Age deficits in learning sequences of spoken words

Previous research has demonstrated age-related deficits in implicit learning of visual sequences characterized by subtle predictive relationships among the sequence elements. This study investigates whether this reflects modality-specific, or more general, sequence learning deficits by using an auditory sequence-learning task. Young and old adults responded with a key press to each of a series of unrelated spoken words. Unknown to the participants, every other word was presented in a fixed, repeating order with alternate words chosen at random. Both groups responded more quickly and accurately to the predictable than to unpredictable words, revealing sequence learning. However, elderly participants showed less learning than young participants on several measures. This suggests that age-related deficits in implicit sequence learning reflect a general impairment in learning subtle environmental covariations rather than a modality-specific visual impairment. I MPLICIT learning involves acquiring information abouta complex stimulus environment without awareness of either what was learned or that learning occurred (Seger, 1994). Be-cause implicit learning is thought to be more basic than con-scious, explicit learning, some have argued that it should be more resistant to the neurophysiological insults of aging (Reber, 1993). This possibility has been investigated using the seria