Individual differences in positive affect moderate age-related declines in episodic long-term memory

Aging is a progressive functional decline characterized by a gradual deterioration in physiological function and behavior. The most important age-related change in cognitive function is decline in cognitive performance (i.e., the processing or transformation of information to make decisions that includes speed of processing, working memory, and learning). The purpose of this study is to outline the changes in age-related cognitive performance (i.e., short-term recognition memory and long-term learning and memory) in long-lived Octodon degus. The strong similarity between degus and humans in social, metabolic, biochemical, and cognitive aspects makes it a unique animal model for exploring the mechanisms underlying the behavioral and cognitive deficits related to natural aging. In this study, we examined young adult female degus (12- and 24-months-old) and aged female degus (38-, 56-, and 75-months-old) that were exposed to a battery of cognitive-behavioral tests. Multivariate analyses of data from the Social Interaction test or Novel Object/Local Recognition (to measure short-term recognition memory), and the Barnes maze test (to measure long-term learning and memory) revealed a consistent pattern. Young animals formed a separate group of aged degus for both short- and long-term memories. The association between the first component of the principal component analysis (PCA) from short-term memory with the first component of the PCA from long-term memory showed a significant negative correlation. This suggests age-dependent differences in both memories, with the aged degus having higher values of long-term memory ability but poor short-term recognition memory, whereas in the young degus an opposite pattern was found. Approximately 5% of the young and 80% of the aged degus showed an impaired short-term recognition memory; whereas for long-term memory about 32% of the young degus and 57% of the aged degus showed decreased performance on the Barnes maze test. Throughout this study, we outlined age-dependent cognitive performance decline during natural aging in degus. Moreover, we also demonstrated that the use of a multivariate approach let us explore and visualize complex behavioral variables, and identified specific behavioral patterns that allowed us to make powerful conclusions that will facilitate further the study on the biology of aging. In addition, this study could help predict the onset of the aging process based on behavioral performance.

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Dissociating refreshing and elaboration and their impacts on memory

10.1101/423277 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lea M. Bartsch ◽

Vanessa M. Loaiza ◽

Lutz Jäncke ◽

Klaus Oberauer ◽

Jarrod A. Lewis-Peacock

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Ethics Committees ◽

Fmri Data ◽

Ethical Review ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

List Type ◽

Term Memory ◽

Age Related

AbstractMaintenance of information in working memory (WM) is assumed to rely on refreshing and elaboration, but clear mechanistic descriptions of these cognitive processes are lacking, and it is unclear whether they are simply two labels for the same process. This fMRI study investigated the extent to which refreshing, elaboration, and repeating of items in WM are distinct neural processes with dissociable behavioral outcomes in WM and long-term memory (LTM). Multivariate pattern analyses of fMRI data revealed differentiable neural signatures for these processes, which we also replicated in an independent sample of older adults. In some cases, the degree of neural separation within an individual predicted their memory performance. Elaboration improved LTM, but not WM, and this benefit increased as its neural signature became more distinct from repetition. Refreshing had no impact on LTM, but did improve WM, although the neural discrimination of this process was not predictive of the degree of improvement. These results demonstrate that refreshing and elaboration are separate processes that differently contribute to memory performance.HighlightsRepeated reading, refreshing, and elaboration are differentiable in brain activation patterns in both young and older adults.Elaboration selectively improved long-term memory for young adults, and the size of the benefit was related to the neural separability of elaboration from other processes.Older adults implemented a sub-optimal form of elaboration, and this may be a factor contributing to age-related deficits in long-term memory.Ethics statementThe study was approved by the ethical review board of the canton of Zurich (BASEC-No. 2017-00190) and all subjects gave informed written consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.Data and code availability statementAll behavioral data and analysis scripts can be assessed on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/p2h8b/). The fMRI data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, LMB. The fMRI data are not publicly available due to restrictions of the Swiss Ethics Committees on research involving humans regarding data containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

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Effect of Type of Task and Number of Inspectors on Performance of an Industrial Inspection-Type Task

Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ◽

10.1518/001872095779049552 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 182-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Harold Stanislaw

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Forced Choice ◽

Sensory Memory ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Rating Task ◽

Term Memory ◽

Industrial Inspection ◽

Inspection Task ◽

Practical Implications

Two hundred forty subjects working alone and in pairs performed three different versions of a task similar to industrial inspection: a rating task and spatial and temporal two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) tasks. Performance was worse on the rating task than on the 2AFC tasks, and the spatial and temporal 2AFC tasks were performed equally well. These results could signify that performance is impaired more by demands made on long-term memory than by demands made on perception and sensory memory, or that asking subjects to compare items is fundamentally different from, and easier than, asking subjects to judge items in absolute terms. Individual differences in performance were marked, but performance was inconsistent across different versions of the inspection task. When subjects worked in pairs, performance was comparable to that obtained by requiring items to pass two inspections by individual subjects. However, a single inspection by subject pairs required less time than two inspections by individual subjects. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Individual Differences in Learning Efficiency

Current Directions in Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0963721419869005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 607-613

Author(s):

Kathleen B. McDermott ◽

Christopher L. Zerr

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Experimental Approach ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Positive Relation ◽

Future Directions ◽

Term Memory ◽

Learning Efficiency ◽

Rate Of Learning ◽

Over Time

Most research on long-term memory uses an experimental approach whereby participants are assigned to different conditions, and condition means are the measures of interest. This approach has demonstrated repeatedly that conditions that slow the rate of learning tend to improve later retention. A neglected question is whether aggregate findings at the level of the group (i.e., slower learning tends to improve retention) translate to the level of individual people. We identify a discrepancy whereby—across people—slower learning tends to coincide with poorer memory. The positive relation between learning rate (speed of learning) and retention (amount remembered after a delay) across people is referred to as learning efficiency. A more efficient learner can acquire information faster and remember more of it over time. We discuss potential characteristics of efficient learners and consider future directions for research.

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Working Memory: Models and Applications

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.879 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Stoo Sepp ◽

Steven J. Howard ◽

Sharon Tindall-Ford ◽

Shirley Agostinho ◽

Fred Paas

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Working Memory Capacity ◽

Memory Capacity ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Auditory Information ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory

In 1956, Miller first reported on a capacity limitation in the amount of information the human brain can process, which was thought to be seven plus or minus two items. The system of memory used to process information for immediate use was coined “working memory” by Miller, Galanter, and Pribram in 1960. In 1968, Atkinson and Shiffrin proposed their multistore model of memory, which theorized that the memory system was separated into short-term memory, long-term memory, and the sensory register, the latter of which temporarily holds and forwards information from sensory inputs to short term-memory for processing. Baddeley and Hitch built upon the concept of multiple stores, leading to the development of the multicomponent model of working memory in 1974, which described two stores devoted to the processing of visuospatial and auditory information, both coordinated by a central executive system. Later, Cowan’s theorizing focused on attentional factors in the effortful and effortless activation and maintenance of information in working memory. In 1988, Cowan published his model—the scope and control of attention model. In contrast, since the early 2000s Engle has investigated working memory capacity through the lens of his individual differences model, which does not seek to quantify capacity in the same way as Miller or Cowan. Instead, this model describes working memory capacity as the interplay between primary memory (working memory), the control of attention, and secondary memory (long-term memory). This affords the opportunity to focus on individual differences in working memory capacity and extend theorizing beyond storage to the manipulation of complex information. These models and advancements have made significant contributions to understandings of learning and cognition, informing educational research and practice in particular. Emerging areas of inquiry include investigating use of gestures to support working memory processing, leveraging working memory measures as a means to target instructional strategies for individual learners, and working memory training. Given that working memory is still debated, and not yet fully understood, researchers continue to investigate its nature, its role in learning and development, and its implications for educational curricula, pedagogy, and practice.

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Developmental and Individual Differences in Long-Term Memory Retrieval: Process and Organization

Child Development ◽

10.2307/1129236 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

pp. 234 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Martin E. Ford ◽

Daniel P. Keating

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Memory Retrieval ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Retrieval Process ◽

Term Memory

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CREB overexpression in dorsal CA1 ameliorates long-term memory deficits in aged rats

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.19358 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Xiao-Wen Yu ◽

Daniel M Curlik ◽

M Matthew Oh ◽

Jerry CP Yin ◽

John F Disterhoft

Keyword(s):

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Pyramidal Neurons ◽

Dorsal Hippocampus ◽

Memory Deficits ◽

Camp Response Element Binding ◽

Intrinsic Excitability ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Term Memory ◽

Age Related

The molecular mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive deficits are not yet fully elucidated. In aged animals, a decrease in the intrinsic excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons is believed to contribute to age-related cognitive impairments. Increasing activity of the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in young adult rodents facilitates cognition, and increases intrinsic excitability. However, it has yet to be tested if increasing CREB expression also ameliorates age-related behavioral and biophysical deficits. To test this hypothesis, we virally overexpressed CREB in CA1 of dorsal hippocampus. Rats received CREB or control virus, before undergoing water maze training. CREB overexpression in aged animals ameliorated the long-term memory deficits observed in control animals. Concurrently, cells overexpressing CREB in aged animals had reduced post-burst afterhyperpolarizations, indicative of increased intrinsic excitability. These results identify CREB modulation as a potential therapy to treat age-related cognitive decline.

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Correlated individual differences suggest a common mechanism underlying metacognition in visual perception and visual short-term memory

10.1101/140558 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jason Samaha ◽

Bradley R. Postle

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Visual Perception ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Stimulus Feature ◽

Relevant Stimulus ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Visual Short Term Memory

AbstractAdaptive behavior depends on the ability to accurately introspect about one’s own performance. Whether this metacognitive ability is supported by the same mechanisms across different tasks has thus far been investigated with a focus on correlating metacognitive accuracy between perception and long-term memory paradigms. Here, we investigated the relationship between metacognition of visual perception and metacognition of visual short-term memory (VSTM), a cognitive function thought to be more intimately related to visual processing. Experiments 1 and 2 required subjects to estimate the perceived or remembered orientation of a grating stimulus and rate their confidence. We observed strong positive correlations between individual differences in metacognitive accuracy between the two tasks. This relationship was not accounted for by individual differences in task performance or average confidence, and was present across two different metrics of metacognition and in both experiments. A model-based analysis of data from a third experiment showed that a cross-domain correlation only emerged when both tasks shared the same task-relevant stimulus feature. That is, metacognition for perception and VSTM were correlated when both tasks required orientation judgments, but not when the perceptual task was switched to require contrast judgments. In contrast to previous results comparing perception and long-term memory, which have largely provided evidence for domain-specific metacognitive processes, the current findings suggest that metacognition of visual perception and VSTM is supported by a domain-general metacognitive architecture, but only when both domains share the same task-relevant stimulus feature.

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Functional Connectivity during Encoding Predicts Individual Differences in Long-Term Memory

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01759 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

Qi Lin ◽

Kwangsun Yoo ◽

Xilin Shen ◽

Todd R. Constable ◽

Marvin M. Chun

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Recognition Memory ◽

Memory Model ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Term Memory ◽

Back Task

Abstract What is the neural basis of individual differences in the ability to hold information in long-term memory (LTM)? Here, we first characterize two whole-brain functional connectivity networks based on fMRI data acquired during an n-back task that robustly predict individual differences in two important forms of LTM, recognition and recollection. We then focus on the recognition memory model and contrast it with a working memory model. Although functional connectivity during the n-back task also predicts working memory performance and the two networks have some shared components, they are also largely distinct from each other: The recognition memory model performance remains robust when we control for working memory, and vice versa. Functional connectivity only within regions traditionally associated with LTM formation, such as the medial temporal lobe and those that show univariate subsequent memory effect, have little predictive power for both forms of LTM. Interestingly, the interactions between these regions and other brain regions play a more substantial role in predicting recollection memory than recognition memory. These results demonstrate that individual differences in LTM are dependent on the configuration of a whole-brain functional network including but not limited to regions associated with LTM during encoding and that such a network is separable from what supports the retention of information in working memory.

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