Age Differences on a Paired-Associates Task: How Does Practice Type and Order Affect Training?

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine if manipulating the order and type of practice would affect the outcome of training for both young and older adults. We examined age differences in performance on a paired-associates task in which type and order of practice were manipulated. Two versions of a noun-pair associates task were used; in the consistent mapping (CM) version the noun-pairs did not change from trial to trial; in the varied mapping version (VM) the noun-pairs changed from trial to trial. The CM task allowed the subjects to learn the noun-pairs whereas the VM task required that subjects always refer to a key in order to perform the task. Two groups of subjects were trained and the order in which they received the CM and VM versions was manipulated between groups. There were group differences in initial performance on the CM task for both young and older adults. The data indicate that having performed the task at all provided some benefit in terms of reaction time. The subjects were able to acquire the skill of performing the task in the first version they performed and this skill acquisition aided their subsequent performance. In addition, the benefits of prior practice were longer-lasting for older adults relative to young adults.