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. 2012;19(1-2):122-49.
doi: 10.1080/13825585.2011.628376. Epub 2011 Dec 8.

The effects of print exposure on sentence processing and memory in older adults: Evidence for efficiency and reserve

Brennan R Payne  1 , Xuefei Gao, Soo Rim Noh, Carolyn J Anderson, Elizabeth A L Stine-Morrow
Affiliations

The effects of print exposure on sentence processing and memory in older adults: Evidence for efficiency and reserve

Brennan R Payne et al. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2012.

Abstract

The present study was an examination of how exposure to print affects sentence processing and memory in older readers. A sample of older adults (N = 139; Mean age = 72) completed a battery of cognitive and linguistic tests and read a series of sentences for recall. Word-by-word reading times were recorded and generalized linear mixed effects models were used to estimate components representing attentional allocation to word-level and textbase-level processes. Older adults with higher levels of print exposure showed greater efficiency in word-level processing and in the immediate instantiation of new concepts, but allocated more time to semantic integration at clause boundaries. While lower levels of working memory were associated with smaller wrap-up effects, individuals with higher levels of print exposure showed a reduced effect of working memory on sentence wrap-up. Importantly, print exposure was not only positively associated with sentence memory, but was also found to buffer the effects of working memory on sentence recall. These findings suggest that the increased efficiency of component reading processes that come with life-long habits of literacy buffer the effects of working memory decline on comprehension and contribute to maintaining skilled reading among older adults.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Partial Effects Plots of Significant Interactions in Model 2 at Conditional Levels of Print Exposure (Low Print Exposure = 1 SD Below the Mean; High Print Exposure = 1 SD Above the Mean). Note: PE = Print Exposure; NC = New Concept; Word Frequency is plotted in reverse to show effect from high frequency to low frequency.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Partial Effects Plot of the 3-way Interaction in Model 5: Sentence Wrap-up As a Function of Verbal Working Memory (Low = 1 SD Below the Mean; High = 1 SD Above the Mean) and Print Exposure (Low PE = 1 SD Below the Mean; High PE = 1 SD Above the Mean). Note: PE = Print Exposure; vWM = Verbal Working Memory.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of Verbal Working Memory on Sentence Recall for Older Adults with Varying Levels of Print Exposure (Percentiles of Performance on the ART).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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