EFFECTS OF AGE AND ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE ON RECOGNITION OF GATED SPOKEN WORDS

This study investigated the effects of normal aging and Alzheimer's di sease on listeners' ability to recognize gated spoken words. Groups of healthy young adults, healthy older adults, and adults with Alzheimer 's disease were presented isolated gated spoken words. Theoretical pre dictions of the Cohort model of spoken word recognition (Marlsen-Wilso n, 1984) were tested, employing both between-group and within-group co mparisons. The findings for the young adults supported the Cohort mode l's predictions. The findings for the older adult groups revealed diff erent effects for age and disease. These results are interpreted in re lation to the theoretical predictions, the findings of previous gating studies, and differentiating age from disease-related changes in spok en word recognition.