Age-related sex differences in verbal memory

Verbal learning and memory were studied in 196 healthy men and women aged 40 to 89. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task (RAVLT), a 15‐word list, was presented over five trials followed by free recall after each trial. A recognition trial of 50 words subsequently was administered. A stepwise regres...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical psychology 1988-05, Vol.44 (3), p.403-411
Main Authors: Bleecker, Margit L., Bolla-Wilson, Karen, Agnew, Jacqueline, Meyers, Deborah A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Conditioning
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Learning. Memory
Male
Memory
Mental Recall
Middle Aged
Psychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reference Values
Sex Factors
Verbal Learning
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Summary:Verbal learning and memory were studied in 196 healthy men and women aged 40 to 89. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task (RAVLT), a 15‐word list, was presented over five trials followed by free recall after each trial. A recognition trial of 50 words subsequently was administered. A stepwise regression that examined the contributions of age, sex, and vocabulary on the five trials of the RAVLT showed that age and sex accounted for a significant portion of the variance on each trial. Vocabulary accounted for a significant portion of the variance only on trials 4 and 5. The recognition trial was not affected by age, sex, or vocabulary. Men had lower scores overall as compared to women. In the older age group (ages 66‐89), this difference was significant on trials two through five. Possible mechanisms that may underlie these age‐related sex differences in learning curves are discussed.
ISSN:0021-9762
1097-4679
DOI:10.1002/1097-4679(198805)44:3<403::AID-JCLP2270440315>3.0.CO;2-0