Incidental sequence learning across the lifespan

• Published in: Cognition 2012-06, Vol.123 (3), p.380-391
• Main Authors: Weiermann, Brigitte, Meier, Beat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult Education; Adult. Elderly; Adults; Age; Age Differences; Aged; Ageing; Aging; Aging - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Children; Cognitive Processes; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Development; Developmental psychology; Educational Status; Evaluation Methods; Evidence; Feedback (Response); Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Implicit learning; Intelligence Tests; Investigations; Knowledge; Learning; Learning Processes; Learning. Memory; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Older Adults; Paradigms; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Sequential Learning; Serial Learning - physiology; Task Analysis; Task sequence learning; Tests; Training; Young Adult; Young Adults
• ISSN: 0010-0277; 1873-7838
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2012.02.010

► First study to investigate incidental sequence learning across the lifespan. ► Young adults show sequence learning irrespective of explicit knowledge. ► Children and older adults without explicit knowledge are impaired at learning. ► Incidental sequence learning draws on different processes across the lifespan. The purpose of the present study was to investigate incidental sequence learning across the lifespan. We tested 50 children (aged 7–16), 50 young adults (aged 20–30), and 50 older adults (aged >65) with a sequence learning paradigm that involved both a task and a response sequence. After several blocks of practice, all age groups slowed down when the training sequences were removed, providing indirect evidence for sequence learning. This performance slowing was comparable between groups, indicating no age-related differences. However, when explicit sequence knowledge was considered, age effects were found. For both children and older adults with no or only little explicit knowledge, incidental sequence learning was largely reduced and statistically not significant. In contrast, young adults showed sequence learning irrespective of the amount of explicit knowledge. These results indicate that different learning processes are involved in incidental sequence learning depending on age.