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Brain Function in Old Age pp 135–150Cite as

Psychometric Assessment of Dysfunction in Learning and Memory

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Part of the book series: Bayer-Symposium ((BAYER-SYMP,volume 7))

Abstract

The research literature concerned with the psychometric assessment of older adults, whether well-functioning, or with cognitive impairment due to functional or organic causes, has been oriented primarily around the issue of ability and personality variables (see Schaie and Schaie, 1977a; Schaie, 1979, for recent reviews). Yet it is clear that particularly under circumstances where only a single assessment point is available, information about the current level of function may not suffice for many clinical judgments. Since we ordinarily do not know whether an individual has either declined from a previous level of function or has never performed more successfully than is currently seen, it may be necessary in addition, to obtain concrete evidence on how well a person is going to acquire and retain information. In other words, learning and memory becomes of interest to the clinician not only because of the intrinsic importance of these dimensions, but also because intraindividual differences in learning and memory may help us understand the nature of the individual’s dysfunctions.

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Authors
  1. K. W. Schaie
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  2. E. Zelinski
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Pharmakologie der Bayer AG, Postfach 101709, D-5600, Wuppertal 1, Fed. Rep. of Germany

    Friedrich Hoffmeister

  2. Hôpital de Cery, Clinique Psychiatrique Universitaire de Lausanne, CH-1008, Prilly, Switzerland

    Christian Müller

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© 1979 Springer-Verlag

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Schaie, K.W., Zelinski, E. (1979). Psychometric Assessment of Dysfunction in Learning and Memory. In: Hoffmeister, F., Müller, C. (eds) Brain Function in Old Age. Bayer-Symposium, vol 7. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-67304-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-67304-7_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-67306-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-67304-7

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