Volume 5, Issue 4 (Winter 2004)
Advances in Cognitive Sciences 2004, 5(4): 15-29 |
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Abstract: (2247 Views)
Objective: This study compared the novelty effect in the elderly with left frontal and left temporal lobe brain lesions with two groups of normal elderly and normal youths.
Method: Two tests were performed: in the first test, 3 probands with brain lesion, 10 normal elderly and 10 normal youths; and in the second test, 30 normal elderly and 30 normal youths were compared. The test instrument was the list of words and phrases (6 blocks). The test was taken in two steps for intentional learning and un-intentional learning.
Results: The individuals with the left temporal and left frontal brain damage did not show the novelty effect, but the effect was observed in the normal elderly probands; that means the patients with brain damage do not recall the novel items better than familiar ones. Comparing the normal elderly with the normal young participants we found out that the novelty effect was more prominent in the youths. That is, the young individuals can recognize novel verbal information better than familiar information and there was a significant difference between the novelty effect performance in the young individuals and the old.
Conclusion: These findings support the novelty encoding hypothesis and the presence of specifically allocated brain areas to the novel information. It also shows that the novelty effect is significantly prominent in the young.
Method: Two tests were performed: in the first test, 3 probands with brain lesion, 10 normal elderly and 10 normal youths; and in the second test, 30 normal elderly and 30 normal youths were compared. The test instrument was the list of words and phrases (6 blocks). The test was taken in two steps for intentional learning and un-intentional learning.
Results: The individuals with the left temporal and left frontal brain damage did not show the novelty effect, but the effect was observed in the normal elderly probands; that means the patients with brain damage do not recall the novel items better than familiar ones. Comparing the normal elderly with the normal young participants we found out that the novelty effect was more prominent in the youths. That is, the young individuals can recognize novel verbal information better than familiar information and there was a significant difference between the novelty effect performance in the young individuals and the old.
Conclusion: These findings support the novelty encoding hypothesis and the presence of specifically allocated brain areas to the novel information. It also shows that the novelty effect is significantly prominent in the young.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2003/08/23 | Accepted: 2003/10/23 | Published: 2003/12/22
Received: 2003/08/23 | Accepted: 2003/10/23 | Published: 2003/12/22
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