Language, Memory, and Aging

by Leah L. Light, Deborah M. Burke

Overview

This volume addresses both the research on language in old age relevant to memory, and memory research relevant to language in old age. In recent years, there has been an upsurge of interest in the aging process as it affects cognition. Most research attention has been focused on memory and relatively little has been focused on language in the elderly. The authors draw on a range of methodologies and compare young and older adults (both normal and demented). Representing the major perspectives in contemporary cognition theory, they raise such current issues as the role of awareness in memory and language, the relation between semantic and episodic memory, the distinction between automatic and attentional processes, and the usefulness of distinguishing among levels of processing. This book will be welcomed not only as an invaluable overview of an active research boundary but as an impetus to further theoretical development and empirical work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521329422
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/25/1988
Edition description:	Reprinted
Pages:	294
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Theories of information processing and theories of aging; 2. Effects of aging on verbal abilities: examination of the psychometric literature; 3. Aging and individual differences in memory for written discourse; 4. Geriatric psycholinguistics: syntactic limitations of oral and written language; 5. Aging and memory activation: the priming of semantic and episodic memories; 6. Automatic and effortful semantic processes in old age: experimental and naturalistic approaches; 7. Integrating information from discourse: do older adults show deficits?; 8. Comprehension of pragmatic implications in young and older adults; 9. Capacity theory and the processing of inferences; 10. Age differences in memory for texts: production deficiency or processing liminations?; 11. Episodic memory and knowledge interactions across adulthood; 12. The disorder of naming in Alzheimer's disease; 13. Language and memory processing in semile dementia Alzheimer's type; 14. Patterns of language and memory in old age; Author index; Subject index.

Editorial Reviews

The authors draw on a range of methodologies and compare young and older adults (both normal and abnormal). They raise such current issues as the role of awareness in memory and language, the relation between automatic and attentional processes, and the usefulness of distinguising among levels of processing. A sound review containing extensive references. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"This is a must read for anyone interested in aging and cognitive deficits." Choice

"This is a well-written and edited book, readable and easy to follow. It should be of general interest to those studying the neuropsychology, neurolinguistics, or behavioral neurology of aging and Alzheimer's disease. It is moderately detailed, and summarizes current understanding in each topic." Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

"A sound review containing extensive references." SciTech Book News

"...a must read for anyone interested in aging and cognitive deficits." Choice

"...will be welcomed not only as a valuable overview of an active research area but also as an impetus to further theoretical and empirical development." New England Journal of Human Services

"This is a must read for anyone interested in aging and cognitive deficits." Choice

"This is a well-written and edited book, readable and easy to follow. It should be of general interest to those studying the neuropsychology, neurolinguistics, or behavioral neurology of aging and Alzheimer's disease. It is moderately detailed, and summarizes current understanding in each topic." Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

From the Publisher