Impaired executive functioning mediates the association between aging and deterministic sequence learning.

Sensitivity to the fixed ordering of actions and events, or deterministic sequence learning, is an important skill throughout adulthood. Yet, it remains unclear whether age deficits in sequencing exist, and we lack a firm understanding of which factors might contribute to age-related impairments when they arise. Though debated, executive functioning, governed by the frontal lobe, may underlie age-related sequence learning deficits in older adults.

Age-Related Decline in Learning Deterministic Judgment-Based Sequences.

Objectives: Because sequence learning is integral to cognitive functions across the life span, the present study examined the effect of healthy aging on deterministic judgment-based sequence learning.

Methods: College-aged, younger-old (YO), and older-old (OO) adults completed a judgment-based sequence learning task which required them to learn a full sequence by chaining together single stimulus-response associations in a step-by-step fashion.

Results: Results showed that younger adults outperformed YO and OO adults; older adults were less able to acquire the full sequence and committed significantly more errors during learning.