address this issue, hypothesizing that if the benefit of testing is due to retrieval-related processes at test then subsequent memory effects (SMEs) should resemble the ERP correlates of retrieval-based processing in their temporal and spatial characteristics. Participants were asked to learn Swahili-German word pairs before items were presented in either a testing or a restudy condition. Memory performance was assessed immediately and 1-day later with a cued recall task. Successfully recalling items at test increased the likelihood that items were remembered over time compared to items which were only restudied. An ERP subsequent memory contrast (later remembered vs. later forgotten tested items), which reflects the engagement of processes that ensure items are recallable the next day were topographically comparable with the ERP correlate of immediate recollection (immediately remembered vs. immediately forgotten tested items). This result shows that the processes which allow items to be more memorable over time share qualitatively similar neural correlates with the processes that relate to successful retrieval at test. This finding supports the notion that testing is more beneficial than restudying on memory performance over time because of its engagement of retrieval processes, such as the re-encoding of actively retrieved memory representations. PMID:26441577

Long memory and multifractality: A joint test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goddard, John; Onali, Enrico

2016-06-01

The properties of statistical tests for hypotheses concerning the parameters of the multifractal model of asset returns (MMAR) are investigated, using Monte Carlo techniques. We show that, in the presence of multifractality, conventional tests of long memory tend to over-reject the null hypothesis of no long memory. Our test addresses this issue by jointly estimating long memory and multifractality. The estimation and test procedures are applied to exchange rate data for 12 currencies. Among the nested model specifications that are investigated, in 11 out of 12 cases, daily returns are most appropriately characterized by a variant of the MMAR that applies a multifractal time-deformation process to NIID returns. There is no evidence of long memory.

Master Teaching Experiences for Introductory Psychology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartz, Wayne R., Ed.

Twenty-two classroom activities appropriate for college introductory psychology classes are presented. The activities require from one to four classroom sessions and introduce a variety of psychology concepts, including description, prediction, and control; research methodology; learning and memory; need for achievement; perception and creativity;…

Memorial Lew Kowarski

ScienceCinema

None

2018-05-25

The DG J. Adams and other speakers pay tribute to L. Kowarski (1907-1979), one of the pioneers of CERN in 1952, born in St. Petersburg and physicist, chemist and engineer. Since his retirement in 1972, he devoted himself to teaching and as adviser for the United Nations.

The Evolution of the Wechsler Memory Scale: A Selective Review.

PubMed

Kent, Phillip

2013-02-27

In clinical use since 1940, the Wechsler Memory Scale was formally introduced to the psychological community in 1945. By 1946, it ranked 90th out of the 100 most frequently used psychological tests. By 1969, it was the 19th most used psychological test and the 2nd most used test of memory. By 1982, it was the 12th most used test and the most used memory test-a popularity it continues to enjoy. The present article will briefly trace the origin of the Wechsler Memory Scale and examine its evolution across the revisions that appeared in 1987, 1997, and 2009. Issues with norming and standardization, as well as reliability and validity, will be summarized. It is argued that the test continues to have several serious shortcomings, including a lack of anchoring in an explicit neuroanatomical theory of memory and an underlying factor structure that appears to have changed little despite changes in the manifest structure and content of the test.

When eye movements express memory for old and new scenes in the absence of awareness and independent of hippocampus

PubMed Central

Smith, Christine N.; Squire, Larry R.

2017-01-01

Eye movements can reflect memory. For example, participants make fewer fixations and sample fewer regions when viewing old versus new scenes (the repetition effect). It is unclear whether the repetition effect requires that participants have knowledge (awareness) of the old–new status of the scenes or if it can occur independent of knowledge about old–new status. It is also unclear whether the repetition effect is hippocampus-dependent or hippocampus-independent. A complication is that testing conscious memory for the scenes might interfere with the expression of unconscious (unaware), experience-dependent eye movements. In experiment 1, 75 volunteers freely viewed old and new scenes without knowledge that memory for the scenes would later be tested. Participants then made memory judgments and confidence judgments for each scene during a surprise recognition memory test. Participants exhibited the repetition effect regardless of the accuracy or confidence associated with their memory judgments (i.e., the repetition effect was independent of their awareness of the old–new status of each scene). In experiment 2, five memory-impaired patients with medial temporal lobe damage and six controls also viewed old and new scenes without expectation of memory testing. Both groups exhibited the repetition effect, even though the patients were impaired at recognizing which scenes were old and which were new. Thus, when participants viewed scenes without expectation of memory testing, eye movements associated with old and new scenes reflected unconscious, hippocampus-independent memory. These findings are consistent with the formulation that, when memory is expressed independent of awareness, memory is hippocampus-independent. PMID:28096499

How eye movements in EMDR work: changes in memory vividness and emotionality.

PubMed

Leer, Arne; Engelhard, Iris M; van den Hout, Marcel A

2014-09-01

Eye movements (EM) during recall of an aversive memory is a treatment element unique to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Experimental studies have shown that EM reduce memory vividness and/or emotionality shortly after the intervention. However, it is unclear whether the immediate effects of the intervention reflect actual changes in memory. The aim of this study was to test whether immediate reductions in memory vividness and emotionality persist at a 24 h follow up and whether the magnitude of these effects is related to the duration of the intervention. Seventy-three undergraduates recalled two negative autobiographical memories, one with EM ("recall with EM") and one without ("recall only"). Half of participants recalled each memory for four periods of 24 s, the other half for eight periods of 24 s. Memory vividness/emotionality were self-rated at a pre-test, an immediate post-test, and a 24 h follow-up test. In both duration groups, recall with EM, but not recall only, caused an immediate decrease in memory vividness. There were no immediate reductions in memory emotionality. Furthermore, only the 'eight periods' group showed that recall with EM, but not recall only, caused a decrease in both memory emotionality and memory vividness from the pre-test to the follow-up. Only self-report measures were used. The findings suggest that recall with EM causes 24-h changes in memory vividness/emotionality, which may explain part of the EMDR treatment effect, and these effects are related to intervention duration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Misremembering what you see or hear: Dissociable effects of modality on short- and long-term false recognition.

PubMed

Olszewska, Justyna M; Reuter-Lorenz, Patricia A; Munier, Emily; Bendler, Sara A

2015-09-01

False working memories readily emerge using a visual item-recognition variant of the converging associates task. Two experiments, manipulating study and test modality, extended prior working memory results by demonstrating a reliable false recognition effect (more false alarms to associatively related lures than to unrelated lures) within seconds of encoding in either the visual or auditory modality. However, false memories were nearly twice as frequent when study lists were seen than when they were heard, regardless of test modality, although study-test modality mismatch was generally disadvantageous (consistent with encoding specificity). A final experiment that varied study-test modality using a hybrid short- and long-term memory test (Flegal, Atkins & Reuter-Lorenz, 2010) replicated the auditory advantage in the short term but revealed a reversal in the long term: The false memory effect was greater in the auditory study-test condition than in the visual study-test condition. Thus, the same encoding conditions gave rise to an opposite modality advantage depending on whether recognition was tested under short-term or long-term memory conditions. Although demonstrating continuity in associative processing across delay, the results indicate that delay condition affects the availability of modality-dependent features of the memory trace and, thus, distinctiveness, leading to dissociable patterns of short- and long-term memory performance. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Use of Preoperative Functional MRI to Predict Verbal Memory Decline After Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery

PubMed Central

Binder, Jeffrey R.; Sabsevitz, David S.; Swanson, Sara J.; Hammeke, Thomas A.; Raghavan, Manoj; Mueller, Wade M.

2010-01-01

Purpose Verbal memory decline is a frequent complication of left anterior temporal lobectomy (L-ATL). The goal of this study was to determine whether preoperative language mapping using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is useful for predicting which patients are likely to experience verbal memory decline after L-ATL. Methods Sixty L-ATL patients underwent preoperative language mapping with fMRI, preoperative intracarotid amobarbital (Wada) testing for language and memory lateralization, and pre- and postoperative neuropsychological testing. Demographic, historical, neuropsychological, and imaging variables were examined for their ability to predict pre- to postoperative memory change. Results Verbal memory decline occurred in over 30% of patients. Good preoperative performance, late age at onset of epilepsy, left dominance on fMRI, and left dominance on the Wada test were each predictive of memory decline. Preoperative performance and age at onset together accounted for roughly 50% of the variance in memory outcome (p < .001), and fMRI explained an additional 10% of this variance (p ≤ .003). Neither Wada memory asymmetry nor Wada language asymmetry added additional predictive power beyond these noninvasive measures. Discussion Preoperative fMRI is useful for identifying patients at high risk for verbal memory decline prior to L-ATL surgery. Lateralization of language is correlated with lateralization of verbal memory, whereas Wada memory testing is either insufficiently reliable or insufficiently material-specific to accurately localize verbal memory processes. PMID:18435753

Effect of knowledge of APOE genotype on subjective and objective memory performance in healthy older adults.

PubMed

Lineweaver, Tara T; Bondi, Mark W; Galasko, Douglas; Salmon, David P

2014-02-01

The knowledge that one carries the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele risk factor for Alzheimer's disease was recently found to have little short-term psychological risk. The authors investigated the impact of knowledge of carrying the risk allele on subjective ratings of memory and objective memory test performance of older adults. Using a nested case-control design, the authors administered objective verbal and visual memory tests and self-rating scales of memory function to 144 cognitively normal older adults (ages 52-89) with known APOE genotype who knew (ε4+, N=25; ε4-, N=49) or did not know (ε4+, N=25; ε4-, N=45) their genotype and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease prior to neuropsychological evaluation. Significant genotype-by-disclosure interaction effects were observed on several memory rating scales and tests of immediate and delayed verbal recall. Older adults who knew their ε4+ genotype judged their memory more harshly and performed worse on an objective verbal memory test than did ε4+ adults who did not know. In contrast, older adults who knew their ε4- genotype judged their memory more positively than did ε4- adults who did not know, but these groups did not differ in objective memory test performance. Informing older adults that they have an APOE genotype associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease can have adverse consequences on their perception of their memory abilities and their performance on objective memory tests. The patient's knowledge of his or her genotype and risk of Alzheimer's disease should be considered when evaluating cognition in the elderly.

Working Memory Training and Speech in Noise Comprehension in Older Adults.

PubMed

Wayne, Rachel V; Hamilton, Cheryl; Jones Huyck, Julia; Johnsrude, Ingrid S

2016-01-01

Understanding speech in the presence of background sound can be challenging for older adults. Speech comprehension in noise appears to depend on working memory and executive-control processes (e.g., Heald and Nusbaum, 2014), and their augmentation through training may have rehabilitative potential for age-related hearing loss. We examined the efficacy of adaptive working-memory training (Cogmed; Klingberg et al., 2002) in 24 older adults, assessing generalization to other working-memory tasks (near-transfer) and to other cognitive domains (far-transfer) using a cognitive test battery, including the Reading Span test, sensitive to working memory (e.g., Daneman and Carpenter, 1980). We also assessed far transfer to speech-in-noise performance, including a closed-set sentence task (Kidd et al., 2008). To examine the effect of cognitive training on benefit obtained from semantic context, we also assessed transfer to open-set sentences; half were semantically coherent (high-context) and half were semantically anomalous (low-context). Subjects completed 25 sessions (0.5-1 h each; 5 sessions/week) of both adaptive working memory training and placebo training over 10 weeks in a crossover design. Subjects' scores on the adaptive working-memory training tasks improved as a result of training. However, training did not transfer to other working memory tasks, nor to tasks recruiting other cognitive domains. We did not observe any training-related improvement in speech-in-noise performance. Measures of working memory correlated with the intelligibility of low-context, but not high-context, sentences, suggesting that sentence context may reduce the load on working memory. The Reading Span test significantly correlated only with a test of visual episodic memory, suggesting that the Reading Span test is not a pure-test of working memory, as is commonly assumed.

Working Memory Training and Speech in Noise Comprehension in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Wayne, Rachel V.; Hamilton, Cheryl; Jones Huyck, Julia; Johnsrude, Ingrid S.

2016-01-01

Understanding speech in the presence of background sound can be challenging for older adults. Speech comprehension in noise appears to depend on working memory and executive-control processes (e.g., Heald and Nusbaum, 2014), and their augmentation through training may have rehabilitative potential for age-related hearing loss. We examined the efficacy of adaptive working-memory training (Cogmed; Klingberg et al., 2002) in 24 older adults, assessing generalization to other working-memory tasks (near-transfer) and to other cognitive domains (far-transfer) using a cognitive test battery, including the Reading Span test, sensitive to working memory (e.g., Daneman and Carpenter, 1980). We also assessed far transfer to speech-in-noise performance, including a closed-set sentence task (Kidd et al., 2008). To examine the effect of cognitive training on benefit obtained from semantic context, we also assessed transfer to open-set sentences; half were semantically coherent (high-context) and half were semantically anomalous (low-context). Subjects completed 25 sessions (0.5–1 h each; 5 sessions/week) of both adaptive working memory training and placebo training over 10 weeks in a crossover design. Subjects' scores on the adaptive working-memory training tasks improved as a result of training. However, training did not transfer to other working memory tasks, nor to tasks recruiting other cognitive domains. We did not observe any training-related improvement in speech-in-noise performance. Measures of working memory correlated with the intelligibility of low-context, but not high-context, sentences, suggesting that sentence context may reduce the load on working memory. The Reading Span test significantly correlated only with a test of visual episodic memory, suggesting that the Reading Span test is not a pure-test of working memory, as is commonly assumed. PMID:27047370

Neural correlates of retrieval-based memory enhancement: An fMRI study of the testing effect

PubMed Central

Wing, Erik A.; Marsh, Elizabeth J.; Cabeza, Roberto

2013-01-01

Restudying material is a common method for learning new information, but not necessarily an effective one. Research on the testing effect shows that practice involving retrieval from memory can facilitate later memory in contrast to passive restudy. Despite extensive behavioral work, the brain processes that make retrieval an effective learning strategy remain unclear. In the present experiment, we explored how initially retrieving items affected memory a day later as compared to a condition involving traditional restudy. In contrast to restudy, initial testing that contributed to future memory success was associated with engagement of several regions including the anterior hippocampus, lateral temporal cortices, and medial prefrontal cortex (PFC). Additionally, testing enhanced hippocampal connectivity with ventrolateral PFC and midline regions. These findings indicate that the testing effect may be contingent on processes that are typically thought to support memory success at encoding (e.g. relational binding, selection and elaboration of semantically-related information) in addition to those more often associated with retrieval (e.g. memory search). PMID:23607935

Circadian modulation of consolidated memory retrieval following sleep deprivation in Drosophila.

PubMed

Le Glou, Eric; Seugnet, Laurent; Shaw, Paul J; Preat, Thomas; Goguel, Valérie

2012-10-01

Several lines of evidence indicate that sleep plays a critical role in learning and memory. The aim of this study was to evaluate anesthesia resistant memory following sleep deprivation in Drosophila. Four to 16 h after aversive olfactory training, flies were sleep deprived for 4 h. Memory was assessed 24 h after training. Training, sleep deprivation, and memory tests were performed at different times during the day to evaluate the importance of the time of day for memory formation. The role of circadian rhythms was further evaluated using circadian clock mutants. Memory was disrupted when flies were exposed to 4 h of sleep deprivation during the consolidation phase. Interestingly, normal memory was observed following sleep deprivation when the memory test was performed during the 2 h preceding lights-off, a period characterized by maximum wake in flies. We also show that anesthesia resistant memory was less sensitive to sleep deprivation in flies with disrupted circadian rhythms. Our results indicate that anesthesia resistant memory, a consolidated memory less costly than long-term memory, is sensitive to sleep deprivation. In addition, we provide evidence that circadian factors influence memory vulnerability to sleep deprivation and memory retrieval. Taken together, the data show that memories weakened by sleep deprivation can be retrieved if the animals are tested at the optimal circadian time.

MK-801 and memantine act differently on short-term memory tested with different time-intervals in the Morris water maze test.

PubMed

Duda, Weronika; Wesierska, Malgorzata; Ostaszewski, Pawel; Vales, Karel; Nekovarova, Tereza; Stuchlik, Ales

2016-09-15

N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play a crucial role in spatial memory formation. In neuropharmacological studies their functioning strongly depends on testing conditions and the dosage of NMDAR antagonists. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate effects of NMDAR block by (+)MK-801 or memantine on short-term allothetic memory. Memory was tested in a working memory version of the Morris water maze test. In our version of the test, rats underwent one day of training with 8 trials, and then three experimental days when rats were injected intraperitoneally with low- 5 (MeL), high - 20 (MeH) mg/kg memantine, 0.1mg/kg MK-801 or 1ml/kg saline (SAL) 30min before testing, for three consecutive days. On each experimental day there was just one acquisition and one test trial, with an inter-trial interval of 5 or 15min. During training the hidden platform was relocated after each trial and during the experiment after each day. The follow-up effect was assessed on day 9. Intact rats improved their spatial memory across the one training day. With a 5min interval MeH rats had longer latency then all rats during retrieval. With a 15min interval the MeH rats presented worse working memory measured as retrieval minus acquisition trial for path than SAL and MeL and for latency than MeL rats. MK-801 rats had longer latency than SAL during retrieval. Thus, the high dose of memantine, contrary to low dose of MK-801 disrupts short-term memory independent on the time interval between acquisition and retrieval. This shows that short-term memory tested in a working memory version of water maze is sensitive to several parameters: i.e., NMDA receptor antagonist type, dosage and the time interval between learning and testing. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Aging memories: differential decay of episodic memory components.

PubMed

Talamini, Lucia M; Gorree, Eva

2012-05-17

Some memories about events can persist for decades, even a lifetime. However, recent memories incorporate rich sensory information, including knowledge on the spatial and temporal ordering of event features, while old memories typically lack this "filmic" quality. We suggest that this apparent change in the nature of memories may reflect a preferential loss of hippocampus-dependent, configurational information over more cortically based memory components, including memory for individual objects. The current study systematically tests this hypothesis, using a new paradigm that allows the contemporaneous assessment of memory for objects, object pairings, and object-position conjunctions. Retention of each memory component was tested, at multiple intervals, up to 3 mo following encoding. The three memory subtasks adopted the same retrieval paradigm and were matched for initial difficulty. Results show differential decay of the tested episodic memory components, whereby memory for configurational aspects of a scene (objects' co-occurrence and object position) decays faster than memory for featured objects. Interestingly, memory requiring a visually detailed object representation decays at a similar rate as global object recognition, arguing against interpretations based on task difficulty and against the notion that (visual) detail is forgotten preferentially. These findings show that memories undergo qualitative changes as they age. More specifically, event memories become less configurational over time, preferentially losing some of the higher order associations that are dependent on the hippocampus for initial fast encoding. Implications for theories of long-term memory are discussed.

Evidence of a metacognitive benefit to memory?

PubMed

Hollins, Timothy J; Weber, Nathan

2017-03-01

Studies of the memory-control framework have contrasted free-report and forced-report recall, with little regard to the order of these two tests. The present experiment sought to demonstrate that test order is crucial, and that this suggests a potential role for metacognitive monitoring on memory retrieval. Participants undertook tests of episodic and semantic memory in both free- and forced-report format, in one of the two potential response orders. This showed that free-report performance was more accurate if conducted prior to forced-report, rather than after it, with no cost to memory quantity. Additionally, there was a trend towards higher forced-report performance if it was preceded by an initial free-report test, a pattern revealed by a meta-analysis to be consistent with previous studies in the literature. These findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between metacognitive monitoring and early retrieval processes in memory that results in higher memory performance when monitoring is encouraged.

Nitric oxide in the dorsal hippocampal area is involved on muscimol state-dependent memory in the step-down passive avoidance test.

PubMed

Jafari-Sabet, Majid; Khodadadnejad, Mohammad-Amin; Ghoraba, Saeed; Ataee, Ramin

2014-02-01

In the present study, the effects of intra-dorsal hippocampal (intra-CA1) injections of nitric oxide (NO) agents on muscimol state-dependent memory were examined in mice. A single-trial step-down passive avoidance task was used for the assessment of memory retrieval in adult male NMRI mice. Post-training intra-CA1 administration of a GABAA receptor agonist, muscimol (0.05 and 0.1 μg/mouse) dose dependently induced impairment of memory retention. Pre-test injection of muscimol (0.05 and 0.1 μg/mouse) induced state-dependent retrieval of the memory acquired under post-training muscimol (0.1 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) influence. Pre-test injection of a NO precursor, L-arginine (1 and 2 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) improved memory retention, although the low dose of the drug (0.5 μg/mouse) did not affect memory retention. Pre-test injection of an inhibitor of NO-synthase, L-NAME (0.5 and 1 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) impaired memory retention, although the low dose of the drug (0.25 μg/mouse) did not affect memory retention. In other series of experiments, pre-test intra-CA1 injection of L-arginine (0.25 and 0.5 μg/mouse) 5 min before the administration of muscimol (0.1 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) dose dependently inhibited muscimol state-dependent memory. Pre-test intra-CA1 administration of L-arginine (0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 μg/mouse) by itself cannot affect memory retention. Pre-test intra-CA1 injection of L-NAME (0.25 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) reversed the memory impairment induced by post-training administration of muscimol (0.1 μg/mouse, intra-CA1). Moreover, pre-test administration of L-NAME (0.125 and 0.25 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) with an ineffective dose of muscimol (0.025 μg/mouse, intra-CA1) significantly restored the retrieval and induced muscimol state-dependent memory. Pre-test intra-CA1 administration of L-NAME (0.0625, 0.125 and 0.25 μg/mouse) by itself cannot affect memory retention. It may be suggested that the nitric oxide in the dorsal hippocampal area play an important role in muscimol state-dependent memory. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How should we measure nutrition-induced improvements in memory?

PubMed

Benton, David; Kallus, K Wolfgang; Schmitt, Jeroen A J

2005-12-01

There is a basic distinction between declarative memories, which can be stated verbally, and non-declarative memory, such as how to ride a bicycle, which cannot be expressed in words. With age it is the performance of declarative memory, particularly episodic memory that requires recall of events placed in time, that declines. As memory is not a unitary phenomenon, it should be ideally monitored using a range of tests that reflect theoretical conceptions of the topic. If circumstances demand the use of a single test then a measure of episodic memory is suggested. When it proves only possible to use a rating scale it should be ensured that memory is distinguished from other aspects of cognition and that different types of memory are not confused. The tests used, and the form in which they are used, need to be chosen to be of appropriate difficulty for the sample studied. A major conclusion is that the selection of the measure of memory used in the study of a dietary intervention should never be routine. It is inevitable that the form of the test used will need to be chosen carefully for the population being studied.

Memory systems in the rat: effects of reward probability, context, and congruency between working and reference memory.

PubMed

Roberts, William A; Guitar, Nicole A; Marsh, Heidi L; MacDonald, Hayden

2016-05-01

The interaction of working and reference memory was studied in rats on an eight-arm radial maze. In two experiments, rats were trained to perform working memory and reference memory tasks. On working memory trials, they were allowed to enter four randomly chosen arms for reward in a study phase and then had to choose the unentered arms for reward in a test phase. On reference memory trials, they had to learn to visit the same four arms on the maze on every trial for reward. Retention was tested on working memory trials in which the interval between the study and test phase was 15 s, 15 min, or 30 min. At each retention interval, tests were performed in which the correct WM arms were either congruent or incongruent with the correct RM arms. Both experiments showed that congruency interacted with retention interval, yielding more forgetting at 30 min on incongruent trials than on congruent trials. The effect of reference memory strength on the congruency effect was examined in Experiment 1, and the effect of associating different contexts with working and reference memory on the congruency effect was studied in Experiment 2.

Adult age differences in perceptually based, but not conceptually based implicit tests of memory.

PubMed

Small, B J; Hultsch, D F; Masson, M E

1995-05-01

Implicit tests of memory assess the influence of recent experience without requiring awareness of remembering. Evidence concerning age differences on implicit tests of memory suggests small age differences in favor of younger adults. However, the majority of research examining this issue has relied upon perceptually based implicit tests. Recently, a second type of implicit test, one that relies upon conceptually based processes, has been identified. The pattern of age differences on this second type of implicit test is less clear. In the present study, we examined the pattern of age differences on one conceptually based (fact completion) and one perceptually based (stem completion) implicit test of memory, as well as two explicit tests of memory (fact and word recall). Tasks were administered to 403 adults from three age groups (19-34 years, 58-73 years, 74-89 years). Significant age differences in favor of the young were found on stem completion but not fact completion. Age differences were present for both word and fast recall. Correlational analyses examining the relationship of memory performance to other cognitive variables indicated that the implicit tests were supported by different components than the explicit tests, as well as being different from each other.

Phase Measurement of Cognitive Impairment Specific to Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Armstrong, Carol L., E-mail: armstrongc@email.chop.edu; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neuro-Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Shera, David M.

Purpose: Memory impairment is an early-delayed effect of radiotherapy (RT). The prospective longitudinal measurement of the cognitive phase effects from RT was conducted on treated and untreated brain tumor patients. The study design investigated semantic vs. perceptual and visual vs. verbal memory to determine the most disease-specific measure of RT-related changes and understanding of the neurotoxicity from RT to the brain. Methods and Materials: Tests of memory that had previously shown RT-related phasic changes were compared with experimental tests of memory to test hypotheses about cognition targeted to the neural toxicity of RT. The results from 41 irradiated and 29more » nonirradiated patients with low-grade, supratentorial tumors were analyzed. The methods controlled for comorbid white matter risk, recurrence, interval after treatment, and age (18-69 years). The effects were examined before RT and at three points after RT to 1 year using a mixed effects model that included interval, group, surgical status, medication use, practice, and individual random effects. Four new tests of memory and other candidate cognitive tests were investigated, and a post hoc analysis of a comprehensive battery of tests was performed to identify the cognitive processes most specific to RT. Results: The RT effects on memory were identified in the treated group only; among the new tests of memory and the complete neurocognitive battery, the RT effects were significant only for delayed recall (p < 0.009) and interval to recognize (p < 0.002). Tumor location was not related to the treatment effect. Memory decline was specific to retrieval of semantic memories; a double dissociation of semantic from perceptual visual memory was demonstrated in the RT group. Conclusions: These results implicate memory dependent on the semantic cortex and the hippocampal memory system. A cognitive measurement that is brief but specific to neural mechanisms is effective and feasible for studies of RT damage.« less

The Testing Effect under Divided Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchin, Zachary L.; Mulligan, Neil W.

2017-01-01

Memory retrieval often enhances later memory compared with restudying (i.e., the testing effect), indicating that retrieval does not simply reveal but also modifies memory representations. Dividing attention (DA) during encoding greatly disrupts later memory performance while DA during retrieval typically has modest effects--but what of the…

The six blind men and the elephant: Are episodic memory tasks tests of different things or different tests of the same thing?

PubMed

Cheke, Lucy G; Clayton, Nicola S

2015-09-01

The development of episodic memory in children has been of interest to researchers for more than a century. Current behavioral tests that have been developed to assess episodic memory differ substantially in their surface features. Therefore, it is possible that these tests are assessing different memory processes. In this study, 106 children aged 3 to 6 years were tested on four putative tests of episodic memory. Covariation in performance was investigated in order to address two conflicting hypotheses: (a) that the high level of difference between the tests will result in little covariation in performance despite their being designed to assess the same ability and (b) that the conceptual similarity of these tasks will lead to high levels of covariation despite surface differences. The results indicated a gradual improvement with age on all tests. Performances on many of the tests were related, but not after controlling for age. A principal component analysis found that a single principal component was able to satisfactorily fit the observed data. This principal component produced a marginally stronger correlation with age than any test alone. As such, it might be concluded that different tests of episodic memory are too different to be used in parallel. Nevertheless, if used together, these tests may offer a robust assessment of episodic memory as a complex multifaceted process. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differences in visual vs. verbal memory impairments as a result of focal temporal lobe damage in patients with traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Ariza, Mar; Pueyo, Roser; Junqué, Carme; Mataró, María; Poca, María Antonia; Mena, Maria Pau; Sahuquillo, Juan

2006-09-01

The aim of the present study was to determine whether the type of lesion in a sample of moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) was related to material-specific memory impairment. Fifty-nine patients with TBI were classified into three groups according to whether the site of the lesion was right temporal, left temporal or diffuse. Six-months post-injury, visual (Warrington's Facial Recognition Memory Test and Rey's Complex Figure Test) and verbal (Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test) memories were assessed. Visual memory deficits assessed by facial memory were associated with right temporal lobe lesion, whereas verbal memory performance assessed with a list of words was related to left temporal lobe lesion. The group with diffuse injury showed both verbal and visual memory impairment. These results suggest a material-specific memory impairment in moderate and severe TBI after focal temporal lesions and a non-specific memory impairment after diffuse damage.

Bethany Frew | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Research/Teaching Assistant, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (2007-2014) Research Intern, Battelle Analysis Center. Areas of Expertise Energy systems modeling and analysis Linear programming Research Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH (2006-2007) Research Assistant, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Getting Started Using American Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, Laurel R., Ed.

2001-01-01

This publication features teaching ideas generated by classroom teachers. For grades K-4, fourth grade teacher, Janet Williamson, has developed "Off and Running with Primary Sources" which describes how she introduces students to primary sources using historical advertisements. Appropriate for grades 5-8, a strategy was developed by…

My Closing Reflection on 9/11 as Event and Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krasner, Michael

2011-01-01

This article describes the personal and pedagogical contexts for the development of a 9/11 curriculum. The author relates his own experiences learning of the event and teaching it soon afterwards and the subsequent development of a nationally distributed 9/11 curriculum.

The Nootropic Concept and Dyslexia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilsher, Colin R.

1986-01-01

Studies with Nootropic psychoactive drugs (such as Piracetam) suggest that Piracetam lacks significant side effects; promotes memory and learning; and improves the reading ability of dyslexics, possibly by directly affecting the left-brain hemisphere. Results are contrasted with studies showing the lack of effectiveness of intensive teaching.…

How Community Colleges Can Capitalize on Changes in Information Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nourse, Jimmie Anne; Widman, Rudy

1991-01-01

Urges community college librarians to become leaders in library instruction by developing aggressive teaching programs using high-technology information resources, such as compact disc read-only-memory (CD-ROM), telecommunications, and on-line databases. Discusses training, hardware, software, and funding issues. (DMM)

Effectiveness of Working Memory Training among Subjects Currently on Sick Leave Due to Complex Symptoms.

PubMed

Aasvik, Julie K; Woodhouse, Astrid; Stiles, Tore C; Jacobsen, Henrik B; Landmark, Tormod; Glette, Mari; Borchgrevink, Petter C; Landrø, Nils I

2016-01-01

Introduction: The current study examined if adaptive working memory training (Cogmed QM) has the potential to improve inhibitory control, working memory capacity, and perceptions of memory functioning in a group of patients currently on sick leave due to symptoms of pain, insomnia, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Participants who were referred to a vocational rehabilitation center volunteered to take part in the study. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to either a training condition ( N = 25) or a control condition ( N = 29). Participants in the training condition received working memory training in addition to the clinical intervention offered as part of the rehabilitation program, while participants in the control condition received treatment as usual i.e., the rehabilitation program only. Inhibitory control was measured by The Stop Signal Task, working memory was assessed by the Spatial Working Memory Test, while perceptions of memory functioning were assessed by The Everyday Memory Questionnaire-Revised. Results: Participants in the training group showed a significant improvement on the post-tests of inhibitory control when compared with the comparison group ( p = 0.025). The groups did not differ on the post-tests of working memory. Both groups reported less memory problems at post-testing, but there was no sizeable difference between the two groups. Conclusions: Results indicate that working memory training does not improve general working memory capacity per se . Nor does it seem to give any added effects in terms of targeting and improving self-perceived memory functioning. Results do, however, provide evidence to suggest that inhibitory control is accessible and susceptible to modification by adaptive working memory training.

Training, transfer, and retention of three-dimensional spatial memory in virtual environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richards, Jason T.; Oman, Charles M.; Shebilske, Wayne L.; Beall, Andrew C.; Liu, Andrew; Natapoff, Alan

2002-01-01

Human orientation requires one to remember and visualize spatial arrangements of landmarks from different perspectives. Astronauts have reported difficulties remembering relationships between environmental landmarks when imagined in arbitrary 3D orientations. The present study investigated the effects of strategy training on humans' 1) ability to infer their orientation from landmarks presented ahead and below, 2) performance when subsequently learning a different array, and 3) retention of configurational knowledge over time. On the first experiment day, 24 subjects were tested in a virtual cubic chamber in which a picture of an animal was drawn on each wall. Through trial-by-trial exposures, they had to memorize the spatial relationships among the six pictures around them and learn to predict the direction to a specific picture when facing any view direction, and in any roll orientation. Half of the subjects ("strategy group") were taught methods for remembering picture groupings, while the remainder received no such training ("control group"). After learning one picture array, the procedure was repeated in a second. Accuracy (% correct) and response time learning curves were measured. Performance for the second array and configurational memory of both arrays were also retested 1, 7, and 30 days later. Results showed that subjects "learned how to learn" this generic 3D spatial memory task regardless of their relative orientation to the environment, that ability and configurational knowledge was retained for at least a month, that figure rotation ability and field independence correlate with performance, and that teaching subjects specific strategies in advance significantly improves performance. Training astronauts to perform a similar generic 3D spatial memory task, and suggesting strategies in advance, may help them orient in three dimensions.

Auditory memory function in expert chess players.

PubMed

Fattahi, Fariba; Geshani, Ahmad; Jafari, Zahra; Jalaie, Shohreh; Salman Mahini, Mona

2015-01-01

Chess is a game that involves many aspects of high level cognition such as memory, attention, focus and problem solving. Long term practice of chess can improve cognition performances and behavioral skills. Auditory memory, as a kind of memory, can be influenced by strengthening processes following long term chess playing like other behavioral skills because of common processing pathways in the brain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the auditory memory function of expert chess players using the Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test. The Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test was performed for 30 expert chess players aged 20-35 years and 30 non chess players who were matched by different conditions; the participants in both groups were randomly selected. The performance of the two groups was compared by independent samples t-test using SPSS version 21. The mean score of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test between the two groups, expert chess players and non-chess players, revealed a significant difference (p≤ 0.001). The difference between the ears scores for expert chess players (p= 0.023) and non-chess players (p= 0.013) was significant. Gender had no effect on the test results. Auditory memory function in expert chess players was significantly better compared to non-chess players. It seems that increased auditory memory function is related to strengthening cognitive performances due to playing chess for a long time.

Memory for Items and Relationships among Items Embedded in Realistic Scenes: Disproportionate Relational Memory Impairments in Amnesia

PubMed Central

Hannula, Deborah E.; Tranel, Daniel; Allen, John S.; Kirchhoff, Brenda A.; Nickel, Allison E.; Cohen, Neal J.

2014-01-01

Objective The objective of this study was to examine the dependence of item memory and relational memory on medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures. Patients with amnesia, who either had extensive MTL damage or damage that was relatively restricted to the hippocampus, were tested, as was a matched comparison group. Disproportionate relational memory impairments were predicted for both patient groups, and those with extensive MTL damage were also expected to have impaired item memory. Method Participants studied scenes, and were tested with interleaved two-alternative forced-choice probe trials. Probe trials were either presented immediately after the corresponding study trial (lag 1), five trials later (lag 5), or nine trials later (lag 9) and consisted of the studied scene along with a manipulated version of that scene in which one item was replaced with a different exemplar (item memory test) or was moved to a new location (relational memory test). Participants were to identify the exact match of the studied scene. Results As predicted, patients were disproportionately impaired on the test of relational memory. Item memory performance was marginally poorer among patients with extensive MTL damage, but both groups were impaired relative to matched comparison participants. Impaired performance was evident at all lags, including the shortest possible lag (lag 1). Conclusions The results are consistent with the proposed role of the hippocampus in relational memory binding and representation, even at short delays, and suggest that the hippocampus may also contribute to successful item memory when items are embedded in complex scenes. PMID:25068665

Retest effects in working memory capacity tests: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Scharfen, Jana; Jansen, Katrin; Holling, Heinz

2018-06-15

The repeated administration of working memory capacity tests is common in clinical and research settings. For cognitive ability tests and different neuropsychological tests, meta-analyses have shown that they are prone to retest effects, which have to be accounted for when interpreting retest scores. Using a multilevel approach, this meta-analysis aims at showing the reproducibility of retest effects in working memory capacity tests for up to seven test administrations, and examines the impact of the length of the test-retest interval, test modality, equivalence of test forms and participant age on the size of retest effects. Furthermore, it is assessed whether the size of retest effects depends on the test paradigm. An extensive literature search revealed 234 effect sizes from 95 samples and 68 studies, in which healthy participants between 12 and 70 years repeatedly performed a working memory capacity test. Results yield a weighted average of g = 0.28 for retest effects from the first to the second test administration, and a significant increase in effect sizes was observed up to the fourth test administration. The length of the test-retest interval and publication year were found to moderate the size of retest effects. Retest effects differed between the paradigms of working memory capacity tests. These findings call for the development and use of appropriate experimental or statistical methods to address retest effects in working memory capacity tests.

High-Fidelity Visual Long-Term Memory within an Unattended Blink of an Eye.

PubMed

Kuhbandner, Christof; Rosas-Corona, Elizabeth A; Spachtholz, Philipp

2017-01-01

What is stored in long-term memory from current sensations is a question that has attracted considerable interest. Over time, several prominent theories have consistently proposed that only attended sensory information leaves a durable memory trace whereas unattended information is not stored beyond the current moment, an assumption that seems to be supported by abundant empirical evidence. Here we show, by using a more sensitive memory test than in previous studies, that this is actually not true. Observers viewed a rapid stream of real-world object pictures overlapped by words (presentation duration per stimulus: 500 ms, interstimulus interval: 200 ms), with the instruction to attend to the words and detect word repetitions, without knowing that their memory would be tested later. In a surprise two-alternative forced-choice recognition test, memory for the unattended object pictures was tested. Memory performance was substantially above chance, even when detailed feature knowledge was necessary for correct recognition, even when tested 24 h later, and even although participants reported that they do not have any memories. These findings suggests that humans have the ability to store at high speed detailed copies of current visual stimulations in long-term memory independently of current intentions and the current attentional focus.

NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB): list sorting test to measure working memory.

PubMed

Tulsky, David S; Carlozzi, Noelle; Chiaravalloti, Nancy D; Beaumont, Jennifer L; Kisala, Pamela A; Mungas, Dan; Conway, Kevin; Gershon, Richard

2014-07-01

The List Sorting Working Memory Test was designed to assess working memory (WM) as part of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. List Sorting is a sequencing task requiring children and adults to sort and sequence stimuli that are presented visually and auditorily. Validation data are presented for 268 participants ages 20 to 85 years. A subset of participants (N=89) was retested 7 to 21 days later. As expected, the List Sorting Test had moderately high correlations with other measures of working memory and executive functioning (convergent validity) but a low correlation with a test of receptive vocabulary (discriminant validity). Furthermore, List Sorting demonstrates expected changes over the age span and has excellent test-retest reliability. Collectively, these results provide initial support for the construct validity of the List Sorting Working Memory Measure as a measure of working memory. However, the relationship between the List Sorting Test and general executive function has yet to be determined.

NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB): The List Sorting Test to Measure Working Memory

PubMed Central

Tulsky, David S.; Carlozzi, Noelle; Chiaravalloti, Nancy D.; Beaumont, Jennifer L.; Kisala, Pamela A.; Mungas, Dan; Conway, Kevin; Gershon, Richard

2015-01-01

The List Sorting Working Memory Test was designed to assess working memory (WM) as part of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. List Sorting is a sequencing task requiring children and adults to sort and sequence stimuli that are presented visually and auditorily. Validation data are presented for 268 participants ages 20 to 85 years. A subset of participants (N=89) was retested 7 to 21 days later. As expected, the List Sorting Test had moderately high correlations with other measures of working memory and executive functioning (convergent validity) but a low correlation with a test of receptive vocabulary (discriminant validity). Furthermore, List Sorting demonstrates expected changes over the age span and has excellent test-retest reliability. Collectively, these results provide initial support the construct validity of the List Sorting Working Memory Measure as a measure of working memory. However, the relation between the List Sorting Test and general executive function has yet to be determined. PMID:24959983

Assessing working memory in children with ADHD: Minor administration and scoring changes may improve digit span backward's construct validity.

PubMed

Wells, Erica L; Kofler, Michael J; Soto, Elia F; Schaefer, Hillary S; Sarver, Dustin E

2018-01-01

Pediatric ADHD is associated with impairments in working memory, but these deficits often go undetected when using clinic-based tests such as digit span backward. The current study pilot-tested minor administration/scoring modifications to improve digit span backward's construct and predictive validities in a well-characterized sample of children with ADHD. WISC-IV digit span was modified to administer all trials (i.e., ignore discontinue rule) and count digits rather than trials correct. Traditional and modified scores were compared to a battery of criterion working memory (construct validity) and academic achievement tests (predictive validity) for 34 children with ADHD ages 8-13 (M=10.41; 11 girls). Traditional digit span backward scores failed to predict working memory or KTEA-2 achievement (allns). Alternate administration/scoring of digit span backward significantly improved its associations with working memory reordering (r=.58), working memory dual-processing (r=.53), working memory updating (r=.28), and KTEA-2 achievement (r=.49). Consistent with prior work, these findings urge caution when interpreting digit span performance. Minor test modifications may address test validity concerns, and should be considered in future test revisions. Digit span backward becomes a valid measure of working memory at exactly the point that testing is traditionally discontinued. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methylphenidate produces selective enhancement of declarative memory consolidation in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Linssen, A M W; Vuurman, E F P M; Sambeth, A; Riedel, W J

2012-06-01

Methylphenidate inhibits the reuptake of dopamine and noradrenaline and is used to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Besides reducing behavioral symptoms, it improves their cognitive function. There are also observations of methylphenidate-induced cognition enhancement in healthy adults, although studies in this area are relatively sparse. We assessed the possible memory-enhancing properties of methylphenidate. In the current study, the possible enhancing effects of three doses of methylphenidate on declarative and working memory, attention, response inhibition and planning were investigated in healthy volunteers. In a double blind placebo-controlled crossover study, 19 healthy young male volunteers were tested after a single dose of placebo or 10, 20 or 40 mg of methylphenidate. Cognitive performance testing included a word learning test as a measure of declarative memory, a spatial working memory test, a set-shifting test, a stop signal test and a computerized version of the Tower of London planning test. Declarative memory consolidation was significantly improved relative to placebo after 20 and 40 mg of methylphenidate. Methylphenidate also improved set shifting and stopped signal task performance but did not affect spatial working memory or planning. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting enhanced declarative memory consolidation after methylphenidate in a dose-related fashion over a dose range that is presumed to reflect a wide range of dopamine reuptake inhibition.

[Usefulness of the 10 pictures reminding test for memory assessment for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment and anxiety/depression].

PubMed

Federico, D; Thomas-Anterion, C; Borg, C; Foyatier Michel, N; Dirson, S; Laurent, B

2008-10-01

Episodic memory is often considered to be essential in the neuropsychological examination of elderly people consulting in the memory clinics. Therefore, the performance of three different episodic memory tests were compared in Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and anxiety/depression. Seventy-six patients with AD, 46 with MCI, and 36 with anxiety/depression performed three memory tests: (1) three-words immediate and delayed recall of the MMSE test; (2) 10-pictures reminding test; (3) 16-items free and cued reminding test. Patients with AD and MCI differed from the depressed/anxious participants on all subcomponents of the memory tests. Only the three-words immediate and delayed recall in the MMSE test as well as the immediate recall (encoding) of the free and cued reminding test (16-items) did not differ between AD and MCI. Significant correlations were also evidenced between the free and cued recall of the 10 pictures and the score of the 16-items for all patients. Scores of total and free recalls distinguished the three group of patients; also, a trend was observed for the free recall between the patients with AD and MCI. The three-words immediate and delayed recall of the MMSE test is linked with hippocampic dysfunction. Also, the present study suggests that the 10-pictures reminding test, is a simple and reliable test for investigating memory, in addition to other evaluation tests. Finally, further studies would be necessary to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the tests.

Effects of age on a real-world What-Where-When memory task

PubMed Central

Mazurek, Adèle; Bhoopathy, Raja Meenakshi; Read, Jenny C. A.; Gallagher, Peter; Smulders, Tom V.

2015-01-01

Many cognitive abilities decline with aging, making it difficult to detect pathological changes against a background of natural changes in cognition. Most of the tests to assess cognitive decline are artificial tasks that have little resemblance to the problems faced by people in everyday life. This means both that people may have little practice doing such tasks (potentially contributing to the decline in performance) and that the tasks may not be good predictors of real-world cognitive problems. In this study, we test the performance of young people (18–25 years) and older people (60+-year-olds) on a novel, more ecologically valid test of episodic memory: the real-world What-Where-When (WWW) memory test. We also compare them on a battery of other cognitive tests, including working memory, psychomotor speed, executive function, and episodic memory. Older people show the expected age-related declines on the test battery. In the WWW memory task, older people were more likely to fail to remember any WWW combination than younger people were, although they did not significantly differ in their overall WWW score due to some older people performing as well as or better than most younger people. WWW memory performance was significantly predicted by other measures of episodic memory, such as the single-trial learning and long-term retention in the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning task and Combined Object Location Memory in the Object Relocation task. Self-reported memory complaints also predicted performance on the WWW task. These findings confirm that our real-world WWW memory task is a valid measure of episodic memory, with high ecological validity, which may be useful as a predictor of everyday memory abilities. The task will require a bit more development to improve its sensitivity to cognitive declines in aging and to potentially distinguish between mentally healthy older adults and those with early signs of cognitive pathologies. PMID:26042030

An Experimental Analysis of Memory Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Anthony A.

2007-01-01

Rhesus monkeys were trained and tested in visual and auditory list-memory tasks with sequences of four travel pictures or four natural/environmental sounds followed by single test items. Acquisitions of the visual list-memory task are presented. Visual recency (last item) memory diminished with retention delay, and primacy (first item) memory…

Are Working Memory Measures Free of Socioeconomic Influence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engel, Pascale Marguerite Josiane; Santos, Flavia Heloisa; Gathercole, Susan Elizabeth

2008-01-01

Purpose: This study evaluated the impact of socioeconomic factors on children's performance on tests of working memory and vocabulary. Method: Twenty Brazilian children, aged 6 and 7 years, from low-income families, completed tests of working memory (verbal short-term memory and verbal complex span) and vocabulary (expressive and receptive). A…

Object location and object recognition memory impairments, motivation deficits and depression in a model of Gulf War illness.

PubMed

Hattiangady, Bharathi; Mishra, Vikas; Kodali, Maheedhar; Shuai, Bing; Rao, Xiolan; Shetty, Ashok K

2014-01-01

Memory and mood deficits are the enduring brain-related symptoms in Gulf War illness (GWI). Both animal model and epidemiological investigations have indicated that these impairments in a majority of GW veterans are linked to exposures to chemicals such as pyridostigmine bromide (PB, an antinerve gas drug), permethrin (PM, an insecticide) and DEET (a mosquito repellant) encountered during the Persian Gulf War-1. Our previous study in a rat model has shown that combined exposures to low doses of GWI-related (GWIR) chemicals PB, PM, and DEET with or without 5-min of restraint stress (a mild stress paradigm) causes hippocampus-dependent spatial memory dysfunction in a water maze test (WMT) and increased depressive-like behavior in a forced swim test (FST). In this study, using a larger cohort of rats exposed to GWIR-chemicals and stress, we investigated whether the memory deficiency identified earlier in a WMT is reproducible with an alternative and stress free hippocampus-dependent memory test such as the object location test (OLT). We also ascertained the possible co-existence of hippocampus-independent memory dysfunction using a novel object recognition test (NORT), and alterations in mood function with additional tests for motivation and depression. Our results provide new evidence that exposure to low doses of GWIR-chemicals and mild stress for 4 weeks causes deficits in hippocampus-dependent object location memory and perirhinal cortex-dependent novel object recognition memory. An open field test performed prior to other behavioral analyses revealed that memory impairments were not associated with increased anxiety or deficits in general motor ability. However, behavioral tests for mood function such as a voluntary physical exercise paradigm and a novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT) demonstrated decreased motivation levels and depression. Thus, exposure to GWIR-chemicals and stress causes both hippocampus-dependent and hippocampus-independent memory impairments as well as mood dysfunction in a rat model.

Korsakoff Syndrome in Non-alcoholic Psychiatric Patients. Variable Cognitive Presentation and Impaired Frontotemporal Connectivity.

PubMed

Nikolakaros, Georgios; Kurki, Timo; Paju, Janina; Papageorgiou, Sokratis G; Vataja, Risto; Ilonen, Tuula

2018-01-01

Background: Non-alcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are greatly underdiagnosed. There are very few reported cases of neuropsychologically documented non-alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data are scarce. Methods: We report clinical characteristics and neuropsychological as well as radiological findings from three psychiatric patients (one woman and two men) with a history of probable undiagnosed non-alcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy and subsequent chronic memory problems. Results: All patients had abnormal neuropsychological test results, predominantly in memory. Thus, the neuropsychological findings were compatible with Korsakoff syndrome. However, the neuropsychological findings were not uniform. The impairment of delayed verbal memory of the first patient was evident only when the results of the memory tests were compared to her general cognitive level. In addition, the logical memory test and the verbal working memory test were abnormal, but the word list memory test was normal. The second patient had impaired attention and psychomotor speed in addition to impaired memory. In the third patient, the word list memory test was abnormal, but the logical memory test was normal. All patients had intrusions in the neuropsychological examination. Executive functions were preserved, except for planning and foresight, which were impaired in two patients. Conventional MRI examination was normal. DTI showed reduced fractional anisotropy values in the uncinate fasciculus in two patients, and in the corpus callosum and in the subgenual cingulum in one patient. Conclusions: Non-alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome can have diverse neuropsychological findings. This may partly explain its marked underdiagnosis. Therefore, a strong index of suspicion is needed. The presence of intrusions in the neuropsychological examination supports the diagnosis. Damage in frontotemporal white matter tracts, particularly in the uncinate fasciculus, may be a feature of non-alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome in psychiatric patients.

Korsakoff Syndrome in Non-alcoholic Psychiatric Patients. Variable Cognitive Presentation and Impaired Frontotemporal Connectivity

PubMed Central

Nikolakaros, Georgios; Kurki, Timo; Paju, Janina; Papageorgiou, Sokratis G.; Vataja, Risto; Ilonen, Tuula

2018-01-01

Background: Non-alcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome are greatly underdiagnosed. There are very few reported cases of neuropsychologically documented non-alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data are scarce. Methods: We report clinical characteristics and neuropsychological as well as radiological findings from three psychiatric patients (one woman and two men) with a history of probable undiagnosed non-alcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy and subsequent chronic memory problems. Results: All patients had abnormal neuropsychological test results, predominantly in memory. Thus, the neuropsychological findings were compatible with Korsakoff syndrome. However, the neuropsychological findings were not uniform. The impairment of delayed verbal memory of the first patient was evident only when the results of the memory tests were compared to her general cognitive level. In addition, the logical memory test and the verbal working memory test were abnormal, but the word list memory test was normal. The second patient had impaired attention and psychomotor speed in addition to impaired memory. In the third patient, the word list memory test was abnormal, but the logical memory test was normal. All patients had intrusions in the neuropsychological examination. Executive functions were preserved, except for planning and foresight, which were impaired in two patients. Conventional MRI examination was normal. DTI showed reduced fractional anisotropy values in the uncinate fasciculus in two patients, and in the corpus callosum and in the subgenual cingulum in one patient. Conclusions: Non-alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome can have diverse neuropsychological findings. This may partly explain its marked underdiagnosis. Therefore, a strong index of suspicion is needed. The presence of intrusions in the neuropsychological examination supports the diagnosis. Damage in frontotemporal white matter tracts, particularly in the uncinate fasciculus, may be a feature of non-alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome in psychiatric patients.

The Role of Long-Term Memory in a Test of Visual Working Memory: Proactive Facilitation but No Proactive Interference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oberauer, Klaus; Awh, Edward; Sutterer, David W.

2017-01-01

We report 4 experiments examining whether associations in visual working memory are subject to proactive interference from long-term memory (LTM). Following a long-term learning phase in which participants learned the colors of 120 unique objects, a working memory (WM) test was administered in which participants recalled the precise colors of 3…

Robust relationship between reading span and speech recognition in noise

PubMed Central

Souza, Pamela; Arehart, Kathryn

2015-01-01

Objective Working memory refers to a cognitive system that manages information processing and temporary storage. Recent work has demonstrated that individual differences in working memory capacity measured using a reading span task are related to ability to recognize speech in noise. In this project, we investigated whether the specific implementation of the reading span task influenced the strength of the relationship between working memory capacity and speech recognition. Design The relationship between speech recognition and working memory capacity was examined for two different working memory tests that varied in approach, using a within-subject design. Data consisted of audiometric results along with the two different working memory tests; one speech-in-noise test; and a reading comprehension test. Study sample The test group included 94 older adults with varying hearing loss and 30 younger adults with normal hearing. Results Listeners with poorer working memory capacity had more difficulty understanding speech in noise after accounting for age and degree of hearing loss. That relationship did not differ significantly between the two different implementations of reading span. Conclusions Our findings suggest that different implementations of a verbal reading span task do not affect the strength of the relationship between working memory capacity and speech recognition. PMID:25975360

Robust relationship between reading span and speech recognition in noise.

PubMed

Souza, Pamela; Arehart, Kathryn

2015-01-01

Working memory refers to a cognitive system that manages information processing and temporary storage. Recent work has demonstrated that individual differences in working memory capacity measured using a reading span task are related to ability to recognize speech in noise. In this project, we investigated whether the specific implementation of the reading span task influenced the strength of the relationship between working memory capacity and speech recognition. The relationship between speech recognition and working memory capacity was examined for two different working memory tests that varied in approach, using a within-subject design. Data consisted of audiometric results along with the two different working memory tests; one speech-in-noise test; and a reading comprehension test. The test group included 94 older adults with varying hearing loss and 30 younger adults with normal hearing. Listeners with poorer working memory capacity had more difficulty understanding speech in noise after accounting for age and degree of hearing loss. That relationship did not differ significantly between the two different implementations of reading span. Our findings suggest that different implementations of a verbal reading span task do not affect the strength of the relationship between working memory capacity and speech recognition.

Influence of anxiety on memory performance in temporal lobe epilepsy

PubMed Central

Brown, Franklin C.; Westerveld, Michael; Langfitt, John T.; Hamberger, Marla; Hamid, Hamada; Shinnar, Shlomo; Sperling, Michael R.; Devinsky, Orrin; Barr, William; Tracy, Joseph; Masur, David; Bazil, Carl W.; Spencer, Susan S.

2013-01-01

This study examined the degree to which anxiety contributed to inconsistent material-specific memory difficulties among 243 temporal lobe epilepsy patients from the Multisite Epilepsy Study. Visual memory performance on the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) was lower for those with high versus low level of anxiety, but was not found to be related to side of TLE. Verbal memory on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was significantly lower for left than right TLE patients with low anxiety, but equally impaired for those with high anxiety. These results suggest that we can place more confidence in the ability of verbal memory tests like the CVLT to lateralize to left TLE for those with low anxiety, but that verbal memory will be less likely to produce lateralizing information for those with high anxiety. This suggests that more caution is needed when interpreting verbal memory tests for those with high anxiety. These results indicated that RCFT performance was significantly affected by anxiety and did not lateralize to either side, regardless of anxiety level. This study adds to the existing literature which suggests that drawing-based visual memory tests do not lateralize among TLE patients, regardless of anxiety level. PMID:24291525

Processes of conscious and unconscious memory: evidence from current research on dissociation of memories within a test.

PubMed

Cheng, Chao-Ming; Huang, Chin-Lan

2011-01-01

The processes of conscious memory (CM) and unconscious memory (UM) are explored, based on the results of the current and previous studies in which the 2 forms of memory within a test were separated by either the process dissociation or metacognition-based dissociation procedure. The results assessing influences of shallow and deep processing, association, and self-generation on CM in explicit and implicit tests are taken as evidence that CM in a test is driven not only conceptually but also by the driving nature of the test, and CM benefits from an encoding condition to the extent that information processing for CM recapitulates that engaged in the encoding condition.Those influences on UM in explicit and implicit tests are taken to support the view that UM in a test is driven by the nature of the test itself, and UM benefits from an encoding condition to the extent that the cognitive environments at test and at study match to activate the same type of information (e.g., visual, lexical, or semantic) about memory items or the same content of a preexisting association or categorical structure.

Temporal order memory assessed during spatiotemporal navigation as a behavioral cognitive marker for differential Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.

PubMed

Bellassen, Virginie; Iglói, Kinga; de Souza, Leonardo Cruz; Dubois, Bruno; Rondi-Reig, Laure

2012-02-08

Episodic memory impairment is a hallmark for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Most actual tests used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease do not assess the spatiotemporal properties of episodic memory and lead to false-positive or -negative diagnosis. We used a newly developed, nonverbal navigation test for Human, based on the objective experimental testing of a spatiotemporal experience, to differentially Alzheimer's disease at the mild stage (N = 16 patients) from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (N = 11 patients) and normal aging (N = 24 subjects). Comparing navigation parameters and standard neuropsychological tests, temporal order memory appeared to have the highest predictive power for mild Alzheimer's disease diagnosis versus frontotemporal lobar degeneration and normal aging. This test was also nonredundant with classical neuropsychological tests. As a conclusion, our results suggest that temporal order memory tested in a spatial navigation task may provide a selective behavioral marker of Alzheimer's disease.

Distinct neuroanatomical bases of episodic and semantic memory performance in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Hirni, Daniela I; Kivisaari, Sasa L; Monsch, Andreas U; Taylor, Kirsten I

2013-04-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) neurofibrillary pathology begins in the medial perirhinal cortex (mPRC) before spreading to the entorhinal cortex (ERC) and hippocampus (HP) in anterior medial temporal lobe (aMTL). While the role of the ERC/HP complex in episodic memory formation is well-established, recent research suggests that the PRC is required to form semantic memories of individual objects. We aimed to test whether commonly used clinical measures of episodic and semantic memory are distinctly associated with ERC/HP and mPRC integrity, respectively, in healthy mature individuals and very early AD patients. One hundred thirty normal controls, 32 amnestic mild cognitive impairment patients, some of whom are in the earliest (i.e., preclinical) stages of AD, and ten early-stage AD patients received neuropsychological testing and high-resolution anatomic and diffusion MRI. Voxel-based regression analyses tested for regions where episodic memory (delayed recall scores on the California Verbal Learning and Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Tests) and semantic memory (Boston Naming Test, category fluency) performance correlated with gray matter (GM) regions of interest and whole-brain fractional anisotropy (FA) voxel values. When controlling for the opposing memory performance, poorer episodic memory performance was associated with reduced bilateral ERC/HP GM volume and related white matter integrity, but not with mPRC GM volume. Poor semantic memory performance was associated with both reduced left mPRC and ERC/HP GM volume, as well as reduced FA values in white matter tracts leading to the PRC. These results indicate a partial division of labor within the aMTL and suggest that mPRC damage in very early AD may be detectable with common clinical tests of semantic memory if episodic memory performance is controlled. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overview of Non-Volatile Testing and Screening Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irom, Farokh

2001-01-01

Testing methods for memories and non-volatile memories have become increasingly sophisticated as they become denser and more complex. High frequency and faster rewrite times as well as smaller feature sizes have led to many testing challenges. This paper outlines several testing issues posed by novel memories and approaches to testing for radiation and reliability effects. We discuss methods for measurements of Total Ionizing Dose (TID).

Levels-of-processing effect on frontotemporal function in schizophrenia during word encoding and recognition.

PubMed

Ragland, J Daniel; Gur, Ruben C; Valdez, Jeffrey N; Loughead, James; Elliott, Mark; Kohler, Christian; Kanes, Stephen; Siegel, Steven J; Moelter, Stephen T; Gur, Raquel E

2005-10-01

Patients with schizophrenia improve episodic memory accuracy when given organizational strategies through levels-of-processing paradigms. This study tested if improvement is accompanied by normalized frontotemporal function. Event-related blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure activation during shallow (perceptual) and deep (semantic) word encoding and recognition in 14 patients with schizophrenia and 14 healthy comparison subjects. Despite slower and less accurate overall word classification, the patients showed normal levels-of-processing effects, with faster and more accurate recognition of deeply processed words. These effects were accompanied by left ventrolateral prefrontal activation during encoding in both groups, although the thalamus, hippocampus, and lingual gyrus were overactivated in the patients. During word recognition, the patients showed overactivation in the left frontal pole and had a less robust right prefrontal response. Evidence of normal levels-of-processing effects and left prefrontal activation suggests that patients with schizophrenia can form and maintain semantic representations when they are provided with organizational cues and can improve their word encoding and retrieval. Areas of overactivation suggest residual inefficiencies. Nevertheless, the effect of teaching organizational strategies on episodic memory and brain function is a worthwhile topic for future interventional studies.

Post-ICU psychological morbidity in very long ICU stay patients with ARDS and delirium.

PubMed

Bashar, Farshid R; Vahedian-Azimi, Amir; Hajiesmaeili, Mohammadreza; Salesi, Mahmood; Farzanegan, Behrooz; Shojaei, Seyedpouzhia; Goharani, Reza; Madani, Seyed J; Moghaddam, Kivan G; Hatamian, Sevak; Moghaddam, Hosseinali J; Mosavinasab, Seyed M M; Elamin, Elamin M; Miller, Andrew C

2018-02-01

We investigated the impact of delirium on illness severity, psychological state, and memory in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients with very long ICU stay. Prospective cohort study in the medical-surgical ICUs of 2 teaching hospitals. Very long ICU stay (>75days) and prolonged delirium (≥40days) thresholds were determined by ROC analysis. Subjects were ≥18years, full-code, and provided informed consent. Illness severity was assessed using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV, Simplified Acute Physiology Score-3, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores. Psychological impact was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the 14-question Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS-14). Memory was assessed using the ICU Memory Tool survey. 181 subjects were included. Illness severity did not correlate with delirium duration. On logistic regression, only PTSS-14<49 correlated with delirium (p=0.001; 95% CI 1.011, 1.041). 49% remembered their ICU stay clearly. 47% had delusional memories, 50% reported intrusive memories, and 44% reported unexplained feelings of panic or apprehension. Delirium was associated with memory impairment and PTSS-14 scores suggestive of PTSD, but not illness severity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Material-specific difficulties in episodic memory tasks in mild traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Tsirka, Vassiliki; Simos, Panagiotis; Vakis, Antonios; Vourkas, Michael; Arzoglou, Vasileios; Syrmos, Nikolaos; Stavropoulos, Stavros; Micheloyannis, Sifis

2010-03-01

The study examines acute, material-specific secondary memory performance in 26 patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and 26 healthy controls, matched on demographic variables and indexes of crystallized intelligence. Neuropsychological tests were used to evaluate primary and secondary memory, executive functions, and verbal fluency. Participants were also tested on episodic memory tasks involving words, pseudowords, pictures of common objects, and abstract kaleidoscopic images. Patients showed reduced performance on episodic memory measures, and on tasks associated with visuospatial processing and executive function (Trail Making Test part B, semantic fluency). Significant differences between groups were also noted for correct rejections and response bias on the kaleidoscope task. MTBI patients' reduced performance on memory tasks for complex, abstract stimuli can be attributed to a dysfunction in the strategic component of memory process.

Protective Effects of Lithium on Sumatriptan-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice.

PubMed

Nikoui, Vahid; Javadi-Paydar, Mehrak; Salehi, Mahtab; Behestani, Selda; Dehpour, Ahmad-Reza

2016-04-01

Lithium is a drug used for the treatment of bipolar disorder. It has several mechanisms of action, and recently it is shown that lithium can antagonize the 5-HT1B/1D serotonin receptors. Sumatriptan is a 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist used for the treatment of cluster headaches and migraine which might cause memory impairment as a potential side effect. In this study, effects of lithium on sumatriptan-induced memory impairment have been determined in a two-trial recognition Y-maze and passive avoidance tests. Male mice weighing 25-30 g were divided into several groups randomly. In Y-maze test, effects of lithium (1,5,10,20,40,80 mg/kg) and sumatriptan (1,5,10 mg/kg) were assessed on memory acquisition, then lithium (0.1,1,10 mg/kg) and sumatriptan (1,10 mg/kg) were studied in passive avoidance test. Effects of lithium (1mg/kg) on sumatriptan (10 mg/kg)-induced memory impairment were studied in both of tests. The present study demonstrated that sumatriptan impaired memory in Y-maze and passive avoidance tests (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). Lithium did not show any significant effect on memory function compared to saline-treated control group in both tests (P>0.05), but significantly reversed sumatriptan-induced memory impairment in Y-maze and passive avoidance tests (P<0.001, P<0.05, respectively). It is concluded that lithium reverses the sumatriptan-induced memory impairment probably through 5-HT1B/1D receptors antagonism.

Functional MR imaging or Wada test: which is the better predictor of individual postoperative memory outcome?

PubMed

Dupont, Sophie; Duron, Emmanuelle; Samson, Séverine; Denos, Marisa; Volle, Emmanuelle; Delmaire, Christine; Navarro, Vincent; Chiras, Jacques; Lehéricy, Stéphane; Samson, Yves; Baulac, Michel

2010-04-01

To retrospectively determine whether blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can aid prediction of postoperative memory changes in epileptic patients after temporal lobe surgery. This study was approved by the local ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. Data were analyzed from 25 patients (12 women, 13 men; age range, 19-52 years) with refractory epilepsy in whom temporal lobe surgery was performed after they underwent preoperative functional MR imaging, the Wada test, and neuropsychological testing. The functional MR imaging protocol included three different memory tasks (24-hour delayed recognition, encoding, and immediate recognition). Individual activations were measured in medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions of both hemispheres. The prognostic accuracy of functional MR imaging for prediction of postoperative memory changes was compared with the accuracy of the Wada test and preoperative neuropsychological testing by using a backward multiple regression analysis. An equation that was based on left functional MR imaging MTL activation during delayed recognition, side of the epileptic focus, and preoperative global verbal memory score was used to correctly predict worsening of verbal memory in 90% of patients. The right functional MR imaging MTL activation did not substantially correlate with the nonverbal memory outcome, which was only predicted by using the preoperative nonverbal global score. Wada test data were not good predictors of changes in either verbal or nonverbal memory. Findings suggest that functional MR imaging activation during a delayed-recognition task is a better predictor of individual postoperative verbal memory outcome than is the Wada test. RSNA, 2010

[Autobiographical memory of depressed patients].

PubMed

Yao, Shuqiao; Liu, Xianhua; Zhao, Weifeng; Yang, Wenhui; Tan, Furong

2010-07-01

To explore the autobiographical memory characteristics in depressed patients and their influence factors. Autobiographical memory, emotion and cognitive executive function of 60 depressed patients and 60 healthy controls were assessed with autobiographical memory test (AMT), Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), Beck depression inventory (BDI), Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD), arrow-task stroop test (ATST), Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), Backward masking test (BMT) and continuous performance test (CPT). The specific memory of the depressed group was significantly less than that of the control group, and was negatively related with the negative emotion score, the time of anterograde and retrograde reading of ATST, and the time difference of ATST. The overgeneral memory increased and the latency to response of ATST was significantly longer than that of the control group. The two factors were positively related with the negative emotion score, the time of anterograde and retrograde reading of ATST, and the time difference of ATST. The autobiographical memory of the depressed patients is overgeneralized and retarded. These characteristics are related with negative emotion and impairment of cognitive executive function.

Roles of Variables in Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorva, Juha; Karavirta, Ville; Korhonen, Ari

2007-01-01

Expert programmers possess schemas, abstractions of concrete experiences, which help them solve programming problems and lessen the load on their working memory during problem solving. Possession of schemas is a key difference between novices and experts, which is why instructors need to help students construct them. One recent tool for…

Deepening Cosmic Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Gerard

2013-01-01

This article is a special blend of research, theory, and practice, with clear insight into the origins of Cosmic Education and cosmic task, while recalling memories of student explorations in botany, in particular, episodes from Mr. Leonard's teaching. Mr. Leonard speaks of a storytelling curriculum that eloquently puts perspective into dimensions…

The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning and Teaching, 2002-2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coreil, Clyde, Ed.

2003-01-01

This collection of papers includes: "Martians Invade the Classroom: A Workshop in Language Learning" (Carmine Tabone and Robert Albrecht); "Autonomous Learning through Cinema: One Learner's Memories" (Connie Haham); "Learning a Second Language Through Culture" (Barbara Le Blanc and Joseph Dicks); "Shakespeare for…

Teaching with Technology: Literature and Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Denise

1994-01-01

Reviews five computer programs and compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM) products designed to improve students' reading and problem-solving skills: (1) "Reading Realities" (Teacher Support Software); (2) "Kid Rhymes" (Creative Pursuits); (3) "First-Start Biographies" (Troll Associates); (4) "My Silly CD of ABCs" (Discis Classroom Editions); and…

Verbal Learning and Memory Functions in Adolescents with Reading Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oyler, James D.; Obrzut, John E.; Asbjornsen, Arve E.

2012-01-01

The authors of this current study compared the memory performance of adolescent students with specific reading disabilities (RD) with that of typical adolescent readers on a newly developed verbal learning test, the "Bergen-Tucson Verbal Learning Test" (BTVLT). This multiple trial test was designed to measure memory acquisition,…

Path Analysis Tests of Theoretical Models of Children's Memory Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMarie, Darlene; Miller, Patricia H.; Ferron, John; Cunningham, Walter R.

2004-01-01

Path analysis was used to test theoretical models of relations among variables known to predict differences in children's memory--strategies, capacity, and metamemory. Children in kindergarten to fourth grade (chronological ages 5 to 11) performed different memory tasks. Several strategies (i.e., sorting, clustering, rehearsal, and self-testing)…

Test Expectation Enhances Memory Consolidation across Both Sleep and Wake

PubMed Central

Wamsley, Erin J.; Hamilton, Kelly; Graveline, Yvette; Manceor, Stephanie; Parr, Elaine

2016-01-01

Memory consolidation benefits from post-training sleep. However, recent studies suggest that sleep does not uniformly benefit all memory, but instead prioritizes information that is important to the individual. Here, we examined the effect of test expectation on memory consolidation across sleep and wakefulness. Following reports that information with strong “future relevance” is preferentially consolidated during sleep, we hypothesized that test expectation would enhance memory consolidation across a period of sleep, but not across wakefulness. To the contrary, we found that expectation of a future test enhanced memory for both spatial and motor learning, but that this effect was equivalent across both wake and sleep retention intervals. These observations differ from those of least two prior studies, and fail to support the hypothesis that the “future relevance” of learned material moderates its consolidation selectively during sleep. PMID:27760193

Getting more from visual working memory: Retro-cues enhance retrieval and protect from visual interference.

PubMed

Souza, Alessandra S; Rerko, Laura; Oberauer, Klaus

2016-06-01

Visual working memory (VWM) has a limited capacity. This limitation can be mitigated by the use of focused attention: if attention is drawn to the relevant working memory content before test, performance improves (the so-called retro-cue benefit). This study tests 2 explanations of the retro-cue benefit: (a) Focused attention protects memory representations from interference by visual input at test, and (b) focusing attention enhances retrieval. Across 6 experiments using color recognition and color reproduction tasks, we varied the amount of color interference at test, and the delay between a retrieval cue (i.e., the retro-cue) and the memory test. Retro-cue benefits were larger when the memory test introduced interfering visual stimuli, showing that the retro-cue effect is in part because of protection from visual interference. However, when visual interference was held constant, retro-cue benefits were still obtained whenever the retro-cue enabled retrieval of an object from VWM but delayed response selection. Our results show that accessible information in VWM might be lost in the processes of testing memory because of visual interference and incomplete retrieval. This is not an inevitable state of affairs, though: Focused attention can be used to get the most out of VWM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Altered object exploration but not temporal order memory retrieval in an object recognition test following treatment of rats with the group II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist LY379268.

PubMed

Lins, Brittney R; Ballendine, Stephanie A; Howland, John G

2014-02-07

Temporal order memory refers to the ability to distinguish past experiences in the order that they occurred. Temporal order memory for objects is often tested in rodents using spontaneous object recognition paradigms. The circuitry mediating memory in these tests is distributed and involves ionotropic glutamate receptors in the perirhinal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex. It is unknown what role, if any, metabotropic glutamate receptors have in temporal order memory for objects. The present experiment examined the role of metabotropic glutamate receptors in temporal memory retrieval using the group II metabotropic glutamate receptor selective agonist LY379268. Rats were trained on a temporal memory test with three phases: two sample phases (60 min between them) in which rats explored two novel objects and a test phase (60 min after the second sample phase) which included a copy of each object previously encountered. Under these conditions, we confirmed that rats showed a significant exploratory preference for the object presented during the first sample phase. In a second experiment, we found that LY379268 (0.3, 1.0, or 3.0mg/kg; i.p.; 30 min before the test phase) had no effect on temporal memory retrieval but dose-dependently reduced time spent exploring the objects. Our results show that enhancing mGluR2 activity under conditions when TM is intact does not influence memory retrieval. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genistein improves spatial learning and memory in male rats with elevated glucose level during memory consolidation.

PubMed

Kohara, Yumi; Kawaguchi, Shinichiro; Kuwahara, Rika; Uchida, Yutaro; Oku, Yushi; Yamashita, Kimihiro

2015-03-01

Cognitive dysfunction due to higher blood glucose level has been reported previously. Genistein (GEN) is a phytoestrogen that we hypothesized might lead to improved memory, despite elevated blood glucose levels at the time of memory consolidation. To investigate this hypothesis, we compared the effects of orally administered GEN on the central nervous system in normal versus glucose-loaded adult male rats. A battery of behavioral assessments was carried out. In the MAZE test, which measured spatial learning and memory, the time of normal rats was shortened by GEN treatment compared to the vehicle group, but only in the early stages of testing. In the glucose-loaded group, GEN treatment improved performance as mazes were advanced. In the open-field test, GEN treatment delayed habituation to the new environment in normal rats, and increased the exploratory behaviors of glucose-loaded rats. There were no significant differences observed for emotionality or fear-motivated learning and memory. Together, these results indicate that GEN treatment improved spatial learning and memory only in the early stages of testing in the normal state, but improved spatial learning and memory when glucose levels increased during memory consolidation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Episodic and working memory function in Primary Progressive Aphasia: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Eikelboom, Willem S; Janssen, Nikki; Jiskoot, Lize C; van den Berg, Esther; Roelofs, Ardi; Kessels, Roy P C

2018-06-18

The distinction between Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) variants remains challenging for clinicians, especially for the non-fluent (nfv-PPA) and the logopenic variants (lv-PPA). Previous research suggests that memory tests might aid this differentiation. This meta-analysis compares memory function among PPA variants. Effects sizes were extracted from 41 studies (N = 849). Random-effects models were used to compare performance on episodic and working memory tests among PPA patients and healthy controls, and between the PPA variants. Memory deficits were frequently observed in PPA compared to controls, with large effect sizes for lv-PPA (Hedges' g = -2.04 [-2.58 to -1.49]), nfv-PPA (Hedges' g = -1.34 [-1.69 to -1.00]), and the semantic variant (sv-PPA; Hedges' g = -1.23 [-1.50 to -0.97]). Sv-PPA showed primarily verbal memory deficits, whereas lv-PPA showed worse performance than nfv-PPA on both verbal and non-verbal memory tests. Memory deficits were more pronounced in lv-PPA compared to nfv-PPA. This suggests that memory tests may be helpful to distinguish between these PPA variants. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Episodic Memory in Alzheimer Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, and Dementia With Lewy Bodies/Parkinson Disease Dementia: Disentangling Retrieval From Consolidation.

PubMed

Economou, Alexandra; Routsis, Christopher; Papageorgiou, Sokratis G

2016-01-01

Differences in episodic memory performance in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)/Parkinson disease with dementia (PDD) are inconsistent and task dependent. The inconsistencies may be attributed to the different tasks drawing on different memory processes. Few studies have examined episodic memory impairment in the above groups using memory tests that facilitate encoding, to distinguish memory deficits due to impairment of specific processes. We examined the memory performance of 106 AD patients, 51 FTD patients, 26 DLB/PDD patients, and 37 controls using the Five-Words Test, a 5-item memory test that facilitates encoding. The patient groups did not differ in modified Mini Mental State Examination scores. AD patients scored lowest on the Five-Words Test overall, and showed the greatest reduction from immediate total recall to delayed free recall relative to the other 2 groups, consistent with a predominantly consolidation deficit. DLB/PDD patients showed the largest improvement from delayed free to delayed total recall relative to the other 2 groups, consistent with a predominantly retrieval deficit. Deficits in both consolidation and retrieval underlie the memory impairment of the patients, to different extents, and contribute to the theoretical understanding of the nature of the memory impairment of the patient groups.

Intake of Wild Blueberry Powder Improves Episodic-Like and Working Memory during Normal Aging in Mice.

PubMed

Beracochea, Daniel; Krazem, Ali; Henkouss, Nadia; Haccard, Guillaume; Roller, Marc; Fromentin, Emilie

2016-08-01

The number of Americans older than 65 years old is projected to more than double in the next 40 years. Cognitive changes associated to aging can affect an adult's day-to-day functioning. Among these cognitive changes, reasoning, episodic memory, working memory, and processing speed decline gradually over time. Early memory changes include a decline in both working and episodic memory. The aim of the present study was to determine whether chronic (up to 75 days) daily administration of wild blueberry extract or a wild blueberry full spectrum powder would help prevent memory failure associated with aging in tasks involving various forms of memory. Both blueberry ingredients were used in a study comparing young mice (6 months old) to aged mice (18 months old). At this age, mice exhibit memory decline due to aging, which is exacerbated first by a loss in working and contextual (episodic-like) memory. Contextual memory (episodic-like memory) was evaluated using the contextual serial discrimination test. Working and spatial memory were evaluated using the Morris-Water maze test and the sequential alternation test. Statistical analysis was performed using an ANOVA with the Bonferroni post-hoc test. Supplementation with wild blueberry full spectrum powder and wild blueberry extract resulted in significant improvement of contextual memory, while untreated aged mice experienced a decline in such memory. Only the wild blueberry full spectrum powder significantly contributed to an improvement of spatial and working memory versus untreated aged mice. These improvements of cognitive performance may be related to brain oxidative status, acetylcholinesterase activity, neuroprotection, or attenuation of immunoreactivity. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Capturing real-life forgetting in transient epileptic amnesia via an incidental memory test.

PubMed

Hoefeijzers, Serge; Zeman, Adam; Della Sala, Sergio; Dewar, Michaela

2017-12-13

Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is an epileptic syndrome characterized by recurrent, brief episodes of amnesia. Patients with TEA often complain of interictal (between attacks) retention deficits, characterised by an 'evaporation' of memories for recent events over days to weeks. Clinical tests of anterograde memory often fail to corroborate these complaints as TEA patients commonly perform within the normal range after the standard 10-30-min delay period. Modified laboratory tests that include a 1-3 week delay period frequently reveal clear evidence of 'accelerated long-term forgetting' (ALF). However, they are not used routinely and lack ecological validity. In the present study we examined whether 'real-life' ALF can be captured via a controlled incidental memory test in TEA patients. To this end, the experimenter told 27 TEA patients and 32 controls a well-rehearsed amusing story, apparently as a way of making light conversation before starting a set of research experiments. Without prior warning, the experimenter subsequently probed the participants' memory of this story via tests of free recall and forced choice recognition after 30 min or 1 week. After 30 min retention was comparable in TEA patients and controls. After 1 week TEA patients retained significantly less story material than controls, and significant ALF was revealed in the TEA patients in the recognition test. Our data show that ALF in a 'real-life' situation can occur even when standard memory tests indicate normal memory function. Moreover, our data suggest that incidental memory tests can capture real-life ALF, and that forced-choice recognition tests might be more sensitive than free recall tests for the detection of real-life ALF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Not all performance validity tests are created equal: The role of recollection and familiarity in the Test of Memory Malingering and Word Memory Test.

PubMed

Eglit, Graham M L; Lynch, Julie K; McCaffrey, Robert J

2017-03-01

The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and the Word Memory Test (WMT) are both performance validity tests (PVTs) that use a two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) recognition memory format. Several studies have reported that these tests are susceptible to cognitive impairment and that the WMT is more susceptible than the TOMM. The current study explored components of recognition memory (i.e., conscious recollection and familiarity) underlying the TOMM and WMT to identify factors that make them susceptible and resilient to cognitive impairment. Fifty-four nonclinical undergraduate research participants were administered the TOMM and WMT while providing introspective judgments about their recognition memory using the remember/know/guess procedure. In addition, half of participants were administered dual-task interference, a manipulation intended to reduce recollection, during these tests, while the other half completed these tests without interference. Standard cutoffs on the TOMM and WMT were explored, as well as alternative cutoffs based on TOMM Trial 1 scores. The WMT was more impacted by dual-task interference than standard TOMM cutoff trials, while alternative TOMM cutoff trials were equally impacted by dual-task interference relative to the WMT. Dual-task interference reduced recollection on these tests, but spared familiarity. Standard TOMM trials and the WMT were relatively comparable on levels of recollection, but familiarity contributed more to the TOMM than to the WMT. Alternative TOMM trials possessed lower familiarity and recollection than standard TOMM trials and lower recollection than the WMT. Reduced recollection places examinees at risk of failing the TOMM and WMT, while familiarity contributes to the relative resilience of the standard TOMM. Future development of 2AFC recognition memory PVTs should attempt to maximize the contribution of familiarity to their completion.

Memory Hazard Functions: A Vehicle for Theory Development and Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chechile, Richard A.

2006-01-01

A framework is developed to rigorously test an entire class of memory retention functions by examining hazard properties. Evidence is provided that the memory hazard function is not monotonically decreasing. Yet most of the proposals for retention functions, which have emerged from the psychological literature, imply that memory hazard is…

Training Planning and Working Memory in Third Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldin, Andrea Paula; Segretin, Maria Soledad; Hermida, Maria Julia; Paz, Luciano; Lipina, Sebastian Javier; Sigman, Mariano

2013-01-01

Working memory and planning are fundamental cognitive skills supporting fluid reasoning. We show that 2 games that train working memory and planning skills in school-aged children promote transfer to 2 different tasks: an attentional test and a fluid reasoning test. We also show long-term improvement of planning and memory capacities in…

Focal autobiographical amnesia in association with transient epileptic amnesia.

PubMed

Manes, F; Hodges, J R; Graham, K S; Zeman, A

2001-03-01

Although problems with remembering significant events from the past (e.g. holidays, weddings, etc.) have been reported previously in patients with transient epileptic amnesia (TEA), to date there have been no detailed studies of autobiographical memory in patients with this disorder. To investigate this issue, a 68-year-old right-handed man (R.G.) who suffered from TEA and reported significant autobiographical memory problems was tested on a battery of neuropsychological tests of anterograde and remote memory. Tests of autobiographical memory revealed that R.G. was unable to evoke detailed autobiographical recollections from a substantial part of his life. By contrast, he performed well on tests of new learning and general knowledge and possessed good personal semantic information about his past. In summary, a distinct form of autobiographical amnesia, which is characterized by loss of experiential remembering of significant events, may be associated with TEA. It is proposed that the autobiographical memory deficit seen in the disorder may result from the progressive erasure of cortically based memory representations. This case adds to growing evidence for a dissociation between mechanisms subserving anterograde memory and those required to evoke remote episodic memories.

Integrated learning: ways of fostering the applicability of teachers’ pedagogical and psychological knowledge

PubMed Central

Harr, Nora; Eichler, Andreas; Renkl, Alexander

2015-01-01

In teacher education, general pedagogical and psychological knowledge (PPK) is often taught separately from the teaching subject itself, potentially leading to inert knowledge. In an experimental study with 69 mathematics student teachers, we tested the benefits of fostering the integration of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and general PPK with respect to knowledge application. Integration was fostered either by integrating the contents or by prompting the learners to integrate separately taught knowledge. Fostering integration, as compared to a separate presentation without integration help, led to more applicable PPK and greater simultaneous application of PPK and PCK. The advantages of fostering knowledge integration were not moderated by the student teachers’ prior knowledge or working memory capacity. A disadvantage of integrating different knowledge types referred to increased learning times. PMID:26082740

Behavioral and neuroanatomical investigation of Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)

PubMed Central

LePort, Aurora K.R.; Mattfeld, Aaron T.; Dickinson-Anson, Heather; Fallon, James H.; Stark, Craig E.L.; Kruggel, Frithjof; Cahill, Larry; McGaugh, James L.

2013-01-01

A single case study recently documented one woman’s ability to recall accurately vast amounts of autobiographical information, spanning most of her lifetime, without the use of practiced mnemonics (Parker, Cahill, & McGaugh, 2006). The current study reports findings based on eleven participants expressing this same memory ability, now referred to as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). Participants were identified and subsequently characterized based on screening for memory of public events. They were then tested for personal autobiographical memories as well as for memory assessed by laboratory memory tests. Additionally, whole-brain structural MRI scans were obtained. Results indicated that HSAM participants performed significantly better at recalling public as well as personal autobiographical events as well as the days and dates on which these events occurred. However, their performance was comparable to age- and sex-matched controls on most standard laboratory memory tests. Neuroanatomical results identified nine structures as being morphologically different from those of control participants. The study of HSAM may provide new insights into the neurobiology of autobiographical memory. PMID:22652113

Effects of desmopressin (DDAVP) on memory impairment following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

PubMed

Abdollahian, Ebrahim; Sargolzaee, Mohammad R; Hajzade, Moosareza; Mohebbi, Mohammad D; Javanbakht, Arash

2004-06-01

Memory impairment is a common adverse effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Studies on animals and humans suggest that vasopressin improves the cognitive function, and positive effects of desmopressin on memory and learning have been reported. This research was performed for evaluation of the effects of desmopressin in the prevention of memory impairment following ECT. This randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial with placebo administration was performed on 50 patients with psychiatric disorders who were candidates for ECT. Subjects in the case group received 60 µm of intranasal desmopressin daily (in three doses of 20 µm). For the control group 0.9% saline solution was administered in the same way. Memory function was evaluated using Wechsler's Memory Scale three times a week (the first time before the start of ECT and the second and third times after the third and sixth sessions, respectively). Results were analyzed by t-test and Paired t-test. The mean age of patients was 29 years (range 20-40). During the course of ECT, patients in the control group demonstrated a meaningful decrease in memory scores (from a base score of 80.15-75.45 in the second test and 72.60 in the third test). Despite this, a meaningful increase in memory scores was observed during the treatment with desmopressin in the case group (from a base score of 73.27-75.70 and 79.13 in the second and the third tests, respectively). There was a meaningful difference between the two groups (P < 0.0001). This study confirms the protective effect of desmopressin against memory impairment. The results confirm that memory impairment is a common side-effect of ECT and suggest that desmopressin may prevent ECT-induced memory impairment by its effects on memory and the learning process.

Auditory memory function in expert chess players

PubMed Central

Fattahi, Fariba; Geshani, Ahmad; Jafari, Zahra; Jalaie, Shohreh; Salman Mahini, Mona

2015-01-01

Background: Chess is a game that involves many aspects of high level cognition such as memory, attention, focus and problem solving. Long term practice of chess can improve cognition performances and behavioral skills. Auditory memory, as a kind of memory, can be influenced by strengthening processes following long term chess playing like other behavioral skills because of common processing pathways in the brain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the auditory memory function of expert chess players using the Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test. Methods: The Persian version of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test was performed for 30 expert chess players aged 20-35 years and 30 non chess players who were matched by different conditions; the participants in both groups were randomly selected. The performance of the two groups was compared by independent samples t-test using SPSS version 21. Results: The mean score of dichotic auditory-verbal memory test between the two groups, expert chess players and non-chess players, revealed a significant difference (p≤ 0.001). The difference between the ears scores for expert chess players (p= 0.023) and non-chess players (p= 0.013) was significant. Gender had no effect on the test results. Conclusion: Auditory memory function in expert chess players was significantly better compared to non-chess players. It seems that increased auditory memory function is related to strengthening cognitive performances due to playing chess for a long time. PMID:26793666

Early detection of memory impairment in people over 65 years old consulting at Health Examination Centers for the French health insurance: the EVATEM protocol

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Only half of those living with Alzheimer’s disease in France are currently diagnosed, and only one patient in three is supported during the early stages of dementia. This study aims to evaluate three cognitive tests for their predictive ability to diagnose mild cognitive impairments and Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. For people aged 65 years or over, presenting with a memory complaint, these tests can be performed easily during a preventative consultation. Method/design The EVATEM (évaluation des troubles de l’équilibre et de la mémoire (evaluation of balance and memory problems)) cohort study was designed to prospectively assess the predictive value of tests for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairments and Alzheimer’s disease in elderly subjects aged 65 years or over. Subjects were recruited from three health examination centers that are part of the French health insurance system. If a memory complaint was identified (using a dedicated questionnaire), the five-word test, the cognitive disorders examination test and the verbal fluency test were administered during a preventative consultation. A memory consultation was performed at a University Hospital to diagnosis any potential cognitive disorder and a one-year follow-up consultation was also scheduled. We recorded 2041 cases of memory complaint at our Health Examination Centers. Cognitive tests were refused by 33.6% of people who had a memory complaint. The number of subjects sent to a University Hospital memory consultation was 832 and 74.5% of them completed this consultation. The study population therefore includes 620 subjects. Discussion Tests for the early diagnosis of a mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders should be used in centers dedicated to disease prevention. These should guide subjects with memory impairment to full memory consultations at hospitals and improve the access to early medical and behavioral support. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT01316562 PMID:23742705

Lactobacillus helveticus-fermented milk improves learning and memory in mice.

PubMed

Ohsawa, Kazuhito; Uchida, Naoto; Ohki, Kohji; Nakamura, Yasunori; Yokogoshi, Hidehiko

2015-07-01

To investigate the effects of Calpis sour milk whey, a Lactobacillus helveticus-fermented milk product, on learning and memory. We evaluated improvement in scopolamine-induced memory impairment using the spontaneous alternation behaviour test, a measure of short-term memory. We also evaluated learning and working memory in mice using the novel object recognition test, which does not involve primary reinforcement (food or electric shocks). A total of 195 male ddY mice were used in the spontaneous alternation behaviour test and 60 in the novel object recognition test. Forced orally administered Calpis sour milk whey powder (200 and 2000 mg/kg) significantly improved scopolamine-induced cognitive impairments (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) and object recognition memory (2000 mg/kg; P < 0.05). These results suggest that Calpis sour milk whey may be useful for the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, and enhancing learning and memory in healthy human subjects; however, human clinical studies are necessary.

Emotional memory and perception in temporal lobectomy patients with amygdala damage.

PubMed

Brierley, B; Medford, N; Shaw, P; David, A S

2004-04-01

The human amygdala is implicated in the formation of emotional memories and the perception of emotional stimuli--particularly fear--across various modalities. To discern the extent to which these functions are related. 28 patients who had anterior temporal lobectomy (13 left and 15 right) for intractable epilepsy were recruited. Structural magnetic resonance imaging showed that three of them had atrophy of their remaining amygdala. All participants were given tests of affect perception from facial and vocal expressions and of emotional memory, using a standard narrative test and a novel test of word recognition. The results were standardised against matched healthy controls. Performance on all emotion tasks in patients with unilateral lobectomy ranged from unimpaired to moderately impaired. Perception of emotions in faces and voices was (with exceptions) significantly positively correlated, indicating multimodal emotional processing. However, there was no correlation between the subjects' performance on tests of emotional memory and perception. Several subjects showed strong emotional memory enhancement but poor fear perception. Patients with bilateral amygdala damage had greater impairment, particularly on the narrative test of emotional memory, one showing superior fear recognition but absent memory enhancement. Bilateral amygdala damage is particularly disruptive of emotional memory processes in comparison with unilateral temporal lobectomy. On a cognitive level, the pattern of results implies that perception of emotional expressions and emotional memory are supported by separate processing systems or streams.

Pigeons exhibit higher accuracy for chosen memory tests than for forced memory tests in duration matching-to-sample.

PubMed

Adams, Allison; Santi, Angelo

2011-03-01

Following training to match 2- and 8-sec durations of feederlight to red and green comparisons with a 0-sec baseline delay, pigeons were allowed to choose to take a memory test or to escape the memory test. The effects of sample omission, increases in retention interval, and variation in trial spacing on selection of the escape option and accuracy were studied. During initial testing, escaping the test did not increase as the task became more difficult, and there was no difference in accuracy between chosen and forced memory tests. However, with extended training, accuracy for chosen tests was significantly greater than for forced tests. In addition, two pigeons exhibited higher accuracy on chosen tests than on forced tests at the short retention interval and greater escape rates at the long retention interval. These results have not been obtained in previous studies with pigeons when the choice to take the test or to escape the test is given before test stimuli are presented. It appears that task-specific methodological factors may determine whether a particular species will exhibit the two behavioral effects that were initially proposed as potentially indicative of metacognition.

Semantic memory assessment in 15 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Hervieu-Bègue, M; Rouaud, O; Graule Petot, A; Catteau, A; Giroud, M

2016-01-01

A total of 30 to 50% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients suffer from cognitive disorders. The aim of the study is to characterize these disorders and to assess semantic memory in non-demented ALS patients. The secondary aim is to look for a link between disease type and neuropsychological characteristics. Patients were followed in an ALS center in Dijon. The following neuropsychological tests were used in this study: Folstein test, BREF test, verbal fluency, Isaac test, GRESEM test and TOP 30 test. Fifteen ALS patients were included. Nine of them (60%) were suffering from a semantic memory disorder. There was no correlation between ALS characteristics and the semantic memory disorder. This is the first study to reveal a semantic memory disorder in ALS. This result accentuates the hypothesis that ALS and semantic dementia are two phenotypes of the same degenerative process linked to TDP 43 proteinopathy. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Computerized working memory training has positive long-term effect in very low birthweight preschool children.

PubMed

Grunewaldt, Kristine Hermansen; Skranes, Jon; Brubakk, Ann-Mari; Lähaugen, Gro C C

2016-02-01

Working memory deficits are frequently found in children born preterm and have been linked to learning disabilities, and cognitive and behavioural problems. Our aim was to evaluate if a computerized working memory training program has long-term positive effects on memory, learning, and behaviour in very-low-birthweight (VLBW) children at age 5 to 6 years. This prospective, intervention study included 20 VLBW preschool children in the intervention group and 17 age-matched, non-training VLBW children in the comparison group. The intervention group trained with the Cogmed JM working memory training program daily for 5 weeks (25 training sessions). Extensive neuropsychological assessment and parental questionnaires were performed 4 weeks after intervention and at follow-up 7 months later. For most of the statistical analyses, general linear models were applied. At follow-up, higher scores and increased or equal performance gain were found in the intervention group than the comparison group on memory for faces (p=0.012), narrative memory (p=0.002), and spatial span (p=0.003). No group differences in performance gain were found for attention and behaviour. Computerized working memory training seems to have positive and persisting effects on working memory, and visual and verbal learning, at 7-month follow-up in VLBW preschool children. We speculate that such training is beneficial by improving the ability to learn from the teaching at school and for further cognitive development. © 2015 Mac Keith Press.

Long-Term Memory Performance in Adult ADHD.

PubMed

Skodzik, Timo; Holling, Heinz; Pedersen, Anya

2017-02-01

Memory problems are a frequently reported symptom in adult ADHD, and it is well-documented that adults with ADHD perform poorly on long-term memory tests. However, the cause of this effect is still controversial. The present meta-analysis examined underlying mechanisms that may lead to long-term memory impairments in adult ADHD. We performed separate meta-analyses of measures of memory acquisition and long-term memory using both verbal and visual memory tests. In addition, the influence of potential moderator variables was examined. Adults with ADHD performed significantly worse than controls on verbal but not on visual long-term memory and memory acquisition subtests. The long-term memory deficit was strongly statistically related to the memory acquisition deficit. In contrast, no retrieval problems were observable. Our results suggest that memory deficits in adult ADHD reflect a learning deficit induced at the stage of encoding. Implications for clinical and research settings are presented.

Physiological studies of the brain: Implications for science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esler, William K.

Physiological changes resulting from repeated, long-term stimulation have been observed in the brains of both humans and laboratory animals. It may be speculated that these changes are related to short-term and long-term memory processes. A physiologically based model for memory processing (PBMMP) can serve to explain the interrelations of various areas of the brain as they process new stimuli and recall past events. The model can also serve to explain many current principles of learning theory and serve as a foundation for developing new theories of learning based upon the physiology of the brain.

Unconscious memory bias in depression: perceptual and conceptual processes.

PubMed

Watkins, P C; Martin, C K; Stern, L D

2000-05-01

Mood-congruent memory (MCM) bias in depression was investigated using 4 different implicit memory tests. Two of the implicit tests were perceptually driven, and 2 were conceptually driven. Depressed participants and nondepressed controls were assigned to 1 of 4 implicit memory tests after studying positive and negative adjectives. Results showed no MCM bias in the perceptually driven tests. MCM was demonstrated in 1 of the conceptually driven tests, but only for adjectives that were conceptually encoded. Results support the theory that mood-congruent processes in depression are limited to conceptual processing. However, activation of conceptual processes may not be sufficient for demonstrating mood congruency.

The Flynn effect and memory function.

PubMed

Baxendale, Sallie

2010-08-01

The Flynn effect refers to the steady increase in IQ that appears to date back at least to the inception of modern-day IQ tests. This study examined the possible Flynn effects on clinical memory tests involving the learning and recall of verbal and nonverbal material. Comparisons of the age-related norms on the list learning and design learning tasks from the Adult Memory and Information Processing Battery (AMIPB), published in 1985, and its successor, the BIRT (Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust) Memory and Information Processing Battery (BMIPB) published in 2007, indicate that there is a significant Flynn effect on tests of memory function. This effect appears to be material specific with statistically significant improvements in all scores on tests involving the learning and recall of visual material in every age range evident over a 22-year period. Verbal memory abilities appear to be relatively stable with no significant differences between the scores in the majority of age ranges. The ramifications for the clinical interpretation of these tests are discussed.

Free recall test experience potentiates strategy-driven effects of value on memory.

PubMed

Cohen, Michael S; Rissman, Jesse; Hovhannisyan, Mariam; Castel, Alan D; Knowlton, Barbara J

2017-10-01

People tend to show better memory for information that is deemed valuable or important. By one mechanism, individuals selectively engage deeper, semantic encoding strategies for high value items (Cohen, Rissman, Suthana, Castel, & Knowlton, 2014). By another mechanism, information paired with value or reward is automatically strengthened in memory via dopaminergic projections from midbrain to hippocampus (Shohamy & Adcock, 2010). We hypothesized that the latter mechanism would primarily enhance recollection-based memory, while the former mechanism would strengthen both recollection and familiarity. We also hypothesized that providing interspersed tests during study is a key to encouraging selective engagement of strategies. To test these hypotheses, we presented participants with sets of words, and each word was associated with a high or low point value. In some experiments, free recall tests were given after each list. In all experiments, a recognition test was administered 5 minutes after the final word list. Process dissociation was accomplished via remember/know judgments at recognition, a recall test probing both item memory and memory for a contextual detail (word plurality), and a task dissociation combining a recognition test for plurality (intended to probe recollection) with a speeded item recognition test (to probe familiarity). When recall tests were administered after study lists, high value strengthened both recollection and familiarity. When memory was not tested after each study list, but rather only at the end, value increased recollection but not familiarity. These dual process dissociations suggest that interspersed recall tests guide learners' use of metacognitive control to selectively apply effective encoding strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Why Is Test-Restudy Practice Beneficial for Memory? An Evaluation of the Mediator Shift Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pyc, Mary A.; Rawson, Katherine A.

2012-01-01

Although the memorial benefits of testing are well established empirically, the mechanisms underlying this benefit are not well understood. The authors evaluated the mediator shift hypothesis, which states that test-restudy practice is beneficial for memory because retrieval failures during practice allow individuals to evaluate the effectiveness…

Autobiographical Memory for Stressful Events: The Role of Autobiographical Memory in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

PubMed Central

Rubin, David C.; Dennis, Michelle F.; Beckham, Jean C.

2011-01-01

To provide the three-way comparisons needed to test existing theories, we compared 1) most-stressful memories to other memories and 2) involuntary to voluntary memories 3) in 75 community dwelling adults with and 42 without a current diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Each rated their 3 most-stressful, 3 most-positive, 7 most-important and 15 word-cued autobiographical memories, and completed tests of personality and mood. Involuntary memories were then recorded and rated as they occurred for two weeks. Standard mechanisms of cognition and affect applied to extreme events accounted for the properties of stressful memories. Involuntary memories had greater emotional intensity than voluntary memories, but were not more frequently related to traumatic events. The emotional intensity, rehearsal, and centrality to the life story of both voluntary and involuntary memories, rather than incoherence of voluntary traumatic memories and enhanced availability of involuntary traumatic memories, were the properties of autobiographical memories associated with PTSD. PMID:21489820

The Relationships of Working Memory, Secondary Memory, and General Fluid Intelligence: Working Memory is Special

PubMed Central

Shelton, Jill Talley; Elliott, Emily M.; Matthews, Russell A.; Hill, B. D.; Gouvier, Wm. Drew

2010-01-01

Recent efforts have been made to elucidate the commonly observed link between working memory and reasoning ability. The results have been inconsistent, with some work suggesting the emphasis placed on retrieval from secondary memory by working memory tests is the driving force behind this association (Mogle, Lovett, Stawski, & Sliwinski, 2008), while other research suggests retrieval from secondary memory is only partly responsible for the observed link between working memory and reasoning (Unsworth & Engle, 2006, 2007b). The present study investigates the relationship between processing speed, working memory, secondary memory, primary memory, and fluid intelligence. Although our findings show all constructs are significantly correlated with fluid intelligence, working memory, but not secondary memory, accounts for significant unique variance in fluid intelligence. Our data support predictions made by Unsworth and Engle, and suggest that the combined need for maintenance and retrieval processes present in working memory tests makes them “special” in their prediction of higher-order cognition. PMID:20438278

Method matters: Systematic effects of testing procedure on visual working memory sensitivity

PubMed Central

Makovski, Tal; Watson, Leah M.; Koutstaal, Wilma; Jiang, Yuhong V.

2010-01-01

Visual working memory (WM) is traditionally considered a robust form of visual representation that survives changes in object motion, observer's position, and other visual transients. This study presents data that are inconsistent with the traditional view. We show that memory sensitivity is dramatically influenced by small variations in the testing procedure, supporting the idea that representations in visual WM are susceptible to interference from testing. In this study, participants were shown an array of colors to remember. After a short retention interval, memory for one of the items was tested with either a same-different task or a 2-alternative-forced-choice (2AFC) task. Memory sensitivity was much lower in the 2AFC task than in the same-different task. This difference was found regardless of encoding similarity or whether visual WM required a fine memory resolution or a coarse resolution. The 2AFC disadvantage was reduced when participants were informed shortly before testing which item would be probed. The 2AFC disadvantage diminished in perceptual tasks and was not found in tasks probing visual long-term memory. These results support memory models that acknowledge the labile nature of visual WM, and have implications for the format of visual WM and its assessment. PMID:20854011

Influence of anxiety on memory performance in temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Brown, Franklin C; Westerveld, Michael; Langfitt, John T; Hamberger, Marla; Hamid, Hamada; Shinnar, Shlomo; Sperling, Michael R; Devinsky, Orrin; Barr, William; Tracy, Joseph; Masur, David; Bazil, Carl W; Spencer, Susan S

2014-02-01

This study examined the degree to which anxiety contributed to inconsistent material-specific memory difficulties among 243 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy from the Multisite Epilepsy Study. Visual memory performance on the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) was poorer for those with high versus low levels of anxiety but was not found to be related to the TLE side. The verbal memory score on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was significantly lower for patients with left-sided TLE than for patients with right-sided TLE with low anxiety levels but equally impaired for those with high anxiety levels. These results suggest that we can place more confidence in the ability of verbal memory tests like the CVLT to lateralize to left-sided TLE for those with low anxiety levels, but that verbal memory will be less likely to produce lateralizing information for those with high anxiety levels. This suggests that more caution is needed when interpreting verbal memory tests for those with high anxiety levels. These results indicated that RCFT performance was significantly affected by anxiety and did not lateralize to either side, regardless of anxiety levels. This study adds to the existing literature which suggests that drawing-based visual memory tests do not lateralize among patients with TLE, regardless of anxiety levels. © 2013.

Memory outcome 2 years after anterior temporal lobectomy in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

PubMed

Grammaldo, Liliana G; Di Gennaro, Giancarlo; Giampà, Teresa; De Risi, Marco; Meldolesi, Giulio N; Mascia, Addolorata; Sparano, Antonio; Esposito, Vincenzo; Quarato, Pier Paolo; Picardi, Angelo

2009-03-01

Memory decline is often observed after anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL), particularly in patients with dominant hemisphere resections. However, the follow-up length has been 1 year or less in most studies. Our aims were to examine postoperative memory changes over a longer period and to identify baseline demographic and clinical predictors of memory outcome. We administered material-specific memory tests at baseline, and 1 and 2 years after surgery to 82 consecutive right-handed patients (52% males) who underwent ATL for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) (35 left, 47 right) after a non-invasive presurgical protocol. Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) was used to examine the relationship between changes in memory tests scores over time and side of TLE and pathology. Also, standardized residual change scores were calculated for each memory test and entered in multiple linear regression models aimed at identifying baseline predictors of better memory outcome. RM-MANOVA revealed a significant change in memory test scores over time, with an interaction between time and side of surgery, as 2 years after surgery patients with RTLE were improved while patients with LTLE were not worse as compared with baseline. Pathology was not associated with changes in memory scores. In multiple regression analysis, significant associations were found between right TLE and greater improvement in verbal memory, younger age and greater improvement in visuospatial memory, and male gender and greater improvement in both verbal and visuospatial memory. Our results suggest that the long-term memory outcome of TLE patients undergoing ATL without invasive presurgical assessment may be good in most cases not only for right-sided but also for left-sided resections.

The short- and long-term consequences of directed forgetting in a working memory task.

PubMed

Festini, Sara B; Reuter-Lorenz, Patricia A

2013-01-01

Directed forgetting requires the voluntary control of memory. Whereas many studies have examined directed forgetting in long-term memory (LTM), the mechanisms and effects of directed forgetting within working memory (WM) are less well understood. The current study tests how directed forgetting instructions delivered in a WM task influence veridical memory, as well as false memory, over the short and long term. In a modified item recognition task Experiment 1 tested WM only and demonstrated that directed forgetting reduces false recognition errors and semantic interference. Experiment 2 replicated these WM effects and used a surprise LTM recognition test to assess the long-term effects of directed forgetting in WM. Long-term veridical memory for to-be-remembered lists was better than memory for to-be-forgotten lists-the directed forgetting effect. Moreover, fewer false memories emerged for to-be-forgotten information than for to-be-remembered information in LTM as well. These results indicate that directed forgetting during WM reduces semantic processing of to-be-forgotten lists over the short and long term. Implications for theories of false memory and the mechanisms of directed forgetting within working memory are discussed.

What Brain Research Suggests for Teaching Reading Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Judy

2009-01-01

How the brain learns to read has been the subject of much neuroscience educational research. Evidence is mounting for identifiable networks of connected neurons that are particularly active during reading processes such as response to visual and auditory stimuli, relating new information to prior knowledge, long-term memory storage, comprehension,…

Talk From the VI Teachers' Lounge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurst, Judith

Gathered from teachers around the country, this collection of teaching ideas and lesson plans is designed to provide teachers with activities and strategies for educating students with visual impairments. Tips and information are provided on: making tactile teddy bears; memory strategies; making tactile books; creating art kits; using magnifiers;…

Working Memory and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crossland, John

2010-01-01

Feedback from teachers during in-service courses shows that they are fascinated by neuroscience, as they feel that it has the potential to improve their teaching practice. A previous article of mine in "School Science Review" reported the first eight messages of the outcomes from a small-scale action research project with primary and secondary…

Enhancing Student Learning with Brain-Based Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonnema, Ted R.

2009-01-01

This paper discusses brain-based learning and its relation to classroom instruction. A rapidly growing quantity of research currently exists regarding how the brain perceives, processes, and ultimately learns new information. In order to maximize their teaching efficacy, educators should have a basic understanding of key memory functions in the…

3 CFR 8987 - Proclamation 8987 of May 24, 2013. Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... teaches us that “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” On... Americans, often far too young, guided by deep and abiding love for their families, for each other, and for...

Negotiating Mandates and Memory: Inside a Small Schools Network for Immigrant Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaffe-Walter, Reva

2008-01-01

Context: Networks are seen as important vehicles for educators' professional development because they provide opportunities for educators to develop their teaching and leadership capacities and establish forums for educator resistance. Networks that also function as intermediary organizations provide spaces in which educators and network leaders…

An Informal Paper: Teaching the Profoundly Handicapped Child.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverrain, Ann

The paper outlines the operative principles for understanding learning and discusses how these principles can help in planning a functional program for a severely or profoundly brain-damaged child. Discussed are: (1) the role of memory in learning; (2) simple associative learning (Pavlovian Conditioning and Operant Conditioning); (3) Piaget's…

The Fertility of Some Types of Vocabulary Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Isabel L.; And Others

Designed to improve reading comprehension and other complex verbal functions, fertile instruction in word skill focuses on improving accuracy of word knowledge, increasing fluency of access to meanings in memory, and enriching semantic network connections among related concepts. It is particularly appropriate for teaching the high frequency words…

To Teach, To Love.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Jesse

In this book, the Kentucky novelist, poet, and teacher Jesse Stuart describes his experiences as student and teacher. Chapter 1 recounts the influence of his father, who instilled the principle of learning through play and the value of imagination and memory, and catalogs young Jesse's teachers at Plum Grove School. Chapter 2 describes his high…

Imagining a World beyond Genocide: Teaching about Transitional Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scarlett, Michael H.

2009-01-01

The study of the ways in which societies emerging from violent conflict and repressive regimes achieve peace and reconciliation through forms of transitional justice, such as truth commissions, tribunals, systems of reparations, and memorialization of the past, offers an opportunity for secondary social studies teachers to address issues of human…

Putting Nature to the Rack: Narrative Studies as Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, David

Narrative study of teachers and teaching is seen as sited at the intersection of many current intellectual and professional concerns. These include not only classroom practice and professional careers, but also the Self, Experience, Memory, Identity, Autobiography, Life History, Agency, and Structure. Narrative as genre presents post-modernist…

Interactive Groups: Examining and Interrogating Issues of Heterogeneity and Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frost, Gail; Connolly, Maureen

2009-01-01

Teachers and learners alike bring past experiences into present teaching and learning contexts. Group work is an experience that carries equal measures of joyful anticipation and mournful trepidation. Learners typically experience group work as an uneven distribution of time, competence, and accountability, and seem to have lingering memories of…

Remembering to Teach: Writing Instruction in Disciplinary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirell, Leah R.

2013-01-01

The following dissertation explores how higher education faculty members' memories of learning content and learning to write influence their pedagogical practices and examines how disciplinary and departmental contexts intersect with those pedagogical practices. The research was designed as a nested case study that draws on interview data,…

Did We Have Science before 1988?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peacock, Alan; Dunne, Mick

2014-01-01

In this "Primary Science" interview, science educators Alan Peacock and Mick Dunne reflect on their own experiences of what science was like in England before a National Curriculum was introduced. Among the topics covered are: earliest memories of science in school, teaching science before 1988 (pre-science curriculum for primary…

Brevard Community Colege: Instructional Innovation for the Space Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Maxwell; Breuder, Robert L.

1977-01-01

A description of the Astronaut Memorial Hall and Planetarium at Brevard Community College. Its space museum contains space hardware from Mercury, Gemini, Apollo. A teaching observatory includes radio-telescope laboratory, 40 seat classroom, heliostat room. The planetarium features a computerized starfield projector, wrap-around dome, and ramped…

Interrelationships between Working Memory, Processing Speed, and Language Development in the Age Range 2-4 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newbury, Jayne; Klee, Thomas; Stokes, Stephanie F.; Moran, Catherine

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study explored associations between working memory and language in children aged 2-4 years. Method: Seventy-seven children aged 24-30 months were assessed on tests measuring language, visual cognition, verbal working memory (VWM), phonological short-term memory (PSTM), and processing speed. A standardized test of receptive and…

Age differences in implicit memory: conceptual, perceptual, or methodological?

PubMed

Mitchell, David B; Bruss, Peter J

2003-12-01

The authors examined age differences in conceptual and perceptual implicit memory via word-fragment completion, word-stem completion, category exemplar generation, picture-fragment identification, and picture naming. Young, middle-aged, and older participants (N = 60) named pictures and words at study. Limited test exposure minimized explicit memory contamination, yielding no reliable age differences and equivalent cross-format effects. In contrast, explicit memory and neuropsychological measures produced significant age differences. In a follow-up experiment, 24 young adults were informed a priori about implicit testing. Their priming was equivalent to the main experiment, showing that test trial time restrictions limit explicit memory strategies. The authors concluded that most implicit memory processes remain stable across adulthood and suggest that explicit contamination be rigorously monitored in aging studies.

Personal memory function in mild cognitive impairment and subjective memory complaints: results from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle (AIBL) Study of Ageing.

PubMed

Buckley, Rachel F; Saling, Michael M; Irish, Muireann; Ames, David; Rowe, Christopher C; Lautenschlager, Nicola T; Maruff, Paul; Macaulay, S Lance; Martins, Ralph N; Masters, Colin L; Rainey-Smith, Stephanie R; Rembach, Alan; Savage, Greg; Szoeke, Cassandra; Ellis, Kathryn A

2014-01-01

Autobiographical memory (ABM) refers to the recollection of individual experiences, while personal semantic memory (PSM) refers to personally relevant, but shared, facts. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is routinely diagnosed with the aid of neuropsychological tests, which do not tap the ABM and PSM domains. We aimed to characterize the nature of ABM and PSM retrieval in cognitively healthy (HC) memory complainers, non-memory complainers, and MCI participants, and to investigate the relationship between neuropsychological tests and personal memory. Gender- and education-matched participants (HC = 80 and MCI = 43) completed the Episodic ABM Interview (EAMI) and a battery of neuropsychological tests. ABM and PSM did not differ between complainers and non-complainers, but were poorer in MCI participants, after accounting for age and depressive symptomatology. There were significant associations between personal memory and objective memory measures were found in MCI participants, but standard cognitive measures were more sensitive to MCI. Personal memory was compromised in MCI, reflected by lower scores on the EAMI. Memory complaining, assessed by current approaches, did not have an impact on personal memory. Standard subjective questionnaires might not reflect the sorts of concerns that bring individuals to clinical attention. Understanding personal memory function in the elderly may aid in the development of a more sensitive measure of subjective memory concerns.

Perspectives on Episodic-Like and Episodic Memory

PubMed Central

Pause, Bettina M.; Zlomuzica, Armin; Kinugawa, Kiyoka; Mariani, Jean; Pietrowsky, Reinhard; Dere, Ekrem

2013-01-01

Episodic memory refers to the conscious recollection of a personal experience that contains information on what has happened and also where and when it happened. Recollection from episodic memory also implies a kind of first-person subjectivity that has been termed autonoetic consciousness. Episodic memory is extremely sensitive to cerebral aging and neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer’s disease deficits in episodic memory function are among the first cognitive symptoms observed. Furthermore, impaired episodic memory function is also observed in a variety of other neuropsychiatric diseases including dissociative disorders, schizophrenia, and Parkinson disease. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to induce and measure episodic memories in the laboratory and it is even more difficult to measure it in clinical populations. Presently, the tests used to assess episodic memory function do not comply with even down-sized definitions of episodic-like memory as a memory for what happened, where, and when. They also require sophisticated verbal competences and are difficult to apply to patient populations. In this review, we will summarize the progress made in defining behavioral criteria of episodic-like memory in animals (and humans) as well as the perspectives in developing novel tests of human episodic memory which can also account for phenomenological aspects of episodic memory such as autonoetic awareness. We will also define basic behavioral, procedural, and phenomenological criteria which might be helpful for the development of a valid and reliable clinical test of human episodic memory. PMID:23616754

Anisomycin Infused into the Hippocampus Fails to Block "Reconsolidation" but Impairs Extinction: The Role of Re-Exposure Duration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGaugh, James L.; Steward, Oswald; Power, Ann E.; Berlau, Daniel J.

2006-01-01

Recent studies have reported new evidence consistent with the hypothesis that reactivating a memory by re-exposure to a training context destabilizes the memory and induces "reconsolidation." In the present experiments, rats' memory for inhibitory avoidance (IA) training was tested 6 h (Test 1), 2 d (Test 2), and 6 d (Test 3) after training. On…

Route Learning Impairment in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

PubMed Central

Bell, Brian D.

2012-01-01

Memory impairment on neuropsychological tests is relatively common in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients. But memory rarely has been evaluated in more naturalistic settings. This study assessed TLE (n = 19) and control (n = 32) groups on a real-world route learning (RL) test. Compared to the controls, the TLE group committed significantly more total errors across the three RL test trials. RL errors correlated significantly with standardized auditory and visual memory and visual-perceptual test scores in the TLE group. In the TLE subset for whom hippocampal data were available (n = 14), RL errors also correlated significantly with left hippocampal volume. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate real-world memory impairment in TLE patients and its association with both mesial temporal lobe integrity and standardized memory test performance. The results support the ecological validity of clinical neuropsychological assessment. PMID:23041173

Plated wire memory subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, K. H.

1974-01-01

The design, construction, and test history of a 4096 word by 18 bit random access NDRO Plated Wire Memory for use in conjunction with a spacecraft input/output and central processing unit is reported. A technical and functional description is given along with diagrams illustrating layout and systems operation. Test data is shown on the procedures and results of system level and memory stack testing, and hybrid circuit screening. A comparison of the most significant physical and performance characteristics of the memory unit versus the specified requirements is also included.

Radiation Test Challenges for Scaled Commerical Memories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaBel, Kenneth A.; Ladbury, Ray L.; Cohn, Lewis M.; Oldham, Timothy

2007-01-01

As sub-100nm CMOS technologies gather interest, the radiation effects performance of these technologies provide a significant challenge. In this talk, we shall discuss the radiation testing challenges as related to commercial memory devices. The focus will be on complex test and failure modes emerging in state-of-the-art Flash non-volatile memories (NVMs) and synchronous dynamic random access memories (SDRAMs), which are volatile. Due to their very high bit density, these device types are highly desirable for use in the natural space environment. In this presentation, we shall discuss these devices with emphasis on considerations for test and qualification methods required.

Remote memory in a patient with amnesia due to hypoxia.

PubMed

Beatty, W W; Salmon, D P; Bernstein, N; Butters, N

1987-08-01

It has been suggested that amnesic patients suffer a selective loss of episodic memory while semantic memory remains well preserved. To assess the validity of this idea we studied remote memory in an amnesic patient, (M.R.L.), using several different measures that differ in the extent to which they engage episodic or semantic memory. On two different versions of the Albert et al. (1979) remote memory battery M.R.L. displayed severe retrograde amnesia (RA) extending backwards in time for about 15 years with excellent preservation of older memories. With standard recall instructions his overall performance on the Crovitz test of autobiographical memory was impaired and all of M.R.L.'s specific, temporally dated memories were given from the first half of his life. When asked to reconstruct his past residential history in detail, M.R.L. provide specific and generally accurate information for residences occupied from his boyhood until 1970, but thereafter his memory became quite unreliable. On a test of knowledge of terms commonly employed in the surveying profession, in which he worked for the past 20 years, M.R.L.'s performance was also impaired. The consistent pattern of RA displayed by this patient on all of the tests of remote memory indicates that both episodic and semantic memory are impaired in amnesia.

Test Expectancy and Memory for Important Information

PubMed Central

Middlebrooks, Catherine D.; Murayama, Kou; Castel, Alan D.

2016-01-01

Prior research suggests that learners study and remember information differently depending upon the type of test they expect to later receive. The current experiments investigate how testing expectations impact the study of and memory for valuable information. Participants studied lists of words ranging in value from 1–10 points with the goal being to maximize their score on a later memory test. Half of the participants were told to expect a recognition test after each list, while the other half were told to expect a recall test. After several lists of receiving tests congruent with expectations, participants studying for a recognition test instead received an unexpected recall test. In Experiment 1, participants who had studied for a recognition test recalled less of the valuable information than participants anticipating the recall format. These participants continued to attend less to item value on future (expected) recall tests than participants who had only ever experienced recall testing. When the recognition tests were made more demanding in Experiment 2, value-based recall improved relative to Experiment 1: though memory for the valuable information remained superior when participants studied with the expectation of having to recall the information, there were no longer significant differences after accounting for recall testing experience. Thus, recall-based testing encouraged strategic, value-based encoding and enhanced retrieval of important information, while recognition testing in some cases limited value-based study and memory. These results extend prior work concerning the impact of testing expectations on memory, offering further insight into how people study important information. PMID:28095010

Circadian Modulation of Consolidated Memory Retrieval Following Sleep Deprivation in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Glou, Eric Le; Seugnet, Laurent; Shaw, Paul J.; Preat, Thomas; Goguel, Valérie

2012-01-01

Objectives: Several lines of evidence indicate that sleep plays a critical role in learning and memory. The aim of this study was to evaluate anesthesia resistant memory following sleep deprivation in Drosophila. Design: Four to 16 h after aversive olfactory training, flies were sleep deprived for 4 h. Memory was assessed 24 h after training. Training, sleep deprivation, and memory tests were performed at different times during the day to evaluate the importance of the time of day for memory formation. The role of circadian rhythms was further evaluated using circadian clock mutants. Results Memory was disrupted when flies were exposed to 4 h of sleep deprivation during the consolidation phase. Interestingly, normal memory was observed following sleep deprivation when the memory test was performed during the 2 h preceding lights-off, a period characterized by maximum wake in flies. We also show that anesthesia resistant memory was less sensitive to sleep deprivation in flies with disrupted circadian rhythms. Conclusions Our results indicate that anesthesia resistant memory, a consolidated memory less costly than long-term memory, is sensitive to sleep deprivation. In addition, we provide evidence that circadian factors influence memory vulnerability to sleep deprivation and memory retrieval. Taken together, the data show that memories weakened by sleep deprivation can be retrieved if the animals are tested at the optimal circadian time. Citation: Le Glou E; Seugnet L; Shaw PJ; Preat T; Goguel V. Circadian modulation of consolidated memory retrieval following sleep deprivation in Drosophila. SLEEP 2012;35(10):1377-1384. PMID:23024436

Spatial recognition test: A novel cognition task for assessing topographical memory in mice.

PubMed

Havolli, Enes; Hill, Mark Dw; Godley, Annie; Goetghebeur, Pascal Jd

2017-06-01

Dysfunction in topographical memory is a core feature of several neurological disorders. There is a large unmet medical need to address learning and memory deficits as a whole in central nervous system disease. There are considerable efforts to identify pro-cognitive compounds but current methods are either lengthy or labour intensive. Our test used a two chamber apparatus and is based on the preference of rodents to explore novel environments. It was used firstly to assess topographical memory in mice at different retention intervals (RI) and secondly to investigate the effect of three drugs reported to be beneficial for cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease, namely: donepezil, memantine and levetiracetam. Animals show good memory performance at all RIs tested under four hours. At the four-hour RI, animals show a significantly poorer memory performance which can be rescued using donepezil, memantine and levetiracetam. Using this test we established and validated a spatial recognition paradigm to address topographical memory in mice by showing a decremental time-induced forgetting response and reversing this decrease in performance using pharmacological tools. The spatial recognition test differs from more commonly used visuospatial laboratory tests in both throughput capability and potentially neuroanatomical substrate. This test has the potential to be used to assess cognitive performance in transgenic animals, disease models and to screen putative cognitive enhancers or depressors.

Delayed-matching-to-place Task in a Dry Maze to Measure Spatial Working Memory in Mice.

PubMed

Feng, Xi; Krukowski, Karen; Jopson, Timothy; Rosi, Susanna

2017-07-05

The delayed-matching-to-place (DMP) dry maze test is a variant of DMP water maze (Steele and Morris, 1999; Faizi et al. , 2012) which measures spatial working/episodic-like learning and memory that depends on both hippocampal and cortical functions (Wang and Morris, 2010; Euston et al. , 2012). Using this test we can detect normal aging related spatial working memory decline, as well as trauma induced working memory deficits. Furthermore, we recently reported that fractionated whole brain irradiation does not affect working memory in mice (Feng et al. , 2016). Here we describe the experimental setup and procedures of this behavioral test.

The Asymmetrical Effects of Divided Attention on Encoding and Retrieval Processes: A Different View Based on an Interference with the Episodic Register

PubMed Central

Guez, Jonathan; Naveh-Benjamin, Moshe

2013-01-01

In this study, we evaluate the conceptualization of encoding and retrieval processes established in previous studies that used a divided attention (DA) paradigm. These studies indicated that there were considerable detrimental effects of DA at encoding on later memory performance, but only minimal effects, if any, on divided attention at retrieval. We suggest that this asymmetry in the effects of DA on memory can be due, at least partially, to a confound between the memory phase (encoding and retrieval) and the memory requirements of the task (memory “for” encoded information versus memory “at” test). To control for this confound, we tested memory for encoded information and for retrieved information by introducing a second test that assessed memory for the retrieved information from the first test. We report the results of four experiments that use measures of memory performance, retrieval latency, and performance on the concurrent task, all of which consistently show that DA at retrieval strongly disrupts later memory for the retrieved episode, similarly to the effects of DA at encoding. We suggest that these symmetrical disruptive effects of DA at encoding and retrieval on later retrieval reflect a disruption of an episodic buffer (EB) or episodic register component (ER), rather than a failure of encoding or retrieval operations per se. PMID:24040249

The asymmetrical effects of divided attention on encoding and retrieval processes: a different view based on an interference with the episodic register.

PubMed

Guez, Jonathan; Naveh-Benjamin, Moshe

2013-01-01

In this study, we evaluate the conceptualization of encoding and retrieval processes established in previous studies that used a divided attention (DA) paradigm. These studies indicated that there were considerable detrimental effects of DA at encoding on later memory performance, but only minimal effects, if any, on divided attention at retrieval. We suggest that this asymmetry in the effects of DA on memory can be due, at least partially, to a confound between the memory phase (encoding and retrieval) and the memory requirements of the task (memory "for" encoded information versus memory "at" test). To control for this confound, we tested memory for encoded information and for retrieved information by introducing a second test that assessed memory for the retrieved information from the first test. We report the results of four experiments that use measures of memory performance, retrieval latency, and performance on the concurrent task, all of which consistently show that DA at retrieval strongly disrupts later memory for the retrieved episode, similarly to the effects of DA at encoding. We suggest that these symmetrical disruptive effects of DA at encoding and retrieval on later retrieval reflect a disruption of an episodic buffer (EB) or episodic register component (ER), rather than a failure of encoding or retrieval operations per se.

Deficits in episodic memory and mental time travel in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Zlomuzica, Armin; Woud, Marcella L; Machulska, Alla; Kleimt, Katharina; Dietrich, Lisa; Wolf, Oliver T; Assion, Hans-Joerg; Huston, Joseph P; De Souza Silva, Maria A; Dere, Ekrem; Margraf, Jürgen

2018-04-20

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by impairments in mnestic functions, especially in the domain of episodic memory. These alterations might affect different aspects of episodic memory functioning. Here we tested PTSD patients and healthy controls (matched for age, sex and education) in a newly developed virtual reality episodic memory test (VR-EMT), a test for mental time travel, episodic future thinking, and prospective memory (M3xT). In a cross-validation experiment, their performance was further evaluated in the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT). PTSD patients demonstrated impairments in episodic memory formation and mental time travel and showed difficulties in utilizing information from episodic memory to solve problems. Diminished attention and concentration in PTSD did not account for performance deficits in these tasks but higher levels of negative arousal were found in PTSD patients. Furthermore, performance in the VR-EMT and RBMT in PTSD patients correlated negatively with self-reported measures of stress and depression. Our results suggest that deficits in episodic memory formation and mental time travel in PTSD lead to difficulties in utilizing the content of episodic memories for solving problems in the present or to plan future behavior. Clinical implications of these findings and suggestions for cognitive-behavioral treatment of PTSD are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of prolonged administration of norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors on long-term potentiation in dentate gyrus, and on tests of spatial and object recognition memory in rats.

PubMed

Walling, Susan G; Milway, J Stephen; Ingram, Matthew; Lau, Catherine; Morrison, Gillian; Martin, Gerard M

2016-02-01

Phasic norepinephrine (NE) release events are involved in arousal, novelty detection and in plasticity processes underlying learning and memory in mammalian systems. Although the effects of phasic NE release events on plasticity and memory are prevalently documented, it is less understood what effects chronic NE reuptake inhibition and sustained increases in noradrenergic tone, might have on plasticity and cognitive processes in rodent models of learning and memory. This study investigates the effects of chronic NE reuptake inhibition on hippocampal plasticity and memory in rats. Rats were administered NE reuptake inhibitors (NRIs) desipramine (DMI; 0, 3, or 7.5mg/kg/day) or nortriptyline (NTP; 0, 10 or 20mg/kg/day) in drinking water. Long-term potentiation (LTP; 200 Hz) of the perforant path-dentate gyrus evoked potential was examined in urethane anesthetized rats after 30-32 days of DMI treatment. Short- (4-h) and long-term (24-h) spatial memory was tested in separate rats administered 0 or 7.5mg/kg/day DMI (25-30 days) using a two-trial spatial memory test. Additionally, the effects of chronically administered DMI and NTP were tested in rats using a two-trial, Object Recognition Test (ORT) at 2- and 24-h after 45 and 60 days of drug administration. Rats administered 3 or 7.5mg/kg/day DMI had attenuated LTP of the EPSP slope but not the population spike at the perforant path-dentate gyrus synapse. Short- and long-term memory for objects is differentially disrupted in rats after prolonged administration of DMI and NTP. Rats that were administered 7.5mg/kg/day DMI showed decreased memory for a two-trial spatial task when tested at 4-h. In the novel ORT, rats receiving 0 or 7.5mg/kg/day DMI showed a preference for the arm containing a Novel object when tested at both 2- and 24-h demonstrating both short- and long-term memory retention of the Familiar object. Rats that received either dose of NTP or 3mg/kg/day DMI showed impaired memory at 2-h, however this impairment was largely reversed at 24-h. Animals in the high-dose NTP (20mg/kg/day) group were impaired at both short- and long-term intervals. Activity levels, used as an index of location memory during the ORT, demonstrated that rats receiving DMI were again impaired at retaining memory for location. DMI dose-dependently disrupts LTP in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized rats and also disrupts memory for tests of spatial memory when administered for long periods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of diazepam and oxprenolol on short term memory in individuals of high and low state anxiety.

PubMed Central

Desai, N; Taylor-Davies, A; Barnett, D B

1983-01-01

1 The effect of oral doses of diazepam (5 mg) and oxprenolol (80 mg) on short term memory of normal individuals stratified for 'state' anxiety levels has been investigated. 2 Normal student volunteers were stratified into high and low anxiety groups on the basis of responses to the Spielberger 'A-state' scale. Subjects were then randomly administered active drug or placebo and given a form of running memory test performed under a variety of conditions in which variable rate of item presentation and articulatory suppression were used. 3 Diazepam significantly reduced the errors of recall in the running memory test in the high anxiety group and produced a distinct separation of response from the low anxiety group under the test conditions of slow item presentation with articulatory suppression. Oxprenolol had no effect on the short term memory test in either high or low anxiety groups in any experimental test situation. 4 These results are compared to previous work in which generally a deleterious effect of diazepam on short term memory in normal volunteers has been reported. The implications of these findings are further discussed in relationship to possible models of memory function. PMID:6849754

Examination of long-term visual memorization capacity in the Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana).

PubMed

Qadri, Muhammad A J; Leonard, Kevin; Cook, Robert G; Kelly, Debbie M

2018-02-15

Clark's nutcrackers exhibit remarkable cache recovery behavior, remembering thousands of seed locations over the winter. No direct laboratory test of their visual memory capacity, however, has yet been performed. Here, two nutcrackers were tested in an operant procedure used to measure different species' visual memory capacities. The nutcrackers were incrementally tested with an ever-expanding pool of pictorial stimuli in a two-alternative discrimination task. Each picture was randomly assigned to either a right or a left choice response, forcing the nutcrackers to memorize each picture-response association. The nutcrackers' visual memorization capacity was estimated at a little over 500 pictures, and the testing suggested effects of primacy, recency, and memory decay over time. The size of this long-term visual memory was less than the approximately 800-picture capacity established for pigeons. These results support the hypothesis that nutcrackers' spatial memory is a specialized adaptation tied to their natural history of food-caching and recovery, and not to a larger long-term, general memory capacity. Furthermore, despite millennia of separate and divergent evolution, the mechanisms of visual information retention seem to reflect common memory systems of differing capacities across the different species tested in this design.

Improving everyday memory performance after acquired brain injury: An RCT on recollection and working memory training.

PubMed

Richter, Kim Merle; Mödden, Claudia; Eling, Paul; Hildebrandt, Helmut

2018-04-26

To show the effectiveness of a combined recognition and working memory training on everyday memory performance in patients suffering from organic memory disorders. In this double-blind, randomized controlled Study 36 patients with organic memory impairments, mainly attributable to stroke, were assigned to either the experimental or the active control group. In the experimental group a working memory training was combined with a recollection training based on the repetition-lag procedure. Patients in the active control group received the memory therapy usually provided in the rehabilitation center. Both groups received nine hours of therapy. Prior (T0) and subsequent (T1) to the therapy, patients were evaluated on an everyday memory test (EMT) as well as on a neuropsychological test battery. Based on factor analysis of the neuropsychological test scores at T0 we calculated composite scores for working memory, verbal learning and word fluency. After treatment, the intervention group showed a significantly greater improvement for WM performance compared with the active control group. More importantly, performance on the EMT also improved significantly in patients receiving the recollection and working memory training compared with patients with standard memory training. Our results show that combining working memory and recollection training significantly improves performance on everyday memory tasks, demonstrating far transfer effects. The present study argues in favor of a process-based approach for treating memory impairments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on associative memory

DOE PAGES

Matzen, Laura E.; Trumbo, Michael C.; Leach, Ryan C.; ...

2015-07-30

Associative memory refers to remembering the association between two items, such as a face and a name. It is a crucial part of daily life, but it is also one of the first aspects of memory performance that is impacted by aging and by Alzheimer’s disease. Evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can improve memory performance, but few tDCS studies have investigated its impact on associative memory. In addition, no prior study of the effects of tDCS on memory performance has systematically evaluated the impact of tDCS on different types of memory assessments, such as recognition and recallmore » tests. In this study, we measured the effects of tDCS on associative memory performance in healthy adults, using both recognition and recall tests. Participants studied face-name pairs while receiving either active (30 minutes, 2 mA) or sham (30 minutes, 0.1 mA) stimulation with the anode placed at F9 and the cathode placed on the contralateral upper arm. Participants in the active stimulation group performed significantly better on the recall test than participants in the sham group, recalling 50% more names, on average, and making fewer recall errors. However, the two groups did not differ significantly in terms of their performance on the recognition memory test. This investigation provides evidence that stimulation at the time of study improves associative memory encoding, but that this memory benefit is evident only under certain retrieval conditions.« less

Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on associative memory.

PubMed

Matzen, Laura E; Trumbo, Michael C; Leach, Ryan C; Leshikar, Eric D

2015-10-22

Associative memory refers to remembering the association between two items, such as a face and a name. It is a crucial part of daily life, but it is also one of the first aspects of memory performance that is impacted by aging and by Alzheimer's disease. Evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can improve memory performance, but few tDCS studies have investigated its impact on associative memory. In addition, no prior study of the effects of tDCS on memory performance has systematically evaluated the impact of tDCS on different types of memory assessments, such as recognition and recall tests. In this study, we measured the effects of tDCS on associative memory performance in healthy adults, using both recognition and recall tests. Participants studied face-name pairs while receiving either active (30 min, 2 mA) or sham (30 min, 0.1 mA) stimulation with the anode placed at F9 and the cathode placed on the contralateral upper arm. Participants in the active stimulation group performed significantly better on the recall test than participants in the sham group, recalling 50% more names, on average, and making fewer recall errors. However, the two groups did not differ significantly in terms of their performance on the recognition memory test. This investigation provides evidence that stimulation at the time of study improves associative memory encoding, but that this memory benefit is evident only under certain retrieval conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on associative memory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matzen, Laura E.; Trumbo, Michael C.; Leach, Ryan C.

Associative memory refers to remembering the association between two items, such as a face and a name. It is a crucial part of daily life, but it is also one of the first aspects of memory performance that is impacted by aging and by Alzheimer’s disease. Evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can improve memory performance, but few tDCS studies have investigated its impact on associative memory. In addition, no prior study of the effects of tDCS on memory performance has systematically evaluated the impact of tDCS on different types of memory assessments, such as recognition and recallmore » tests. In this study, we measured the effects of tDCS on associative memory performance in healthy adults, using both recognition and recall tests. Participants studied face-name pairs while receiving either active (30 minutes, 2 mA) or sham (30 minutes, 0.1 mA) stimulation with the anode placed at F9 and the cathode placed on the contralateral upper arm. Participants in the active stimulation group performed significantly better on the recall test than participants in the sham group, recalling 50% more names, on average, and making fewer recall errors. However, the two groups did not differ significantly in terms of their performance on the recognition memory test. This investigation provides evidence that stimulation at the time of study improves associative memory encoding, but that this memory benefit is evident only under certain retrieval conditions.« less

The influences of partner accuracy and partner memory ability on social false memories.

PubMed

Numbers, Katya T; Meade, Michelle L; Perga, Vladimir A

2014-11-01

In this study, we examined whether increasing the proportion of false information suggested by a confederate would influence the magnitude of socially introduced false memories in the social contagion paradigm Roediger, Meade, & Bergman (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 8:365-371, 2001). One participant and one confederate collaboratively recalled items from previously studied household scenes. During collaboration, the confederate interjected 0 %, 33 %, 66 %, or 100 % false items. On subsequent individual-recall tests across three experiments, participants were just as likely to incorporate misleading suggestions from a partner who was mostly accurate (33 % incorrect) as they were from a partner who was not at all accurate (100 % incorrect). Even when participants witnessed firsthand that their partner had a very poor memory on a related memory task, they were still as likely to incorporate the confederate's entirely misleading suggestions on subsequent recall and recognition tests (Exp. 2). Only when participants witnessed firsthand that their partner had a very poor memory on a practice test of the experimental task itself were they able to reduce false memory, and this reduction occurred selectively on a subsequent individual recognition test (Exp. 3). These data demonstrate that participants do not always consider their partners' memory ability when working on collaborative memory tasks.

Selective attention affects implicit and explicit memory for familiar pictures at different delay conditions.

PubMed

Ballesteros, Soledad; Reales, José M; García, Eulalio; Carrasco, Marisa

2006-02-01

Three experiments investigated the effects of two variables -selective attention during encoding and delay between study and test- on implicit (picture fragment completion and object naming) and explicit (free recall and recognition) memory tests. Experiments 1 and 2 consistently indicated that (a) at all delays (immediate to 1 month), picture-fragment identification threshold was lower for the attended than the unattended pictures; (b) the attended pictures were recalled and recognized better than the unattended; and (c) attention and delay interacted in both memory tests. For implicit memory, performance decreased as delay increased for both attended and unattended pictures, but priming was more pronounced and lasted longer for the attended pictures; it was still present after a 1-month delay. For explicit memory, performance decreased as delay increased for attended pictures, but for unattended pictures performance was consistent throughout delay. By using a perceptual object naming task, Experiment 3 showed reliable implicit and explicit memory for attended but not for unattended pictures. This study indicates that picture repetition priming requires attention at the time of study and that neither delay nor attention dissociate performance in explicit and implicit memory tests; both types of memory require attention, but explicit memory does so to a larger degree.

Effects of pointing compared with naming and observing during encoding on item and source memory in young and older adults.

PubMed

Ouwehand, Kim; van Gog, Tamara; Paas, Fred

2016-10-01

Research showed that source memory functioning declines with ageing. Evidence suggests that encoding visual stimuli with manual pointing in addition to visual observation can have a positive effect on spatial memory compared with visual observation only. The present study investigated whether pointing at picture locations during encoding would lead to better spatial source memory than naming (Experiment 1) and visual observation only (Experiment 2) in young and older adults. Experiment 3 investigated whether response modality during the test phase would influence spatial source memory performance. Experiments 1 and 2 supported the hypothesis that pointing during encoding led to better source memory for picture locations than naming or observation only. Young adults outperformed older adults on the source memory but not the item memory task in both Experiments 1 and 2. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants manually responded in the test phase. Experiment 3 showed that if participants had to verbally respond in the test phase, the positive effect of pointing compared with naming during encoding disappeared. The results suggest that pointing at picture locations during encoding can enhance spatial source memory in both young and older adults, but only if the response modality is congruent in the test phase.

Standardization and validation of a parallel form of the verbal and non-verbal recognition memory test in an Italian population sample.

PubMed

Smirni, Daniela; Smirni, Pietro; Di Martino, Giovanni; Cipolotti, Lisa; Oliveri, Massimiliano; Turriziani, Patrizia

2018-05-04

In the neuropsychological assessment of several neurological conditions, recognition memory evaluation is requested. Recognition seems to be more appropriate than recall to study verbal and non-verbal memory, because interferences of psychological and emotional disorders are less relevant in the recognition than they are in recall memory paradigms. In many neurological disorders, longitudinal repeated assessments are needed to monitor the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs or pharmacological treatments on the recovery of memory. In order to contain the practice effect in repeated neuropsychological evaluations, it is necessary the use of parallel forms of the tests. Having two parallel forms of the same test, that kept administration procedures and scoring constant, is a great advantage in both clinical practice, for the monitoring of memory disorder, and in experimental practice, to allow the repeated evaluation of memory on healthy and neurological subjects. First aim of the present study was to provide normative values in an Italian sample (n = 160) for a parallel form of a verbal and non-verbal recognition memory battery. Multiple regression analysis revealed significant effects of age and education on recognition memory performance, whereas sex did not reach a significant probability level. Inferential cutoffs have been determined and equivalent scores computed. Secondly, the study aimed to validate the equivalence of the two parallel forms of the Recognition Memory Test. The correlations analyses between the total scores of the two versions of the test and correlation between the three subtasks revealed that the two forms are parallel and the subtasks are equivalent for difficulty.

The aftermath of memory retrieval for recycling visual working memory representations.

PubMed

Park, Hyung-Bum; Zhang, Weiwei; Hyun, Joo-Seok

2017-07-01

We examined the aftermath of accessing and retrieving a subset of information stored in visual working memory (VWM)-namely, whether detection of a mismatch between memory and perception can impair the original memory of an item while triggering recognition-induced forgetting for the remaining, untested items. For this purpose, we devised a consecutive-change detection task wherein two successive testing probes were displayed after a single set of memory items. Across two experiments utilizing different memory-testing methods (whole vs. single probe), we observed a reliable pattern of poor performance in change detection for the second test when the first test had exhibited a color change. The impairment after a color change was evident even when the same memory item was repeatedly probed; this suggests that an attention-driven, salient visual change made it difficult to reinstate the previously remembered item. The second change detection, for memory items untested during the first change detection, was also found to be inaccurate, indicating that recognition-induced forgetting had occurred for the unprobed items in VWM. In a third experiment, we conducted a task that involved change detection plus continuous recall, wherein a memory recall task was presented after the change detection task. The analyses of the distributions of recall errors with a probabilistic mixture model revealed that the memory impairments from both visual changes and recognition-induced forgetting are explained better by the stochastic loss of memory items than by their degraded resolution. These results indicate that attention-driven visual change and recognition-induced forgetting jointly influence the "recycling" of VWM representations.

Experience and information loss in auditory and visual memory.

PubMed

Gloede, Michele E; Paulauskas, Emily E; Gregg, Melissa K

2017-07-01

Recent studies show that recognition memory for sounds is inferior to memory for pictures. Four experiments were conducted to examine the nature of auditory and visual memory. Experiments 1-3 were conducted to evaluate the role of experience in auditory and visual memory. Participants received a study phase with pictures/sounds, followed by a recognition memory test. Participants then completed auditory training with each of the sounds, followed by a second memory test. Despite auditory training in Experiments 1 and 2, visual memory was superior to auditory memory. In Experiment 3, we found that it is possible to improve auditory memory, but only after 3 days of specific auditory training and 3 days of visual memory decay. We examined the time course of information loss in auditory and visual memory in Experiment 4 and found a trade-off between visual and auditory recognition memory: Visual memory appears to have a larger capacity, while auditory memory is more enduring. Our results indicate that visual and auditory memory are inherently different memory systems and that differences in visual and auditory recognition memory performance may be due to the different amounts of experience with visual and auditory information, as well as structurally different neural circuitry specialized for information retention.

Hippocampal activity during recognition memory co-varies with the accuracy and confidence of source memory judgments.

PubMed

Yu, Sarah S; Johnson, Jeffrey D; Rugg, Michael D

2012-06-01

It has been proposed that the hippocampus selectively supports retrieval of contextual associations, but an alternative view holds that the hippocampus supports strong memories regardless of whether they contain contextual information. We employed a memory test that combined the 'Remember/Know' and source memory procedures, which allowed test items to be segregated both by memory strength (recognition accuracy) and, separately, by the quality of the contextual information that could be retrieved (indexed by the accuracy/confidence of a source memory judgment). As measured by fMRI, retrieval-related hippocampal activity tracked the quality of retrieved contextual information and not memory strength. These findings are consistent with the proposal that the hippocampus supports contextual recollection rather than recognition memory more generally. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Memory testing in dementia: how much is enough?

PubMed

Derrer, D S; Howieson, D B; Mueller, E A; Camicioli, R M; Sexton, G; Kaye, J A

2001-01-01

Analyses of eight widely used memory measures (Word List Acquisition and Recall used in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease neuropsychology battery, Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised [WMS-R] Logical Memory I and II, WMS-R Visual Reproduction I and II, the memory scores from the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination [NCSE], memory scores from the Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]), and the MMSE total score showed each to have moderate predictive power in differentiating between patients with mild dementia and healthy normal controls. When these instruments were combined in a logistic regression analysis, three of them had substantial predictive power. Together, the Word List Acquisition, WMS-R Logical Memory II, and WMS-R Visual Reproduction II were 97.26% accurate (100% sensitive and 94.59% specific) in distinguishing these two groups. The Word List Acquisition is a brief test that alone had high accuracy (92%). These memory tests are highly useful in the diagnosis of mild dementia.

Both mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors regulate emotional memory in mice.

PubMed

Zhou, Ming; Bakker, Eveline H M; Velzing, Els H; Berger, Stefan; Oitzl, Melly; Joëls, Marian; Krugers, Harm J

2010-11-01

Corticosteroid hormones are thought to promote optimal behavioral adaptation under fearful conditions, primarily via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). Here, we examined - using pharmacological and genetic approaches in mice - if mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) also play a role in fearful memory formation. As expected, administration of the GR-antagonist RU38486 prior to training in a fear conditioning paradigm impaired contextual memory when tested 24 (but not when tested 3) h after training. Tone-cue memory was enhanced by RU38486 when tested at 4 (but not 25) h after training. Interestingly, pre (but not post)-training administration of MR antagonist spironolactone impaired contextual memory, both at 3 and 24h after training. Similar effects were also found in forebrain-specific MR knockout mice. Spironolactone also impaired tone-cue memory, but only at 4h after training. These results reveal that - in addition to GRs - MRs also play a critical role in establishing fear memories, particularly in the early phase of memory formation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interidentity memory transfer in dissociative identity disorder.

PubMed

Kong, Lauren L; Allen, John J B; Glisky, Elizabeth L

2008-08-01

Controversy surrounding dissociative identity disorder (DID) has focused on conflicting findings regarding the validity and nature of interidentity amnesia, illustrating the need for objective methods of examining amnesia that can discriminate between explicit and implicit memory transfer. In the present study, the authors used a cross-modal manipulation designed to mitigate implicit memory effects. Explicit memory transfer between identities was examined in 7 DID participants and 34 matched control participants. After words were presented to one identity auditorily, the authors tested another identity for memory of those words in the visual modality using an exclusion paradigm. Despite self-reported interidentity amnesia, memory for experimental stimuli transferred between identities. DID patients showed no superior ability to compartmentalize information, as would be expected with interidentity amnesia. The cross-modal nature of the test makes it unlikely that memory transfer was implicit. These findings demonstrate that subjective reports of interidentity amnesia are not necessarily corroborated by objective tests of explicit memory transfer. Copyright (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

The Relationship between Processing and Storage in Working Memory Span: Not Two Sides of the Same Coin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maehara, Yukio; Saito, Satoru

2007-01-01

In working memory (WM) span tests, participants maintain memory items while performing processing tasks. In this study, we examined the impact of task processing requirements on memory-storage activities, looking at the stimulus order effect and the impact of storage requirements on processing activities, testing the processing time effect in WM…

Practice Effects on Story Memory and List Learning Tests in the Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults

PubMed Central

Gurnani, Ashita S.; Saurman, Jessica L.; Chapman, Kimberly R.; Steinberg, Eric G.; Martin, Brett; Chaisson, Christine E.; Mez, Jesse; Tripodis, Yorghos; Stern, Robert A.

2016-01-01

Two of the most commonly used methods to assess memory functioning in studies of cognitive aging and dementia are story memory and list learning tests. We hypothesized that the most commonly used story memory test, Wechsler's Logical Memory, would generate more pronounced practice effects than a well validated but less common list learning test, the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) List Learning test. Two hundred eighty-seven older adults, ages 51 to 100 at baseline, completed both tests as part of a larger neuropsychological test battery on an annual basis. Up to five years of recall scores from participants who were diagnosed as cognitively normal (n = 96) or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 72) or Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 121) at their most recent visit were analyzed with linear mixed effects regression to examine the interaction between the type of test and the number of times exposed to the test. Other variables, including age at baseline, sex, education, race, time (years) since baseline, and clinical diagnosis were also entered as fixed effects predictor variables. The results indicated that both tests produced significant practice effects in controls and MCI participants; in contrast, participants with AD declined or remained stable. However, for the delayed—but not the immediate—recall condition, Logical Memory generated more pronounced practice effects than NAB List Learning (b = 0.16, p < .01 for controls). These differential practice effects were moderated by clinical diagnosis, such that controls and MCI participants—but not participants with AD—improved more on Logical Memory delayed recall than on delayed NAB List Learning delayed recall over five annual assessments. Because the Logical Memory test is ubiquitous in cognitive aging and neurodegenerative disease research, its tendency to produce marked practice effects—especially on the delayed recall condition—suggests a threat to its validity as a measure of new learning, an essential construct for dementia diagnosis. PMID:27711147

Case-finding for cognitive impairment among people with Type 2 diabetes in primary care using the Test Your Memory and Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination questionnaires: the Cog-ID study.

PubMed

Koekkoek, P S; Janssen, J; Kooistra, M; Biesbroek, J M; Groeneveld, O; van den Berg, E; Kappelle, L J; Biessels, G J; Rutten, G E H M

2016-06-01

To evaluate two cognitive tests for case-finding for cognitive impairment in older patients with Type 2 diabetes. Of 1243 invited patients with Type 2 diabetes, aged ≥70 years, 228 participated in a prospective cohort study. Exclusion criteria were: diagnosis of dementia; previous investigation at a memory clinic; and inability to write or read. Patients first filled out two self-administered cognitive tests (Test Your Memory and Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination). Secondly, a general practitioner, blinded to Test Your Memory and Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination scores, performed a structured evaluation using the Mini-Mental State Examination. Subsequently, patients suspected of cognitive impairment (on either the cognitive tests or general practitioner evaluation) and a random sample of 30% of patients not suspected of cognitive impairment were evaluated at a memory clinic. Diagnostic accuracy and area under the curve were determined for the Test Your Memory, Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination and general practitioner evaluation compared with a memory clinic evaluation to detect cognitive impairment (mild cognitive impairment or dementia). A total of 44 participants were diagnosed with cognitive impairment. The Test Your Memory and Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination questionnaires had negative predictive values of 81 and 85%, respectively. Positive predictive values were 39 and 40%, respectively. The general practitioner evaluation had a negative predictive value of 83% and positive predictive value of 64%. The area under the curve was ~0.70 for all tests. Both the tests evaluated in the present study can easily be used in case-finding strategies for cognitive impairment in patients with Type 2 diabetes in primary care. The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination had the best diagnostic accuracy and therefore we would have a slight preference for this test. Applying the Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination would considerably reduce the number of patients in whom the general practitioner needs to evaluate cognitive functioning to tailor diabetes treatment. © 2015 Diabetes UK.

Ensemble coding remains accurate under object and spatial visual working memory load.

PubMed

Epstein, Michael L; Emmanouil, Tatiana A

2017-10-01

A number of studies have provided evidence that the visual system statistically summarizes large amounts of information that would exceed the limitations of attention and working memory (ensemble coding). However the necessity of working memory resources for ensemble coding has not yet been tested directly. In the current study, we used a dual task design to test the effect of object and spatial visual working memory load on size averaging accuracy. In Experiment 1, we tested participants' accuracy in comparing the mean size of two sets under various levels of object visual working memory load. Although the accuracy of average size judgments depended on the difference in mean size between the two sets, we found no effect of working memory load. In Experiment 2, we tested the same average size judgment while participants were under spatial visual working memory load, again finding no effect of load on averaging accuracy. Overall our results reveal that ensemble coding can proceed unimpeded and highly accurately under both object and spatial visual working memory load, providing further evidence that ensemble coding reflects a basic perceptual process distinct from that of individual object processing.

Bilateral Parietal Cortex Damage Does Not Impair Associative Memory for Paired Stimuli

PubMed Central

Berryhill, Marian E.; Drowos, David B.; Olson, Ingrid R.

2010-01-01

Recent neuroimaging and neuropsychological findings indicate that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays an important, albeit undefined, role in episodic memory. Here we ask whether this region is specifically involved in associative aspects of episodic memory. Experiment 1 tested whether PPC damage affects the ability to learn and retrieve novel word-pair associations. Experiment 2 tested whether PPC damage affects the retrieval of object-location associations, in a spatial fan task. In both experiments, patients showed normal levels of associative memory. These findings demonstrated that PPC damage did not prevent association memory for verbal items. Finally Experiment 3 tested whether PPC damage affects memory for non-verbal audio-visual pairs. The patients performed with normal accuracy, but with significantly reduced confidence. These findings indicate that the PPC does not have a central role in association formation per se and instead, indicate that the PPC is involved in other aspects of episodic memory. PMID:20104378

Memory complaints in epilepsy: An examination of the role of mood and illness perceptions.

PubMed

Tinson, Deborah; Crockford, Christopher; Gharooni, Sara; Russell, Helen; Zoeller, Sophie; Leavy, Yvonne; Lloyd, Rachel; Duncan, Susan

2018-03-01

The study examined the role of mood and illness perceptions in explaining the variance in the memory complaints of patients with epilepsy. Forty-four patients from an outpatient tertiary care center and 43 volunteer controls completed a formal assessment of memory and a verbal fluency test, as well as validated self-report questionnaires on memory complaints, mood, and illness perceptions. In hierarchical multiple regression analyses, objective memory test performance and verbal fluency did not contribute significantly to the variance in memory complaints for either patients or controls. In patients, illness perceptions and mood were highly correlated. Illness perceptions correlated more highly with memory complaints than mood and were therefore added to the multiple regression analysis. This accounted for an additional 25% of the variance, after controlling for objective memory test performance and verbal fluency, and the model was significant (model B). In order to compare with other studies, mood was added to a second model, instead of illness perceptions. This accounted for an additional 24% of the variance, which was again significant (model C). In controls, low mood accounted for 11% of the variance in memory complaints (model C2). A measure of illness perceptions was more highly correlated with the memory complaints of patients with epilepsy than with a measure of mood. In a hierarchical multiple regression model, illness perceptions accounted for 25% of the variance in memory complaints. Illness perceptions could provide useful information in a clinical investigation into the self-reported memory complaints of patients with epilepsy, alongside the assessment of mood and formal memory testing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Higher body mass index is associated with episodic memory deficits in young adults.

PubMed

Cheke, Lucy G; Simons, Jon S; Clayton, Nicola S

2016-11-01

Obesity has become an international health crisis. There is accumulating evidence that excess bodyweight is associated with changes to the structure and function of the brain and with a number of cognitive deficits. In particular, research suggests that obesity is associated with hippocampal and frontal lobe dysfunction, which would be predicted to impact memory. However, evidence for such memory impairment is currently limited. We hypothesised that higher body mass index (BMI) would be associated with reduced performance on a test of episodic memory that assesses not only content, but also context and feature integration. A total of 50 participants aged 18-35 years, with BMIs ranging from 18 to 51, were tested on a novel what-where-when style episodic memory test: the "Treasure-Hunt Task". This test requires recollection of object, location, and temporal order information within the same paradigm, as well as testing the ability to integrate these features into a single event recollection. Higher BMI was associated with significantly lower performance on the what-where-when (WWW) memory task and all individual elements: object identification, location memory, and temporal order memory. After controlling for age, sex, and years in education, the effect of BMI on the individual what, where, and when tasks remained, while the WWW dropped below significance. This finding of episodic memory deficits in obesity is of concern given the emerging evidence for a role for episodic cognition in appetite regulation.

Developmental gender differences in children in a virtual spatial memory task.

PubMed

León, Irene; Cimadevilla, José Manuel; Tascón, Laura

2014-07-01

Behavioral achievements are the product of brain maturation. During postnatal development, the medial temporal lobe completes its maturation, and children acquire new memory abilities. In recent years, virtual reality-based tasks have been introduced in the neuropsychology field to assess different cognitive functions. In this work, desktop virtual reality tasks are combined with classic psychometric tests to assess spatial abilities in 4- to 10-year-old children. Fifty boys and 50 girls 4-10-years of age participated in this study. Spatial reference memory and spatial working memory were assessed using a desktop virtual reality-based task. Other classic psychometric tests were also included in this work (e.g., the Corsi Block Tapping Test, digit tests, 10/36 Spatial Recall Test). In general terms, 4- and 5-year-old groups showed poorer performance than the older groups. However, 5-year-old children showed basic spatial navigation abilities with little difficulty. In addition, boys outperformed girls from the 6-8-year-old groups. Gender differences only emerged in the reference-memory version of the spatial task, whereas both sexes displayed similar performances in the working-memory version. There was general improvement in the performance of different tasks in children older than 5 years. However, results also suggest that brain regions involved in allocentric memory are functional even at the age of 5. In addition, the brain structures underlying reference memory mature later in girls than those required for the working memory.

Higher body mass index is associated with episodic memory deficits in young adults

PubMed Central

Cheke, Lucy G.; Simons, Jon S.; Clayton, Nicola S.

2016-01-01

Obesity has become an international health crisis. There is accumulating evidence that excess bodyweight is associated with changes to the structure and function of the brain and with a number of cognitive deficits. In particular, research suggests that obesity is associated with hippocampal and frontal lobe dysfunction, which would be predicted to impact memory. However, evidence for such memory impairment is currently limited. We hypothesised that higher body mass index (BMI) would be associated with reduced performance on a test of episodic memory that assesses not only content, but also context and feature integration. A total of 50 participants aged 18–35 years, with BMIs ranging from 18 to 51, were tested on a novel what–where–when style episodic memory test: the “Treasure-Hunt Task”. This test requires recollection of object, location, and temporal order information within the same paradigm, as well as testing the ability to integrate these features into a single event recollection. Higher BMI was associated with significantly lower performance on the what–where–when (WWW) memory task and all individual elements: object identification, location memory, and temporal order memory. After controlling for age, sex, and years in education, the effect of BMI on the individual what, where, and when tasks remained, while the WWW dropped below significance. This finding of episodic memory deficits in obesity is of concern given the emerging evidence for a role for episodic cognition in appetite regulation. PMID:26447832

CogState computerized memory tests in patients with brain metastases: secondary endpoint results of NRG Oncology RTOG 0933.

PubMed

Caine, Chip; Deshmukh, Snehal; Gondi, Vinai; Mehta, Minesh; Tomé, Wolfgang; Corn, Benjamin W; Kanner, Andrew; Rowley, Howard; Kundapur, Vijayananda; DeNittis, Albert; Greenspoon, Jeffrey Noah; Konski, Andre A; Bauman, Glenn S; Raben, Adam; Shi, Wenyin; Wendland, Merideth; Kachnic, Lisa

2016-01-01

Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is associated with memory dysfunction. As part of NRG Oncology RTOG 0933, a phase II study of WBRT for brain metastases that conformally avoided the hippocampal stem cell compartment (HA-WBRT), memory was assessed pre- and post-HA-WBRT using both traditional and computerized memory tests. We examined whether the computerized tests yielded similar findings and might serve as possible alternatives for assessment of memory in multi-institution clinical trials. Adult patients with brain metastases received HA-WBRT to 30 Gy in ten fractions and completed Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R), CogState International Shopping List Test (ISLT) and One Card Learning Test (OCLT), at baseline, 2 and 4 months. Tests' completion rates were 52-53 % at 2 months and 34-42 % at 4 months. All baseline correlations between HVLT-R and CogState tests were significant (p ≤ 0.003). At baseline, both CogState tests and one component of HVLT-R differentiated those who were alive at 6 months and those who had died (p ≤ 0.01). At 4 months, mean relative decline was 7.0 % for HVLT-R Delayed Recall and 18.0 % for ISLT Delayed Recall. OCLT showed an 8.0 % increase. A reliable change index found no significant changes from baseline to 2 and 4 months for ISLT Delayed Recall (z = -0.40, p = 0.34; z = -0.68, p = 0.25) or OCLT (z = 0.15, p = 0.56; z = 0.41, p = 0.66). Study findings support the possibility that hippocampal avoidance may be associated with preservation of memory test performance, and that these computerized tests also may be useful and valid memory assessments in multi-institution adult brain tumor trials.

Cognitive and behavioral evaluation of nutritional interventions in rodent models of brain aging and dementia

PubMed Central

Wahl, Devin; Coogan, Sean CP; Solon-Biet, Samantha M; de Cabo, Rafael; Haran, James B; Raubenheimer, David; Cogger, Victoria C; Mattson, Mark P; Simpson, Stephen J; Le Couteur, David G

2017-01-01

Evaluation of behavior and cognition in rodent models underpins mechanistic and interventional studies of brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases, especially dementia. Commonly used tests include Morris water maze, Barnes maze, object recognition, fear conditioning, radial arm water maze, and Y maze. Each of these tests reflects some aspects of human memory including episodic memory, recognition memory, semantic memory, spatial memory, and emotional memory. Although most interventional studies in rodent models of dementia have focused on pharmacological agents, there are an increasing number of studies that have evaluated nutritional interventions including caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, and manipulation of macronutrients. Dietary interventions have been shown to influence various cognitive and behavioral tests in rodents indicating that nutrition can influence brain aging and possibly neurodegeneration. PMID:28932108

Neurophysiological evidence for transfer appropriate processing of memory: processing versus feature similarity.

PubMed

Schendan, Haune E; Kutas, Malra

2007-08-01

Transfer appropriate processing (TAP) accounts propose that memory is a function of the degree to which the same neural processes transfer appropriately from the study experience to the memory test. However, in prior research, study and test stimuli were often similar physically. In two experiments, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded to fragmented objects during an indirect memory test to isolate transfer of a specific perceptual process from overlap of physical features between experiences. An occipitotemporoparietal P2(00) at 200 msec showed implicit memory effects only when similar perceptual grouping processes of good continuation were repeatedly engaged-despite physical feature differences--as TAP accounts hypothesize. This result provides direct neurophysiological evidence for the critical role of process transfer across experiences for memory.

Using Kinesthetic Activities to Teach Ptolemaic and Copernican Retrograde Motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, Ted

2012-06-01

This paper describes a method for teaching planetary retrograde motion, and the Ptolemaic and Copernican accounts of retrograde motion, by means of a series kinesthetic learning activities (KLAs). In the KLAs described, the students literally walk through the motions of the planets in both systems. A retrospective statistical analysis shows that students who participated in these activities performed better on examination questions pertaining to retrograde motion than students who did not. Potential explanations for this result, including the breaking of classroom routine, the effect of body movement on conceptual memory, and egocentric spatial proprioception, are considered.

Is selective mutism associated with deficits in memory span and visual memory?: An exploratory case-control study.

PubMed

Kristensen, Hanne; Oerbeck, Beate

2006-01-01

Our main aim in this study was to explore the association between selective mutism (SM) and aspects of nonverbal cognition such as visual memory span and visual memory. Auditory-verbal memory span was also examined. The etiology of SM is unclear, and it probably represents a heterogeneous condition. SM is associated with language impairment, but nonspecific neurodevelopmental factors, including motor problems, are also reported in SM without language impairment. Furthermore, SM is described in Asperger's syndrome. Studies on nonverbal cognition in SM thus merit further investigation. Neuropsychological tests were administered to a clinical sample of 32 children and adolescents with SM (ages 6-17 years, 14 boys and 18 girls) and 62 nonreferred controls matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. We used independent t-tests to compare groups with regard to auditory-verbal memory span, visual memory span, and visual memory (Benton Visual Retention Test), and employed linear regression analysis to study the impact of SM on visual memory, controlling for IQ and measures of language and motor function. The SM group differed from controls on auditory-verbal memory span but not on visual memory span. Controlled for IQ, language, and motor function, the SM group did not differ from controls on visual memory. Motor function was the strongest predictor of visual memory performance. SM does not appear to be associated with deficits in visual memory span or visual memory. The reduced auditory-verbal memory span supports the association between SM and language impairment. More comprehensive neuropsychological studies are needed.

Computerized scoring algorithms for the Autobiographical Memory Test.

PubMed

Takano, Keisuke; Gutenbrunner, Charlotte; Martens, Kris; Salmon, Karen; Raes, Filip

2018-02-01

Reduced specificity of autobiographical memories is a hallmark of depressive cognition. Autobiographical memory (AM) specificity is typically measured by the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), in which respondents are asked to describe personal memories in response to emotional cue words. Due to this free descriptive responding format, the AMT relies on experts' hand scoring for subsequent statistical analyses. This manual coding potentially impedes research activities in big data analytics such as large epidemiological studies. Here, we propose computerized algorithms to automatically score AM specificity for the Dutch (adult participants) and English (youth participants) versions of the AMT by using natural language processing and machine learning techniques. The algorithms showed reliable performances in discriminating specific and nonspecific (e.g., overgeneralized) autobiographical memories in independent testing data sets (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve > .90). Furthermore, outcome values of the algorithms (i.e., decision values of support vector machines) showed a gradient across similar (e.g., specific and extended memories) and different (e.g., specific memory and semantic associates) categories of AMT responses, suggesting that, for both adults and youth, the algorithms well capture the extent to which a memory has features of specific memories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Pre- and postoperative memory of dichotically presented words in patients with complex partial seizures.

PubMed

Christianson, S A; Nilsson, L G; Silfvenius, H

1989-01-01

Dichotic listening tests were used to determine cerebral hemisphere memory functions in patients with complex partial seizures before, 10 days after, and 1-3 yr after right (RTE) or left (LTE) temporal-lobe excisions. Control subjects were also tested on two occasions. The tests consisted of presenting a series of 12-word lists and 7-word lists alternately to the two ears while backward speech was presented to the other ear. Measures of immediate free recall, final free recall, final cued recall, and serial recall were employed. The results revealed: (a) that both groups of patients were inferior the control group in tests tapping long-term memory functions rather than short-term memory functions, (b) a right-ear advantage for RTE patients at postoperative testing, (c) that the LTE group was more affected by surgery than the RTE group, and (d) a general improvement in recall performance from early to late postoperative testing. Taken together, these results indicate that the present dichotic test can be used as a non-invasive hemisphere memory test to complement invasive techniques for diagnosis of patients considered for epilepsy surgery.

Some strategies to improve performance in school chemistry, based on two cognitive factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danili, Eleni; Reid, Norman

2004-02-01

The background to this study are the difficulties facing the majority of Greek pupils in understanding chemistry concepts and, therefore, performing well in the National Examinations. The aim was to explore the problems and to suggest ways in which the situation might be improved. Working with 105 Greek pupils aged 15 to 16, the first stage of the enquiry confirmed that both working memory space and extent of field dependency were two psychological factors affecting performance. This is at least part of the nature of the problem. In the second stage, an attempt was made to explore how the problems might be reduced. New teaching materials were constructed to minimize any limitations to learning caused by working memory space and problems associated with being field dependent. The use of the new materials was compared to the normal teaching process working with 210 Greek pupils aged 15 to16. It was found that there was a significant difference in the average improvement of the experimental group and the control group, in favour of the experimental group. This result was independent of the effect of the teacher, and of the interaction of teaching method and teacher. It is suggested that approaches to learning must take into account cognitive factors in the learners in the context of information processing understandings of learning. If this is done, learning is much more effective.

Memory disorders in probable Alzheimer's disease: the role of hippocampal atrophy as shown with MRI.

PubMed Central

Deweer, B; Lehéricy, S; Pillon, B; Baulac, M; Chiras, J; Marsault, C; Agid, Y; Dubois, B

1995-01-01

Magnetic resonance based volumetric measures of hippocampal formation, amygdala (A), caudate nucleus (CN), normalised for total intracranial volume (TIV), were analysed in relation to measures of cognitive deterioration and specific features of memory functions in 18 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychological examination included the mini mental state examination (MMSE), the Mattis dementia rating scale (DRS), tests of executive functions, assessment of language abilities and praxis, the Wechsler memory scale (WMS), the California verbal learning test (CVLT) and the Grober and Buschke test. The volume of the hippocampal formation (HF/TIV) was correlated with specific memory variables: memory quotient and paired associates of the WMS; intrusions and discriminability at recognition for the Grober and Buschke test. By contrast, except for intrusions, no correlations were found between memory variables and the volume of amygdala (A/TIV). No correlations were found between the volume of caudate nuclei (CN/TIV) and any neuropsychological score. The volume of the hippocampal formation was therefore selectively related to quantitative and qualitative aspects of memory performance in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease. Images PMID:7745409

Galnon Facilitates Extinction of Morphine-Conditioned Place Preference but Also Potentiates the Consolidation Process

PubMed Central

Zhao, Xiaojie; Yun, Keming; Seese, Ronald R.; Wang, Zhenyuan

2013-01-01

Learning and memory systems are intimately involved in drug addiction. Previous studies suggest that galanin, a neuropeptide that binds G-protein coupled receptors, plays essential roles in the encoding of memory. In the present study, we tested the function of galnon, a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, in reward-associated memory, using conditioned place preference (CPP), a widely used paradigm in drug-associated memory. Either before or following CPP-inducing morphine administration, galnon was injected at four different time points to test the effects of galanin activation on different reward-associated memory processes: 15 min before CPP training (acquisition), immediately after CPP training (consolidation), 15 min before the post-conditioning test (retrieval), and multiple injection after post-tests (reconsolidation and extinction). Galnon enhanced consolidation and extinction processes of morphine-induced CPP memory, but the compound had no effect on acquisition, retrieval, or reconsolidation processes. Our findings demonstrate that a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, galnon, may be used as a viable compound to treat drug addiction by facilitating memory extinction process. PMID:24146862

Galnon facilitates extinction of morphine-conditioned place preference but also potentiates the consolidation process.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaojie; Yun, Keming; Seese, Ronald R; Wang, Zhenyuan

2013-01-01

Learning and memory systems are intimately involved in drug addiction. Previous studies suggest that galanin, a neuropeptide that binds G-protein coupled receptors, plays essential roles in the encoding of memory. In the present study, we tested the function of galnon, a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, in reward-associated memory, using conditioned place preference (CPP), a widely used paradigm in drug-associated memory. Either before or following CPP-inducing morphine administration, galnon was injected at four different time points to test the effects of galanin activation on different reward-associated memory processes: 15 min before CPP training (acquisition), immediately after CPP training (consolidation), 15 min before the post-conditioning test (retrieval), and multiple injection after post-tests (reconsolidation and extinction). Galnon enhanced consolidation and extinction processes of morphine-induced CPP memory, but the compound had no effect on acquisition, retrieval, or reconsolidation processes. Our findings demonstrate that a galanin receptor 1 and 2 agonist, galnon, may be used as a viable compound to treat drug addiction by facilitating memory extinction process.

Enhancing conversation skills in patients with Alzheimer's disease using a prosthetic memory aid.

PubMed

Bourgeois, M S

1990-01-01

The effectiveness of teaching Alzheimer's disease subjects to use a prosthetic memory aid when conversing with familiar partners was evaluated. Effects of the training of three topics by caregivers was assessed in daily probes with the experimenter and twice weekly probes with a familiar conversational partner. All 3 subjects learned to use the memory aid with both conversational partners and improved the quality of their conversational content. Subjects made significantly more statements of fact and fewer ambiguous utterances after training on each topic according to a multiple baseline design. All subjects also generated novel, untrained statements in conversations with both partners. Treatment effects were maintained at high levels throughout training and at 3- and 6-week follow-up sessions. Naive judges rated baseline and posttreatment conversational samples as significantly improved on all eight conversational dimensions.

Musical Memories: translating evidence-based gerontological nursing into a children's picture book.

PubMed

Gerdner, Linda A; Buckwalter, Kathleen C

2013-01-01

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are often cared for within multigenerational families. More specifically, 26% of family caregivers have children younger than 18 living with them. This article describes an innovative model for translation of an evidence-based intervention into an engaging, realistic picture book that serves as a teaching tool for children and their families. The book, Musical Memories, focuses on the relationship between a granddaughter and her grandmother who has AD. The story applies basic principles of the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold model to explain the underlying cause of grandmother's behaviors and models the evidence-based guideline "Individualized Music for Elders with Dementia" to empower the granddaughter in maintaining a relationship with her grandmother. Musical Memories is intended to serve as a valuable resource for families and the gerontological nurses who serve them. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

The 48-Pictures Test: a two-alternative forced-choice recognition test for the detection of malingering.

PubMed

Chouinard, M J; Rouleau, I

1997-11-01

We tested the validity of the 48-Pictures Test, a 2-alternative forced-choice recognition test, in detecting exaggerated memory impairments. This test maximizes subjective difficulty, through a large number of stimuli and shows minimal objective difficulty. We compared 17 suspected malingerers to 39 patients with memory impairments (6 amnesic, 15 frontal lobe dysfunctions, 18 other etiologies), and 17 normal adults instructed to simulate malingering on three memory tests: the 48-Pictures Test, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT). On the 48-Pictures Test, the clinical groups showed good recognition performance (amnesics: 85%; frontal dysfunction: 94%; other memory impairments: 97%), whereas the two simulator groups showed a poor performance (suspected malingerers: 62% correct; volunteer simulators 68% correct). The two other tests did not show a high degree of discrimination between the clinical groups and the simulator groups, except in 2 measures: the 2 simulator groups tended to show a performance decrement from the last recall trial to immediate recognition of the RAVLT and also performed better than the clinical groups on the immediate recall of the RCFT. A discriminant analysis with the latter 2 measures and the 48-Pictures Test correctly classified 96% of the participants. These results suggest that the 48-Pictures Test is a useful tool for the detection of possible simulated memory impairment and that when combined to the RAVLT recall-recognition difference score and to the immediate recall score on the RCFT can provide strong evidence of exaggerated memory impairment.

Prospective memory performance in non-psychotic first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia: a controlled study.

PubMed

Zhou, Fu-Chun; Hou, Wei-Min; Wang, Chuan-Yue; Ungvari, Gabor S; Chiu, Helen F K; Correll, Christoph U; Shum, David H K; Man, David; Liu, Deng-Tang; Xiang, Yu-Tao

2014-01-01

We aimed at investigating prospective memory and its socio-demographic and neurocognitive correlates in non-psychotic, first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with schizophrenia compared to patients with first episode schizophrenia (FES), and healthy controls (HCs). Forty-seven FES patients, 50 non-psychotic FDRs (23 offspring and 27 siblings) of patients with chronic schizophrenia (unrelated to the FES group) and 51 HCs were studied. The Chinese version of the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (C-CAMPROMPT) was used to measure time-based prospective memory (TBPM) and event-based prospective memory (EBPM) performance. Other cognitive functions (involving respective memory and executive functions) were evaluated with standardized tests. After controlling for basic demographic characteristics including age, gender and educational level, there was a significant difference between FDRs, FES and HCs with respect to both TBPM (F(2,142) = 10.4, p<0.001) and EBPM (F(2,142) = 10.8, p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that lower scores of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) and the STROOP Word-Color Test (SWCT) contributed to TBPM impairment, while lower educational level and higher scores of the Color Trails Test-2 (CTT-2) contributed to EBPM deficit in FDRs. FDRs share similar but attenuated prospective memory impairments with schizophrenia patients, suggesting that prospective memory deficits may represent an endophenotype of schizophrenia.

Methods for detecting long-term CNS dysfunction after prenatal exposure to neurotoxins.

PubMed

Vorhees, C V

1997-11-01

Current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory guidelines for developmental neurotoxicity emphasize functional categories such as motor activity, auditory startle, and learning and memory. A single test of some simple form of learning and memory is accepted to meet the latter category. The rationale for this emphasis has been that sensitive and reliable methods for assessing complex learning and memory are either not available or are too burdensome, and that insufficient data exist to endorse one approach over another. There has been little discussion of the fact that learning and memory is not a single identifiable functional category and no single test can assess all types of learning and memory. Three methods for assessing complex learning and memory are presented that assess two different types of learning and memory, are relatively efficient to conduct, and are sensitive to several known neurobehavioral teratogens. The tests are a 9-unit multiple-T swimming maze, and the Morris and Barnes mazes. The first of these assesses sequential learning, while the latter two assess spatial learning. A description of each test is provided, along with procedures for their use, and data exemplifying effects obtained using developmental exposure to phenytoin, methamphetamine, and MDMA. It is argued that multiple tests of learning and memory are required to ascertain cognitive deficits; something no single method can accomplish. Methods for acoustic startle are also presented.

Incidental and Intentional Memory: Their Relation with Attention and Executive Functions.

PubMed

Kontaxopoulou, Dionysia; Beratis, Ion N; Fragkiadaki, Stella; Pavlou, Dimosthenis; Yannis, George; Economou, Alexandra; Papanicolaou, Andrew C; Papageorgiou, Sokratis G

2017-08-01

The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of gender and age on incidental and intentional memory in healthy participants and to explore the strength of the association of incidental and intentional memory with attentional and executive functioning. A total number of 47 participants underwent a driving simulation experiment and went through detailed neuropsychological testing. Incidental memory was assessed with a questionnaire that evaluated the memorization of information related to the driving simulator task while intentional memory was assessed using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised. The analysis revealed a greater impact of age on incidental as compared to intentional memory. Gender did not appear to have such an effect on either incidental or intentional memory. Finally, attentional and executive functioning were more strongly associated with incidental memory than the intentional memory measures that were utilized in the current study. Ageing appears to affect incidental rather than intentional memory to a greater extent. In addition, attentional and executive functioning seem to play a more important role in incidental than intentional encoding and consolidation processes. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Decentring and distraction reduce overgeneral autobiographical memory in depression.

PubMed

Watkins, E; Teasdale, J D; Williams, R M

2000-07-01

Increased recall of categorical autobiographical memories is a phenomenon unique to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and is associated with a poor prognosis for depression. Although the elevated recall of categorical memories does not change on remission from depression, recent findings suggest that overgeneral memory may be reduced by cognitive interventions and maintained by rumination. This study tested whether cognitive manipulations could influence the recall of categorical memories in dysphoric participants. Forty-eight dysphoric and depressed participants were randomly allocated to rumination or distraction conditions. Before and after the manipulation, participants completed the Autobiographical Memory Test, a standard measure of overgeneral memory. Participants were then randomized to either a 'decentring' question (Socratic questions designed to facilitate viewing moods within a wider perspective) or a control question condition, before completing the Autobiographical Memory Test again. Distraction produced significantly greater decreases in the proportion of memories retrieved that were categorical than rumination. Decentring questions produced significantly greater decreases in the proportion of memories retrieved that were categorical than control questions, with this effect independent of the prior manipulation. Elevated categorical memory in depression is more modifiable than has been previously assumed; it may reflect the dynamic maintenance of a cognitive style that can be interrupted by brief cognitive interventions.

Verbal and non-verbal memory and hippocampal volumes in a memory clinic population.

PubMed

Bonner-Jackson, Aaron; Mahmoud, Shamseldeen; Miller, Justin; Banks, Sarah J

2015-10-15

Better characterization of the relationship between episodic memory and hippocampal volumes is crucial in early detection of neurodegenerative disease. We examined these relationships in a memory clinic population. Participants (n = 226) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and tests of verbal (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised, HVLT-R) and non-verbal (Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised, BVMT-R) memory. Correlational analyses were performed, and analyses on clinical subgroups (i.e., amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, non-amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, probable Alzheimer's disease, intact memory) were conducted. Positive associations were identified between bilateral hippocampal volumes and both memory measures, and BVMT-R learning slope was more strongly positively associated with hippocampal volumes than HVLT-R learning slope. Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) participants showed specific positive associations between BVMT-R performance and hippocampal volumes bilaterally. Additionally, analyses of the aMCI group showed trend-level evidence of material-specific lateralization, such that retention of verbal information was positively associated with left hippocampal volume, whereas learning curve and retention of non-verbal information was positively associated with right hippocampal volume. Findings support the link between episodic memory and hippocampal volumes in a memory clinic population. Non-verbal memory measures also may have higher diagnostic value, particularly in individuals at elevated risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Preliminary Validation of a New Measure of Negative Response Bias: The Temporal Memory Sequence Test.

PubMed

Hegedish, Omer; Kivilis, Naama; Hoofien, Dan

2015-01-01

The Temporal Memory Sequence Test (TMST) is a new measure of negative response bias (NRB) that was developed to enrich the forced-choice paradigm. The TMST does not resemble the common structure of forced-choice tests and is presented as a temporal recall memory test. The validation sample consisted of 81 participants: 21 healthy control participants, 20 coached simulators, and 40 patients with acquired brain injury (ABI). The TMST had high reliability and significantly high positive correlations with the Test of Memory Malingering and Word Memory Test effort scales. Moreover, the TMST effort scales exhibited high negative correlations with the Glasgow Coma Scale, thus validating the previously reported association between probable malingering and mild traumatic brain injury. A suggested cutoff score yielded acceptable classification rates in the ABI group as well as in the simulator and control groups. The TMST appears to be a promising measure of NRB detection, with respectable rates of reliability and construct and criterion validity.

Prospection and emotional memory: how expectation affects emotional memory formation following sleep and wake

PubMed Central

Cunningham, Tony J.; Chambers, Alexis M.; Payne, Jessica D.

2014-01-01

Successful prospective memory is necessarily driven by an expectation that encoded information will be relevant in the future, leading to its preferential placement in memory storage. Like expectation, emotional salience is another type of cue that benefits human memory formation. Although separate lines of research suggest that both emotional information and information explicitly expected to be important in the future benefit memory consolidation, it is unknown how expectation affects the processing of emotional information and whether sleep, which is known to maximize memory consolidation, plays a critical role. The purpose of this study was to investigate how expectation would impact the consolidation of emotionally salient content, and whether this impact would differ across delays of sleep and wake. Participants encoded scenes containing an emotionally charged negative or neutral foreground object placed on a plausible neutral background. After encoding, half of the participants were informed they would later be tested on the scenes (expected condition), while the other half received no information about the test (unexpected condition). At recognition, following a 12-h delay of sleep or wakefulness, the scene components (objects and backgrounds) were presented separately and one at a time, and participants were asked to determine if each component was old or new. Results revealed a greater disparity for memory of negative objects over their paired neutral backgrounds for both the sleep and wake groups when the memory test was expected compared to when it was unexpected, while neutral memory remained unchanged. Analyzing each group separately, the wake group showed a threefold increase in the magnitude of this object/background trade-off for emotional scenes when the memory test was expected compared to when it was unexpected, while those who slept performed similarly across conditions. These results suggest that emotional salience and expectation cues interact to benefit emotional memory consolidation during a delay of wakefulness. The sleeping brain, however, may automatically tag emotionally salient information as important, such that explicit instruction of an upcoming memory test does not further improve memory performance. PMID:25136328

Assessing the associative deficit of older adults in long-term and short-term/working memory.

PubMed

Chen, Tina; Naveh-Benjamin, Moshe

2012-09-01

Older adults exhibit a deficit in associative long-term memory relative to younger adults. However, the literature is inconclusive regarding whether this deficit is attenuated in short-term/working memory. To elucidate the issue, three experiments assessed younger and older adults' item and interitem associative memory and the effects of several variables that might potentially contribute to the inconsistent pattern of results in previous studies. In Experiment 1, participants were tested on item and associative recognition memory with both long-term and short-term retention intervals in a single, continuous recognition paradigm. There was an associative deficit for older adults in the short-term and long-term intervals. Using only short-term intervals, Experiment 2 utilized mixed and blocked test designs to examine the effect of test event salience. Blocking the test did not attenuate the age-related associative deficit seen in the mixed test blocks. Finally, an age-related associative deficit was found in Experiment 3, under both sequential and simultaneous presentation conditions. Even while accounting for some methodological issues, the associative deficit of older adults is evident in short-term/working memory.

Divergent short- and long-term effects of acute stress in object recognition memory are mediated by endogenous opioid system activation.

PubMed

Nava-Mesa, Mauricio O; Lamprea, Marisol R; Múnera, Alejandro

2013-11-01

Acute stress induces short-term object recognition memory impairment and elicits endogenous opioid system activation. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate whether opiate system activation mediates the acute stress-induced object recognition memory changes. Adult male Wistar rats were trained in an object recognition task designed to test both short- and long-term memory. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive an intraperitoneal injection of saline, 1 mg/kg naltrexone or 3 mg/kg naltrexone, four and a half hours before the sample trial. Five minutes after the injection, half the subjects were submitted to movement restraint during four hours while the other half remained in their home cages. Non-stressed subjects receiving saline (control) performed adequately during the short-term memory test, while stressed subjects receiving saline displayed impaired performance. Naltrexone prevented such deleterious effect, in spite of the fact that it had no intrinsic effect on short-term object recognition memory. Stressed subjects receiving saline and non-stressed subjects receiving naltrexone performed adequately during the long-term memory test; however, control subjects as well as stressed subjects receiving a high dose of naltrexone performed poorly. Control subjects' dissociated performance during both memory tests suggests that the short-term memory test induced a retroactive interference effect mediated through light opioid system activation; such effect was prevented either by low dose naltrexone administration or by strongly activating the opioid system through acute stress. Both short-term memory retrieval impairment and long-term memory improvement observed in stressed subjects may have been mediated through strong opioid system activation, since they were prevented by high dose naltrexone administration. Therefore, the activation of the opioid system plays a dual modulating role in object recognition memory. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Does the Linguistic Distance between Spoken and Standard Language in Arabic Affect Recall and Recognition Performances during Verbal Memory Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taha, Haitham

2017-01-01

The current research examined how Arabic diglossia affects verbal learning memory. Thirty native Arab college students were tested using auditory verbal memory test that was adapted according to the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and developed in three versions: Pure spoken language version (SL), pure standard language version (SA), and…

Retrieval practice improves memory in multiple sclerosis: clinical application of the testing effect.

PubMed

Sumowski, James F; Chiaravalloti, Nancy; Deluca, John

2010-03-01

The testing effect is a robust cognitive phenomenon by which memory retrieval on a test improves subsequent recall more than restudying. Also known as retrieval practice, the testing effect has been studied almost exclusively in healthy undergraduates. The current study investigated whether retrieval practice during testing leads to better delayed recall than restudy among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurologic disease associated with memory dysfunction. In a within-subjects design, 32 persons with MS and 16 demographically matched healthy controls (HC) studied 48 verbal paired associates (VPA) divided across 3 learning conditions: massed restudy (MR), spaced restudy (SR), and spaced testing (ST). Delayed VPA cued recall was measured after 45 min. There was a large main effect of learning condition (etap2 = .54, p < .001) such that both MS and HC participants produced better delayed recall for VPAs learned through ST relative to MR and SR; and SR relative to MR. This same pattern was observed for MS participants with objective memory impairment (n = 16), thereby providing the first evidence that retrieval practice improves memory more than restudy among persons with neurologically based memory impairment. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved

Slow-oscillatory Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Memory in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy by Altering Sleep Spindle Generators: A Possible Rehabilitation Tool.

PubMed

Del Felice, Alessandra; Magalini, Alessandra; Masiero, Stefano

2015-01-01

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is often associated with memory deficits. Given the putative role for sleep spindles memory consolidation, spindle generators skewed toward the affected lobe in TLE subjects may be a neurophysiological marker of defective memory. Slow-oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation (sotDCS) during slow waves sleep (SWS) has previously been shown to enhance sleep-dependent memory consolidation by increasing slow-wave sleep and modulating sleep spindles. To test if anodal sotDCS over the affected TL prior to a nap affects sleep spindles and whether this improves memory consolidation. Randomized controlled cross-over study. 12 people with TLE underwent sotDCS (0.75 Hz; 0-250 μV, 30 min) or sham before daytime nap. Declarative verbal and visuospatial learning were tested. Fast and slow spindle signals were recorded by 256-channel EEG during sleep. In both study arms, electrical source imaging (ESI) localized cortical generators. Neuropsychological data were analyzed with general linear model statistics or the Kruskal-Wallis test (P or Z < 0.05), and neurophysiological data tested with the Mann-Whitney t test and binomial distribution test (P or Z < 0.05). An improvement in declarative (P = 0.05) and visuospatial memory performance (P = 0.048) emerged after sotDCS. SotDCS increased slow spindle generators current density (Z = 0.001), with a shift to the anterior cortical areas. Anodal sotDCS over the affected temporal lobe improves declarative and visuospatial memory performance by modulating slow sleep spindles cortical source generators. SotDCS appears a promising tool for memory rehabilitation in people with TLE. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rhythmic Activity and Individual Variability in Recognition Memory: Theta Oscillations Correlate with Performance whereas Alpha Oscillations Correlate with ERPs.

PubMed

Chen, Yvonne Y; Caplan, Jeremy B

2017-01-01

During study trials of a recognition memory task, alpha (∼10 Hz) oscillations decrease, and concurrently, theta (4-8 Hz) oscillations increase when later memory is successful versus unsuccessful (subsequent memory effect). Likewise, at test, reduced alpha and increased theta activity are associated with successful memory (retrieval success effect). Here we take an individual-differences approach to test three hypotheses about theta and alpha oscillations in verbal, old/new recognition, measuring the difference in oscillations between hit trials and miss trials. First, we test the hypothesis that theta and alpha oscillations have a moderately mutually exclusive relationship; but no support for this hypothesis was found. Second, we test the hypothesis that theta oscillations explain not only memory effects within participants, but also individual differences. Supporting this prediction, durations of theta (but not alpha) oscillations at study and at test correlated significantly with d' across participants. Third, we test the hypothesis that theta and alpha oscillations reflect familiarity and recollection processes by comparing oscillation measures to ERPs that are implicated in familiarity and recollection. The alpha-oscillation effects correlated with some ERP measures, but inversely, suggesting that the actions of alpha oscillations on memory processes are distinct from the roles of familiarity- and recollection-linked ERP signals. The theta-oscillation measures, despite differentiating hits from misses, did not correlate with any ERP measure; thus, theta oscillations may reflect elaborative processes not tapped by recollection-related ERPs. Our findings are consistent with alpha oscillations reflecting visual inattention, which can modulate memory, and with theta oscillations supporting recognition memory in ways that complement the most commonly studied ERPs.

Holocaust Survivors' Memories of Past Trauma and the Functions of Reminiscence.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Norm; Canham, Sarah; Wertman, Annette; Chaudhury, Habib; Carmel, Sara; Bachner, Yaacov G; Peres, Hagit

2016-08-01

Existing research suggests that specific ways of recalling autobiographical memories of one's past cluster in self-positive, self-negative, and prosocial reminiscence functions. We undertook the present qualitative study to gain understanding of reminiscence functions as described by 269 Israeli Holocaust survivors and to see whether groupings of themes that emerged would correspond to our tripartite model of the reminiscence functions. Participants (M = 80.4 years; SD = 6.87) were asked to describe memories that typify a reminiscence function in which they frequently or very frequently engage. Thematic analyses were conducted in English (translated) and Hebrew. Responses reflect the range of ways in which Holocaust survivors reminisce. The task of describing early life memories was difficult for some participants, while others' lived experiences enabled them to teach others to ensure that their collective memory remains in the consciousness of the next generation of Israelis and the Jewish state. Data are imbued with examples of horror, resilience, generativity, and gratitude. As hypothesized, survivors' memories cluster in self-positive, self-negative, and prosocial groupings consistent with the tripartite model of reminiscence functions. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

What success can teach us about failure: the plasma metabolome of older adults with superior memory and lessons for Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Mapstone, Mark; Lin, Feng; Nalls, Mike A; Cheema, Amrita K; Singleton, Andrew B; Fiandaca, Massimo S; Federoff, Howard J

2017-03-01

As the world population ages, primary prevention of age-related cognitive decline and disability will become increasingly important. Prevention strategies are often developed from an understanding of disease pathobiology, but models of biological success may provide additional useful insights. Here, we studied 224 older adults, some with superior memory performance (n = 41), some with normal memory performance (n = 109), and some with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 74) to understand metabolomic differences which might inform future interventions to promote cognitive health. Plasma metabolomics revealed significant differential abundance of 12 metabolites in those with superior memory relative to controls (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve [AUC] = 0.89) and the inverse abundance pattern in the mild cognitive impairment, AD (AUC = 1.0) and even preclinical AD groups relative to controls (AUC = 0.97). The 12 metabolites are components of key metabolic pathways regulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and nitric oxide bioavailability. These findings from opposite ends of the cognitive continuum highlight the role of these pathways in superior memory abilities and whose failure may contribute to age-related memory impairment. These pathways may be targeted to promote successful cognitive aging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Memory accuracy predicts hippocampal mTOR pathway activation following retrieval of contextual fear memory.

PubMed

Gafford, Georgette M; Parsons, Ryan G; Helmstetter, Fred J

2013-09-01

Prior work suggests that hippocampus-dependent memory undergoes a systems consolidation process such that recent memories are stored in the hippocampus, while older memories are independent of the hippocampus and instead dependent on cortical areas. One problem with interpreting these studies is that memory for the contextual stimuli weakens as time passes between the training event and testing and older memories are often less detailed, making it difficult to determine if memory storage in the hippocampus is related to the age or to the accuracy of the memory. Activity of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is known to be important for controlling protein translation necessary for both memory consolidation after initial learning and for the reconsolidation of memory after retrieval. We tested whether p70s6 kinase (p70s6K), a key component of the mTOR signaling pathway, is activated following retrieval of context fear memory in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) at 1, 10, or 36 days after context fear conditioning. We also tested whether strengthening memory for the contextual stimuli changed p70s6K phosphorylation in these structures 36 days after training. We show that under standard training conditions retrieval of a recently formed memory is initially precise and involves the DH. Over time it loses detail, becomes independent of the DH and depends on the ACC. In a subsequent experiment, we preserved the accuracy of older memories through pre-exposure to the training context. We show that remote memory still involved the DH in animals given pre-exposure. These data support the notion that detailed memories depend on the DH regardless of their age. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Delayed-matching-to-place Task in a Dry Maze to Measure Spatial Working Memory in Mice

PubMed Central

Feng, Xi; Krukowski, Karen; Jopson, Timothy; Rosi, Susanna

2017-01-01

The delayed-matching-to-place (DMP) dry maze test is a variant of DMP water maze (Steele and Morris, 1999; Faizi et al., 2012) which measures spatial working/episodic-like learning and memory that depends on both hippocampal and cortical functions (Wang and Morris, 2010; Euston et al., 2012). Using this test we can detect normal aging related spatial working memory decline, as well as trauma induced working memory deficits. Furthermore, we recently reported that fractionated whole brain irradiation does not affect working memory in mice (Feng et al., 2016). Here we describe the experimental setup and procedures of this behavioral test. PMID:28944261

Cognitive effects of methylphenidate and levodopa in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Linssen, A M W; Sambeth, A; Vuurman, E F P M; Riedel, W J

2014-02-01

Our previous study showed enhanced declarative memory consolidation after acute methylphenidate (MPH) administration. The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the duration of this effect. Secondary, the dopaminergic contribution of MPH effects, the electrophysiological correlates of declarative memory, and the specificity of memory enhancing effects of MPH to declarative memory were assessed. Effects of 40 mg of MPH on memory performance were compared to 100mg of levodopa (LEV) in a placebo-controlled crossover study with 30 healthy volunteers. Memory performance testing included a word learning test, the Sternberg memory scanning task, a paired associates learning task, and a spatial working memory task. During the word learning test, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were measured. MPH failed to enhance retention of words at a 30 min delay, but it improved 24 h delayed memory recall relative to PLA and LEV. Furthermore, during encoding, the P3b and P600 ERP latencies were prolonged and the P600 amplitude was larger after LEV compared to PLA and MPH. MPH speeded response times on the Sternberg Memory Scanning task and improved performance on the Paired Associates Learning task, relative to LEV, but not PLA. Performance on the Spatial working memory task was not affected by the treatments. These findings suggest that MPH and LEV might have opposite effects on memory. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. and ECNP.

Memory for the perceptual and semantic attributes of information in pure amnesic and severe closed-head injured patients.

PubMed

Carlesimo, Giovanni A; Bonanni, Rita; Caltagirone, Carlo

2003-05-01

This study investigated the hypothesis that brain damaged patients with memory disorder are poorer at remembering the semantic than the perceptual attributes of information. Eight patients with memory impairment of different etiology and 24 patients with chronic consequences of severe closed-head injury were compared to similarly sized age- and literacy-matched normal control groups on recognition tests for the physical aspect and the semantic identity of words and pictures lists. In order to avoid interpretative problems deriving from different absolute levels of performance, study conditions were manipulated across subjects to obtain comparable accuracy on the perceptual recognition tests in the memory disordered and control groups. The results of the Picture Recognition test were consistent with the hypothesis. Indeed, having more time for the stimulus encoding, the two memory disordered groups performed at the same level as the normal subjects on the perceptual test but significantly lower on the semantic test. Instead, on the Word Recognition test, following study condition manipulation, patients and controls performed similarly on both the perceptual and the semantic tests. These data only partially support the hypothesis of the study; rather they suggest that in memory disordered patients there is a reduction of the advantage, exhibited by normal controls, of retrieving pictures over words (picture superiority effect).

Criteria for identifying the molecular basis of the engram (CaMKII, PKMzeta).

PubMed

Lisman, John

2017-11-29

The engram refers to the molecular changes by which a memory is stored in the brain. Substantial evidence suggests that memory involves learning-dependent changes at synapses, a process termed long-term potentiation (LTP). Thus, understanding the storages process that underlies LTP may provide insight into how the engram is stored. LTP involves induction, maintenance (storage), and expression sub-processes; special tests are required to specifically reveal properties of the storage process. The strongest of these is the Erasure test in which a transiently applied agent that attacks a putative storage molecule may lead to persistent erasure of previously induced LTP/memory. Two major hypotheses have been proposed for LTP/memory storage: the CaMKII and PKM-zeta hypotheses. After discussing the tests that can be used to identify the engram (Necessity test, Saturation/Occlusion test, Erasure test), the status of these hypotheses is evaluated, based on the literature on LTP and memory-guided behavior. Review of the literature indicates that all three tests noted above support the CaMKII hypothesis when done at both the LTP level and at the behavioral level. Taken together, the results strongly suggest that the engram is stored by an LTP process in which CaMKII is a critical memory storage molecule.

Examining Material Culture through American Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singleton, Laurel R., Ed.

2002-01-01

This publication contains teaching ideas generated by classroom teachers. For grades K-5, newsletter editor Laurel R. Singleton explains how students can explore the quilt as a metaphor used in literature to represent American values and ideals (the lesson is adaptable for all age groups). For grades 5-8, social studies teacher Claire McCaffery…

Just a Body in a Wheelchair

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, Betty

2014-01-01

This article has no direct link with academics, children, students or those who teach: I severed almost all such connections several years ago. It describes the rewards and challenges of leading a reminiscence group of elderly people, all of whom suffer some level of memory loss and/or severe physical disability; most are wheelchair-bound. It…

Teaching in the Downturn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holladay, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Few of today's teachers can remember an economic situation quite like the one everyone now faces. To find analogies for the collapse of the housing bubble and the subsequent credit crisis, one has to search not his or her memories but the textbooks. "The Great Gatsby" and "The Grapes of Wrath" suddenly make more sense now. Generations of students…

Memorisation Methods in Science Education: Tactics to Improve the Teaching and Learning Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pals, Frits F. B.; Tolboom, Jos L. J.; Suhre, Cor J. M.; van Geert, Paul L. C.

2018-01-01

How can science teachers support students in developing an appropriate declarative knowledge base for solving problems? This article focuses on the question whether the development of students' memory of scientific propositions is better served by writing propositions down on paper or by making drawings of propositions either by silent or…

Teaching Awareness of Strategic Behavior in Combination with Strategy Training: Effects on Children's Memory Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramer, Jack J.; Engle, Randall W.

1981-01-01

Examined the effectiveness of rehearsal training and strategy awareness to train groups of mildly retarded and normal children in using mature information processing techniques. Recall scores on a training task were influenced by rehearsal training, but neither the rehearsal and strategy conditions nor their combination influenced recognition of…

Identifying Simple Numerical Stimuli: Processing Inefficiencies Exhibited by Arithmetic Learning Disabled Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koontz, Kristine L.; Berch, Daniel B.

1996-01-01

Children with arithmetic learning disabilities (n=16) and normally achieving controls (n=16) in grades 3-5 were administered a battery of computerized tasks. Memory spans for both letters and digits were found to be smaller among the arithmetic learning disabled children. Implications for teaching are discussed. (Author/CMS)

Using Students' Racial Memories to Teach about Racial Inequality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macomber, Kris; Rusche, Sarah Nell

2010-01-01

As teachers, the authors' lessons about contemporary racial inequality are complicated and contradicted by the rhetoric of color-blindness--the belief that race no longer matters for determining life chances--entrenched in the culture. Students remain attracted to notions of racism as a problem of the "past" and often reject the idea that racism…

Two Arts. Revision and What It Leaves behind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booten, Kyle

2012-01-01

Inspired by an experience of teaching the drafts of Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art", this article rereads the drafts as far more than imperfect precursors to the final poem. The drafts have their own prosodic features and poetic logic, one that values and enacts a vertiginous dilation of thought, expression and memory. The final version of…

Just Imagine...Improving the Band Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zerull, David S.

1992-01-01

Discusses the use of imagination as a tool to improve students' musicianship. Suggests that imagery can be used to teach intonation, tone color, sight-reading, and expression. Describes active listening in which the students must use musical memory and participate in musical expression to produce a certain sound that may be difficult to describe.…

Domain-Specific Knowledge and Why Teaching Generic Skills Does Not Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tricot, André; Sweller, John

2014-01-01

Domain-general cognitive knowledge has frequently been used to explain skill when domain-specific knowledge held in long-term memory may provide a better explanation. An emphasis on domain-general knowledge may be misplaced if domain-specific knowledge is the primary factor driving acquired intellectual skills. We trace the long history of…

Community Inquiry and Curriculum Development: A Relevant Education for Teachers about the Vietnam War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dentith, Audrey M.; McCarry, David S.

2003-01-01

In this article, the authors describe an innovative university-based project that connected graduate-level, preservice, and beginning teachers enrolled in a curriculum class for secondary and elementary teaching certification with a community-based war museum memorial and educational center. The course required these teachers to construct units on…

Contribution to Vocabulary Learning via Mobiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khazaie, Saeed; Ketabi, Saeed

2011-01-01

As mobile connectedness continues to sweep across the landscape, the value of deploying mobile technology at the service of learning and teaching seems to be both self-evident and unavoidable. To this end, this study employed multimedia to develop three types of vocabulary learning materials. Due to the importance of short-term memory in the realm…

Creating a Past in the Present. Memory, Identity and Teaching in Post-Dictatorship Argentina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedrich, Daniel Sergio

2010-01-01

The dissertation concerns the pedagogical discursive practices that, since the end of the last military dictatorship in Argentina, have generated principles about who is the "responsible citizen" and what constitutes democratic conduct. The focusing is on national education laws and congressional debates, textbooks, and public memorial…

Memories of a Chicken-and-a-Half

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulman, Steven M.

2012-01-01

The author's teaching goal is always to make certain that his students, children and adults alike, have some reason for joining him on his mathematical journeys. The lesson he describes in this article provides him with the unusual opportunity to call attention to strategies that have had a long history and remarkable results. With careful…

Teaching in the Downturn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holladay, Jennifer; Lockette, Tim

2009-01-01

Few of today's teachers can remember an economic situation quite like the one individuals now face. To find analogies for the collapse of the housing bubble and the subsequent credit crisis, they have to search not their memories but their textbooks. "The Great Gatsby" and "The Grapes of Wrath" suddenly make more sense now. What will happen next?…

Switzerland and the Holocaust: Teaching Contested History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schar, Bernhard C.; Sperisen, Vera

2010-01-01

This study is about a history textbook which introduces the new transnational master-narrative of Holocaust memory into the classrooms of the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The script of the book entails a replacement of the formerly dominant view of Switzerland as a neutral nation resisting evil in favour of an image that aligns Switzerland…

Examination of Tablet Usage by 4 Years Old Pre-School Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bengisoy, Ayse

2017-01-01

Accurate usage of tablet etc. devices in growth period is essential in terms of development performance. Tablet usage for education and teaching supports audio-visual memory; however, an examination of the consequences of continued usage reveals serious problems. Technology is essential in terms of communication and reaching information in the…

The Golden Age of Academe: Myth or Memory?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tight, Malcolm

2010-01-01

Was there ever a golden age of academe: a time when academics were able to pursue their own interests, had relatively light and undemanding teaching responsibilities, and enjoyed widespread respect from both the general public and policy makers? This article explores that question, primarily in the context of the United Kingdom, but with some…

Truth, Memory, Selectivity: Understanding Historical Work by Writing Personal Histories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koerber, Duncan

2013-01-01

This paper considers the use of a simple assignment, the personal narrative, in teaching students the discursive issues involved in doing academic history. Focusing on autobiography, I present the results of a survey of Canadian university students into their experiences with writing personal histories. Specifically, the survey asked students to…

Is lorazepam-induced amnesia specific to the type of memory or to the task used to assess it?

PubMed

File, S E; Sharma, R; Shaffer, J

1992-01-01

Retrieval tasks can be classified along a continuum from conceptually driven (relying on the encoded meaning of the material) to data driven (relying on the perceptual record and surface features of the material). Since most explicit memory tests are conceptually driven and most implicit memory tests are data driven there has been considerable confounding of the memory system being assessed and the processing required by the retrieval task. The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the effects of lorazepam on explicit memory, using both types of retrieval task. Lorazepam (2.5 mg) or matched placebo was administered to healthy volunteers and changes in subjective mood ratings and in performance in tests of memory were measured. Lorazepam made subjects significantly more drowsy, feeble, clumsy, muzzy, lethargic and mentally slow. Lorazepam significantly impaired recognition memory for slides, impaired the number of words remembered when the retrieval was cued by the first two letters and reduced the number of pictures remembered when retention was cued with picture fragments. Thus episodic memory was impaired whether the task used was conceptually driven (as in slide recognition) or data driven, as in the other two tasks. Analyses of covariance indicated that the memory impairments were independent of increased sedation, as assessed by self-ratings. In contrast to the deficits in episodic memory, there were no lorazepam-induced impairments in tests of semantic memory, whether this was measured in the conceptually driven task of category generation or in the data-driven task of wordstem completion.

Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil inhalation prevents memory impairment, anxiety and depression in scopolamine-treated rats.

PubMed

Bagci, Eyup; Aydin, Emel; Ungureanu, Eugen; Hritcu, Lucian

2016-12-01

Anthriscus nemorosa (Bieb.) Sprengel is used for medicinal purposes in traditional medicine around the world, including Turkey. Ethnobotanical studies suggest that Anthriscus essential oil could improve memory in Alzheimer's disease. The current study was hypothesized to investigate the beneficial effects of inhaled Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil on memory, anxiety and depression in scopolamine-treated rats. Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil was administered by inhalation in the doses of 1% and 3% for 21 continuous days and scopolamine (0.7mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 30min before the behavioral testing. Y-maze and radial arm-maze tests were used for assessing memory processes. Also, the anxiety and depressive responses were studied by elevated plus-maze and forced swimming tests. As expected, the scopolamine alone-treated rats exhibited the following: decrease the percentage of the spontaneous alternation in Y-maze test, increase the number of working and reference memory errors in radial arm-maze test, decrease of the exploratory activity, the percentage of the time spent and the number of entries in the open arm within elevated plus-maze test and decrease of swimming time and increase of immobility time within forced swimming test. However, dual scopolamine and Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil-treated rats showed significant improvement of memory formation and exhibited anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in scopolamine-treated rats. These results suggest that Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil inhalation can prevent scopolamine-induced memory impairment, anxiety and depression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Diminishing-cues retrieval practice: A memory-enhancing technique that works when regular testing doesn't.

PubMed

Fiechter, Joshua L; Benjamin, Aaron S

2017-08-28

Retrieval practice has been shown to be a highly effective tool for enhancing memory, a fact that has led to major changes to educational practice and technology. However, when initial learning is poor, initial retrieval practice is unlikely to be successful and long-term benefits of retrieval practice are compromised or nonexistent. Here, we investigate the benefit of a scaffolded retrieval technique called diminishing-cues retrieval practice (Finley, Benjamin, Hays, Bjork, & Kornell, Journal of Memory and Language, 64, 289-298, 2011). Under learning conditions that favored a strong testing effect, diminishing cues and standard retrieval practice both enhanced memory performance relative to restudy. Critically, under learning conditions where standard retrieval practice was not helpful, diminishing cues enhanced memory performance substantially. These experiments demonstrate that diminishing-cues retrieval practice can widen the range of conditions under which testing can benefit memory, and so can serve as a model for the broader application of testing-based techniques for enhancing learning.

Genetic and Environmental Architecture of Changes in Episodic Memory from Middle to Late Middle Age

PubMed Central

Panizzon, Matthew S.; Neale, Michael C.; Docherty, Anna R.; Franz, Carol E.; Jacobson, Kristen C.; Toomey, Rosemary; Xian, Hong; Vasilopoulos, Terrie; Rana, Brinda K.; McKenzie, Ruth M.; Lyons, Michael J.; Kremen, William S.

2015-01-01

Episodic memory is a complex construct at both the phenotypic and genetic level. Ample evidence supports age-related cognitive stability and change being accounted for by general and domain-specific factors. We hypothesized that general and specific factors would underlie change even within this single cognitive domain. We examined six measures from three episodic memory tests in a narrow age cohort at middle and late middle age. The factor structure was invariant across occasions. At both timepoints two of three test-specific factors (story recall, design recall) had significant genetic influences independent of the general memory factor. Phenotypic stability was moderate to high, and primarily accounted for by genetic influences, except for one test-specific factor (list learning). Mean change over time was nonsignificant for one test-level factor; one declined; one improved. The results highlight the phenotypic and genetic complexity of memory and memory change, and shed light on an understudied period of life. PMID:25938244

A simple spatial working memory and attention test on paired symbols shows developmental deficits in schizophrenia patients.

PubMed

Song, Wei; Zhang, Kai; Sun, Jinhua; Ma, Lina; Jesse, Forrest Fabian; Teng, Xiaochun; Zhou, Ying; Bao, Hechen; Chen, Shiqing; Wang, Shuai; Yang, Beimeng; Chu, Xixia; Ding, Wenhua; Du, Yasong; Cheng, Zaohuo; Wu, Bin; Chen, Shanguang; He, Guang; He, Lin; Chen, Xiaoping; Li, Weidong

2013-01-01

People with neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia often display deficits in spatial working memory and attention. Evaluating working memory and attention in schizophrenia patients is usually based on traditional tasks and the interviewer's judgment. We developed a simple Spatial Working Memory and Attention Test on Paired Symbols (SWAPS). It takes only several minutes to complete, comprising 101 trials for each subject. In this study, we tested 72 schizophrenia patients and 188 healthy volunteers in China. In a healthy control group with ages ranging from 12 to 60, the efficiency score (accuracy divided by reaction time) reached a peak in the 20-27 age range and then declined with increasing age. Importantly, schizophrenia patients failed to display this developmental trend in the same age range and adults had significant deficits compared to the control group. Our data suggests that this simple Spatial Working Memory and Attention Test on Paired Symbols can be a useful tool for studies of spatial working memory and attention in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Genetic and environmental architecture of changes in episodic memory from middle to late middle age.

PubMed

Panizzon, Matthew S; Neale, Michael C; Docherty, Anna R; Franz, Carol E; Jacobson, Kristen C; Toomey, Rosemary; Xian, Hong; Vasilopoulos, Terrie; Rana, Brinda K; McKenzie, Ruth; Lyons, Michael J; Kremen, William S

2015-06-01

Episodic memory is a complex construct at both the phenotypic and genetic level. Ample evidence supports age-related cognitive stability and change being accounted for by general and domain-specific factors. We hypothesized that general and specific factors would underlie change even within this single cognitive domain. We examined 6 measures from 3 episodic memory tests in a narrow age cohort at middle and late middle age. The factor structure was invariant across occasions. At both timepoints 2 of 3 test-specific factors (story recall, design recall) had significant genetic influences independent of the general memory factor. Phenotypic stability was moderate to high, and primarily accounted for by genetic influences, except for 1 test-specific factor (list learning). Mean change over time was nonsignificant for 1 test-level factor; 1 declined; 1 improved. The results highlight the phenotypic and genetic complexity of memory and memory change, and shed light on an understudied period of life. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Cross-cultural differences in memory: the role of culture-based stereotypes about aging.

PubMed

Yoon, C; Hasher, L; Feinberg, F; Rahhal, T A; Winocur, G

2000-12-01

The extent to which cultural stereotypes about aging contribute to age differences in memory performance is investigated by comparing younger and older Anglophone Canadians to demographically matched Chinese Canadians, who tend to hold more positive views of aging. Four memory tests were administered. In contrast to B. Levy and E. Langer's (1994) findings, younger adults in both cultural groups outperformed their older comparison group on all memory tests. For 2 tests, which made use of visual stimuli resembling ideographic characters in written Chinese, the older Chinese Canadians approached, but did not reach, the performance achieved by their younger counterparts, as well as outperformed the older Anglophone Canadians. However, on the other two tests, which assess memory for complex figures and abstract designs, no differences were observed between the older Chinese and Anglophone Canadians. Path analysis results suggest that this pattern of findings is not easily attributed to a wholly culturally based account of age differences in memory performance.

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition.

PubMed

Gudde, Harmen B; Griffiths, Debra; Coventry, Kenny R

2018-02-19

The memory game paradigm is a behavioral procedure to explore the relationship between language, spatial memory, and object knowledge. Using two different versions of the paradigm, spatial language use and memory for object location are tested under different, experimentally manipulated conditions. This allows us to tease apart proposed models explaining the influence of object knowledge on spatial language (e.g., spatial demonstratives), and spatial memory, as well as understanding the parameters that affect demonstrative choice and spatial memory more broadly. Key to the development of the method was the need to collect data on language use (e.g., spatial demonstratives: "this/that") and spatial memory data under strictly controlled conditions, while retaining a degree of ecological validity. The language version (section 3.1) of the memory game tests how conditions affect language use. Participants refer verbally to objects placed at different locations (e.g., using spatial demonstratives: "this/that red circle"). Different parameters can be experimentally manipulated: the distance from the participant, the position of a conspecific, and for example whether the participant owns, knows, or sees the object while referring to it. The same parameters can be manipulated in the memory version of the memory game (section 3.2). This version tests the effects of the different conditions on object-location memory. Following object placement, participants get 10 seconds to memorize the object's location. After the object and location cues are removed, participants verbally direct the experimenter to move a stick to indicate where the object was. The difference between the memorized and the actual location shows the direction and strength of the memory error, allowing comparisons between the influences of the respective parameters.

Hippocampal Contribution to Implicit Configuration Memory Expressed via Eye Movements During Scene Exploration

PubMed Central

Ryals, Anthony J.; Wang, Jane X.; Polnaszek, Kelly L.; Voss, Joel L.

2015-01-01

Although hippocampus unequivocally supports explicit/ declarative memory, fewer findings have demonstrated its role in implicit expressions of memory. We tested for hippocampal contributions to an implicit expression of configural/relational memory for complex scenes using eye-movement tracking during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. Participants studied scenes and were later tested using scenes that resembled study scenes in their overall feature configuration but comprised different elements. These configurally similar scenes were used to limit explicit memory, and were intermixed with new scenes that did not resemble studied scenes. Scene configuration memory was expressed through eye movements reflecting exploration overlap (EO), which is the viewing of the same scene locations at both study and test. EO reliably discriminated similar study-test scene pairs from study-new scene pairs, was reliably greater for similarity-based recognition hits than for misses, and correlated with hippocampal fMRI activity. In contrast, subjects could not reliably discriminate similar from new scenes by overt judgments, although ratings of familiarity were slightly higher for similar than new scenes. Hippocampal fMRI correlates of this weak explicit memory were distinct from EO-related activity. These findings collectively suggest that EO was an implicit expression of scene configuration memory associated with hippocampal activity. Visual exploration can therefore reflect implicit hippocampal-related memory processing that can be observed in eye-movement behavior during naturalistic scene viewing. PMID:25620526

Phonological awareness and the working memory of children with and without literacy difficulties.

PubMed

Cardoso, Andreia Martins de Souza; Silva, Mônica Marins da; Pereira, Mônica Medeiros de Britto

2013-01-01

To investigate phonological awareness and working memory skills as well as their influence on the literacy process in a group of intellectually normal children. Forty intellectually normal children (7.6-8.0 years) from the second and third grades of elementary school participated. Children were organized in two groups (20 children each): one with and another without literacy difficulties. These participants underwent RAVEN's intelligence quotient test, audiometric assessment, CONFIAS test of phonological awareness, written spelling task, and working memory test. Children in the alphabetic phase presented a good development of phonological awareness, and 85% of them showed a high-performance working memory. Children in the syllabic-alphabetic phase had changes in phonological awareness, and 91.6% of them showed an average working memory performance. The subjects at pre-syllabic and syllabic phases demonstrated more difficulties in phonological awareness than those at syllabic-alphabetic and had a poor working memory performance. Between-group differences were observed for CONFIAS and working memory tests (p<0.0001). There was also a significant correlation (r=0.78, p=0.01) between the skills of phonological awareness and working memory for the total sample of individuals. Based on these results, it was found that as phonological awareness and working memory levels increased, the literacy phase also advanced, therefore showing that these are directly proportional measures.

[Selective alteration of the declarative memory systems in patients treated with a high number of electroconvulsive therapy sessions].

PubMed

Rami-González, L; Boget-Llucià, T; Bernardo, M; Marcos, T; Cañizares-Alejos, S; Penadés, R; Portella, M J; Castelví, M; Raspall, T; Salamero, M

The reversible electrochemical effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on specific areas of the brain enable the neuroanatomical bases of some cognitive functions to be studied. In research carried out on memory systems, a selective alteration of the declarative ones has been observed after treatment with ECT. Little work has been done to explore the differential alteration of the memory subsystems in patients with a high number of ECT sessions. AIM. To study the declarative and non declarative memory system in psychiatric patients submitted to maintenance ECT treatment, with a high number of previous ECT sessions. 20 patients submitted to treatment with ECT (10 diagnosed as having depression and 10 with schizophrenia) and 20 controls, who were paired by age, sex and psychopathological diagnosis. For the evaluation of the declarative memory system, the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) logical memory test was used. The Hanoi Tower procedural test was employed to evaluate the non declarative system. Patients treated with ECT performed worse in the WMS logical memory test, but this was only significant in patients diagnosed as suffering from depression. No significant differences were observed in the Hanoi Tower test. A selective alteration of the declarative systems was observed in patients who had been treated with a high number of ECT sessions, while the non declarative memory systems remain unaffected.

Benefits from retrieval practice are greater for students with lower working memory capacity.

PubMed

Agarwal, Pooja K; Finley, Jason R; Rose, Nathan S; Roediger, Henry L

2017-07-01

We examined the effects of retrieval practice for students who varied in working memory capacity as a function of the lag between study of material and its initial test, whether or not feedback was given after the test, and the retention interval of the final test. We sought to determine whether a blend of these conditions exists that maximises benefits from retrieval practice for lower and higher working memory capacity students. College students learned general knowledge facts and then restudied the facts or were tested on them (with or without feedback) at lags of 0-9 intervening items. Final cued recall performance was better for tested items than for restudied items after both 10 minutes and 2 days, particularly for longer study-test lags. Furthermore, on the 2-day delayed test the benefits from retrieval practice with feedback were significantly greater for students with lower working memory capacity than for students with higher working memory capacity (r = -.42). Retrieval practice may be an especially effective learning strategy for lower ability students.

Effects of the antidepressant drug moclobemide on learning and memory in rats.

PubMed

Getova, D; Dimitrova, D; Roukounakis, I

2003-12-01

Moclobemide is a well known drug with antidepressant action. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of moclobemide on learning and memory processes in Sprague Dawley rats. Over a 5-day period, learning sessions with 30 trials per day and memory retention tests were performed. The conditioned responses (avoidances), the unconditioned responses (escapes) and the intertrial crossings were observed. An active avoidance test was carried out using a shuttle box. Two passive avoidance tests were used: step-through (using a light chamber) and step-down (using a platform). In the step-through passive avoidance test, the learning and retention sessions consisted of three trials each and the latency of reaction times (the rat remaining in the light chamber for more than 180 sec) was used as criterion. In the step-down passive avoidance test, learning and retention sessions consisted of two trials and the latency of reaction times (the rat remaining on the platform for 60 sec) was used as criterion. In the active avoidance tests, moclobemide dose-dependently increased the number of avoidances during learning sessions and maintained this number in memory retention tests. Moclobemide did not alter the number of escapes, but did increase motor activity. In the passive avoidance tests, moclobemide also increased the latency of reaction times in learning and short memory retrieval tests. These findings suggest that moclobemide improves learning and memory processes in active and passive avoidance tests and has a cognition-enhancing effect. (c) 2003 Prous Science

Monkeys recall and reproduce simple shapes from memory.

PubMed

Basile, Benjamin M; Hampton, Robert R

2011-05-10

If you draw from memory a picture of the front of your childhood home, you will have demonstrated recall. You could also recognize this house upon seeing it. Unlike recognition, recall demonstrates memory for things that are not present. Recall is necessary for planning and imagining, and it can increase the flexibility of navigation, social behavior, and other cognitive skills. Without recall, memory is more limited to recognition of the immediate environment. Amnesic patients are impaired on recall tests [1, 2], and recall performance often declines with aging [3]. Despite its importance, we know relatively little about nonhuman animals' ability to recall information; we lack suitable recall tests for them and depend instead on recognition tests to measure nonhuman memory. Here we report that rhesus monkeys can recall simple shapes from memory and reproduce them on a touchscreen. As in humans [4, 5], monkeys remembered less in recall than recognition tests, and their recall performance deteriorated more slowly. Transfer tests showed that monkeys used a flexible memory mechanism rather than memorizing specific actions for each shape. Observation of recall in Old World monkeys suggests that it has been adaptive for over 30 million years [6] and does not depend on language. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling the dynamics of recognition memory testing with an integrated model of retrieval and decision making.

PubMed

Osth, Adam F; Jansson, Anna; Dennis, Simon; Heathcote, Andrew

2018-08-01

A robust finding in recognition memory is that performance declines monotonically across test trials. Despite the prevalence of this decline, there is a lack of consensus on the mechanism responsible. Three hypotheses have been put forward: (1) interference is caused by learning of test items (2) the test items cause a shift in the context representation used to cue memory and (3) participants change their speed-accuracy thresholds through the course of testing. We implemented all three possibilities in a combined model of recognition memory and decision making, which inherits the memory retrieval elements of the Osth and Dennis (2015) model and uses the diffusion decision model (DDM: Ratcliff, 1978) to generate choice and response times. We applied the model to four datasets that represent three challenges, the findings that: (1) the number of test items plays a larger role in determining performance than the number of studied items, (2) performance decreases less for strong items than weak items in pure lists but not in mixed lists, and (3) lexical decision trials interspersed between recognition test trials do not increase the rate at which performance declines. Analysis of the model's parameter estimates suggests that item interference plays a weak role in explaining the effects of recognition testing, while context drift plays a very large role. These results are consistent with prior work showing a weak role for item noise in recognition memory and that retrieval is a strong cause of context change in episodic memory. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction between morphine and noradrenergic system of basolateral amygdala on anxiety and memory in the elevated plus-maze test based on a test-retest paradigm.

PubMed

Valizadegan, Farhad; Oryan, Shahrbanoo; Nasehi, Mohammad; Zarrindast, Mohammad Reza

2013-05-01

The amygdala is the key brain structure for anxiety and emotional memory storage. We examined the involvement of β-adrenoreceptors in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and their interaction with morphine in modulating these behaviors. The elevated plus-maze has been employed for investigating anxiety and memory. Male Wistar rats were used for this test. We injected morphine (4, 5, and 6 mg/kg) intraperitoneally, while salbutamol (albuterol) (1, 2, and 4 μg/rat) and propranolol (1, 2, and 4 μg/rat) were injected into the BLA. Open- arms time percentage (%OAT), open- arms entry percentage (%OAE), and locomotor activity were determined by this behavioral test. Retention was tested 24 hours later. Intraperitoneal injection of morphine (6 mg/kg) had an anxiolytic-like effect and improvement of memory. The highest dose of salbutamol decreased the anxiety parameters in test session and improved the memory in retest session. Coadministration of salbutamol and ineffective dose of morphine presenting anxiolytic response. In this case, the memory was improved. Intra-BLA administration of propranolol (4 μg/rat) decreased %OAT in the test session, while had no effect on memory formation. Coadministration of propranolol and morphine (6 mg/kg) showed an increase in %OAT. There was not any significant change in the above- mentioned parameter in the retest session. Coadministration of morphine and propranolol with the effective dose of salbutamol showed that propranolol could reverse anxiolytic-like effect. We found that opioidergic and β-adrenergic systems have the same effects on anxiety and memory in the BLA; but these effects are independent of each other.

Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-05-01

WE RECOMMEND Colour mixer This equipment offers a great way to demonstrate colour mixing. Semiconductor laser and modulated receiver unit A simple way to demonstrate the modulation of laser beams. Project: Zero Gravity This two-DVD set discusses the topic of weightlessness in space. Lascells materials hardness tester This well made tool gives reproducible results quickly. The practical guide to Man-Powered Bullets Build your own armoury with this rather eccentric guide. Lenz’s Law demonstration A cheap, cheerful and fun way to test Lenz’s Law. WORTH A LOOK Eye Tricks Take a trip down memory lane with this magic-eye book. Elementary Climate Physics An authoritative textbook on the physics of Earth’s climate. Representing Electrons This rather heavyweight book looks at the philosophy of physics. WEB WATCH If you want to inject some innovative ideas into your teaching of forces then look no further.

Intrusions and provoked and spontaneous confabulations on memory tests in Korsakoff's syndrome.

PubMed

Rensen, Yvonne C M; Oosterman, Joukje M; Walvoort, Serge J W; Eling, Paul A T M; Kessels, Roy P C

2017-03-01

Intrusions on verbal memory tests have been used as an index for clinical confabulation. Severe memory impairments in combination with executive dysfunction have been suggested to be the underlying mechanism of confabulation, but to date, this relation is unclear. The aim of this study was (a) to examine the relation between (different types of) intrusions and confabulations in a large sample of confabulating patients with Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) and (b) to investigate whether different measures of executive functioning and memory performance are related to provoked and spontaneous confabulation. The Dutch version of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) and various executive function and memory tests were administered to a group of 51 confabulating patients with KS. Professional caregivers rated the severity of provoked and spontaneous confabulation behavior of the patients using the Nijmegen-Venray Confabulation List-20 (NVCL-20). The total number of intrusions on the CVLT was not related to either provoked or spontaneous confabulation scores. None of the CVLT intrusion scores correlated significantly with any of the confabulation scores, but we did find small-to-medium, positive correlations between unrelated intrusions and both provoked confabulations and spontaneous confabulation. Provoked confabulation behavior was associated with executive dysfunction and poorer memory performances. Spontaneous confabulation was not related to performance on measures of executive function and memory. The total number of intrusions on verbal memory tests and clinical confabulations appear to be different phenomena. Only unrelated intrusions produced on the CVLT might possibly be related to confabulations. The production of provoked, but not spontaneous, confabulation is associated with executive dysfunction and memory deficits.