Analogical reasoning and aging: The processing speed and inhibition hypothesis

Category

Journal Article

Authors

Bugaiska, A., Thibaut, J.P.

Year

2015

Title

Analogical reasoning and aging: The processing speed and inhibition hypothesis

Journal / book / conference

Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the effect of aging on analogical reasoning by manipulating the strength of semantic association (LowAssoc or HighAssoc) and the number of distracters semantic analogies of the A:B::C:D type and to determine which factors might be responsible for the age-related differences on analogical reasoning by testing two different theoretical frameworks: the inhibition hypothesis (Hasher & Zacks, 1988) and the speed mediation hypothesis (Salthouse, 1996). We compared young adults and two groups of aging people (old and old-old) with word analogies of the A:B::C:D format. Results indicate an age-related effect on analogical reasoning, this effect being greatest with LowAssoc analogies. It was not associated with the presence of semantic distractors. Moreover, the results show that the variance part of the analogy task due to age was mainly explained by processing speed (rather than by inhibition) in the case of old participants and by both processing speed and inhibition in the old-old group. These results are discussed in relation to current models of aging and their interaction with the processes involved in analogical reasoning.

Issue

22

Volume

3

Pages

340-356

Keywords

Analogical reasoning, aging, processing speed, inhibition.

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