Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8bljj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-15T04:22:06.506Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Age and synchrony effects in performance on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2012

Claire A. Lehmann ,
Anthony D. G. Marks  and
Tanya L. Hanstock
Claire A. Lehmann
Affiliation:
University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
Anthony D. G. Marks*
Affiliation:
University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
Tanya L. Hanstock
Affiliation:
University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Anthony D. G. Marks, School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia. Phone: +61-409398591; Fax +61-2-6654-7183. Email: tony.marks@une.edu.au.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background: There is evidence that individuals perform better on some memory tasks when tested at their preferred time of day, a phenomenon named the synchrony effect. There is also evidence of a predictable change from evening to morning preference during the adult life span. Together, these findings suggest that age effects on memory measures may be overestimated when time of testing is ignored. The aim of this study was to investigate whether synchrony effects could partially explain the well-documented age-related decline in performance on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT).

Methods: Groups of 42 younger adults (aged 18–33 years) and 42 older adults (aged 55–71 years) were administered the RAVLT at either their optimal (n = 21) or non-optimal (n = 21) time of day.

Results: Although both age groups benefited moderately from being tested at their optimal time, this effect was greater for older participants and extended to all facets of RAVLT performance except proactive interference. However, younger adults outperformed older adults on three of the five RAVLTs.

Conclusions: These findings add to existing evidence of synchrony effects, particularly in memory functioning of older adults, and highlight the need for clinicians to consider optimal time of testing when administering and interpreting the RAVLT.

Keywords

cognitive assessmentcognitive testingmemorymental capacityaging
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , April 2013 , pp. 657 - 665
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andersson, C., Lindau, M., Almkvist, O., Engfeldt, P., Johansson, S.-E. and Eriksdotter Jonhagen, M. (2003). Identifying patients at high and low risk of cognitive decline using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test among middle-aged memory clinic outpatients. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 21, 251–259. doi:10.1159/000091398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bleecker, M. L., Bolla-Wilson, K., Agnew, J. and Meyers, D. A. (1988). Age-related sex differences in verbal memory. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44, 403–411.3.0.CO;2-0>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borbély, A. A. (1982). A two process model of sleep. Human Neurobiology, 1, 195–204.Google ScholarPubMed
Buschkens, J., Graham, D. and Cottrell, D. (2009). Wellbeing under chronic stress: is morningness an advantage? Stress and Health, 26, 330–340. doi:10.1002/smi.1300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clodoré, M., Foret, J. and Benoit, O. (1986). Diurnal variations in the subjective and objective measures of sleepiness: the effects of sleep reduction and circadian type. Chronobiology International, 3, 255–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fichman, H. C., Dias, L. B. T., Fernandes, C. S., Lourenço, R., Caramelli, P. and Nitrini, R. (2010). Normative data and construct validity of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test in a Brazilian elderly population. Psychology and Neuroscience, 3, 79–84. doi:10.3922/j.psns.2010.1.010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E. and McHugh, P. R. (1975). Mini-Mental State: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geffen, G., Moar, K. J., O'Hanlon, A. P., Clark, C. R. and Geffen, L. B. (1990). Performance measures of 16- to 86-year-old males and females on the auditory verbal learning test. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 4, 45–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hasher, L., Chung, C., May, C. P. and Foong, N. (2002). Age, time of testing, and proactive interference. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 56, 200–207.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hasher, L., Goldstein, D. and May, C. P. (2005). It's about time: circadian rhythms, memory, and aging. In Izawa, C. and Ohta, N. (eds.), Human Learning and Memory: Advances in Theory and Application. The 4th Tsukuba International Conference on Memory (pp. 199–217). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Horne, J. A. and Östberg, O. (1976). A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms. International Journal of Chronobiology, 4, 97–110.Google ScholarPubMed
Intons-Peterson, M. J., Rocchi, P., West, T., McLellan, K. and Hackney, A. (1998). Aging, optimal testing times, and negative priming. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 24, 362–376.Google Scholar
Intons-Peterson, M. J., Rocchi, P., West, T., McLellan, K. and Hackney, A. (1999). Age, testing at preferred or non-preferred times (testing optimality), and false memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 25, 23–40.Google ScholarPubMed
Katzman, R., Brown, T., Fuld, P., Peck, A., Schechter, R. and Schimmel, H. (1983). Validation of a short Orientation-Memory-Concentration test of cognitive impairment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 734–739.Google Scholar
Lezak, M. D., Howieson, D. B. and Loring, D. W. (2004). Neuropsychological Assessment, 4th edn. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Lustig, C., Hasher, L. and May, C. P. (2001). Working memory span and the role of proactive interference. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 130, 199–207.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
May, C. P. (1999). Synchrony effects in cognition: the costs and a benefit. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 6, 142–147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
May, C. P. and Hasher, , , L. (1998). Synchrony effect in inhibitory control over thought and action. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 24, 363–379.Google ScholarPubMed
May, C. P., Hasher, L. and Stoltzfus, , , E. R. (1993). Optimal time of day and the magnitude of age differences in memory. Psychological Science, 4, 326–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molloy, D. W. and Standish, T. I. M. (1997). Mental status and neuropsychological assessment. A guide to the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination. International Psychogeriatrics, 9 (Suppl. S1), 87–94. doi:10.1017/S1041610297004754.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monk, T. H., Kupfer, D. J., Frank, E. and Ritenour, A. M. (1991). The Social Rhythm Metric (SRM): measuring daily social rhythms over 12 weeks. Psychiatry Research, 36, 195–207.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pangman, V. C., Sloan, J. and Guse, L. (2000). An examination of psychometric properties of the mini-mental state examination and the standardized mini-mental state examination: implications for clinical practice. Applied Nursing Research, 13, 209–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, G., Hasher, L. and Turcotte, J. (2009). Age and synchrony effects in visuospatial cognition. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 62, 1873–1880. doi:10.1080/17470210902834852.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, M. (1996). Rey Auditory and Verbal Learning Test: A Handbook. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Schmidt, C., Collette, F., Cajochen, C. and Peigneux, P. (2007). A time to think: circadian rhythms in human cognition. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 24, 755–789. doi:10.1080/02643290701754158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, C. S., Reilly, C. and Midkiff, K. (1989). Evaluation of three circadian rhythm questionnaires with suggestions for an improved measure of morningness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 728–738.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snow, W. G., Tierney, M. C., Zorzitto, M. L., Fisher, R. H. and Reid, D. W. (1988). One year test–retest reliability of selected tests in older adults. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, New Orleans, LA, 27–30 January 1988.Google Scholar
Strauss, E., Sherman, E. M. S. and Spreen, O. (2006). A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests: Administration, Norms, and Commentary, 3rd. ed.New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Tankova, I., Adan, A. and Buela-Casal, G. (1994). Circadian typology and individual differences: a review. Personality and Individual Differences, 16, 671–684.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thayer, R. E. (1967). Measurement of activation through self-report. Psychological Reports, 20, 663–678.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vakil, E. and Blachstein, H. (1997). Rey AVLT: developmental norms for adult and the sensitivity of different memory measures to age. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 11, 356–369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vertesi, A.et al. (2001). Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination: use and interpretation. Canadian Family Physician, 47, 2018–2023.Google ScholarPubMed