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

ABSTRACT

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. The present study asked if age predicts errors in deterministic sequence learning across the older adult lifespan (ages 55–89), and whether executive functioning accounts for any age-related declines. Healthy older adults completed a comprehensive measure of frontal-based executive abilities as well as a deterministic sequence learning task that required the step-by-step acquisition of associations through trial-and-error feedback. Among those who met a performance-based criterion, increasing age was positively correlated with higher sequencing errors; however, this relationship was no longer significant after controlling for executive functioning. Moreover, frontal-based executive abilities mediated the relationship between age and sequence learning performance. These findings suggest that executive or frontal functioning may underlie age deficits in learning judgment-based, deterministic serial operations.

KEYWORDS:

• Age differences
• Sequence learning
• Frontal functioning
• Chaining
• Learning

Acknowledgements

The authors want to thank Kathryn Ziegler-Graham for statistical consultation, Mark Gluck for task support, and the following St. Olaf undergraduate students for help with data collection: Courtney Breyer, Aidan Creamer, Kristen Edblom, Hilary Fiskum, Sylvia Larson, Chloe Mitchell, Jack Post, Rachel Roisum, Brianna Wenande, and Beth Westphal. Preliminary findings from this project were presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society in Boston, MA in 2018.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

Data available on request from the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health under grant R03AG044610-01A1 as well as start-up funds to JRP from St. Olaf College.