Page 8 - Southern Exposure - September '22

Page 8, Southern Exposure

eDucAtion

FAU Seeks Older Participants

For Aging And Memory Study

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) researchers are accurate memory representation for that event. The study pathological conditions such as mild cognitive impairment
conducting a study to improve public health by providing has been designed to explore the cognitive mechanisms and Alzheimer’s disease.
information about how human memory changes with age underlying age differences in the ability to associate people “We are testing healthy young and older adults on
– and you can help. Gaining a better understanding of how with their actions, and how those mechanisms may differ their memory using a series of these brief video clips we
aging influences the ability to form new associations in depending upon whether the events to be remembered have created, which depict actors performing actions or
memory could lead to improved techniques for presenting and the conditions under which they are encountered lend speaking verbal phrases,” said Kersten. “Study participants
new information to older people in a way that maximizes themselves to strategic encoding. also are given other tests of executive and memory
opportunities for learning. The study is led by Alan W. Kersten, Ph.D., principal functioning, which allow us to examine the cognitive
Importantly, results from this study also may help investigator and an associate professor in the Department mechanisms underlying source memory for actions.”
researchers to distinguish normal aging from disease of Psychology, FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of In prior research, Kersten and Earles have shown that
processes such as Alzheimer’s disease, which more Science; and Julie L. Earles, Ph.D., co-investigator, the cognitive mechanisms underlying memory for the
dramatically impacts associative processes in memory. associate dean of academic affairs and a professor of sources of actions may be different from the mechanisms
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the study psychology, FAU Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. underlying memory for the sources of verbal information.
is investigating the effects of aging on the ability to bind Kersten and Earles, members of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Source memory for verbal information has typically
together the different components of an event into an Brain Institute, have been testing adults age 60 and older, been associated with frontally-mediated executive
primarily on FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter functions, such as attentional control, working memory,
and they are seeking more participants for the study. and set shifting. In contrast, they found that memory for
All About KiDS “We are looking at source memory, such as remembering the sources of actions was associated with more basic
whether a fact was mentioned by a friend, heard on the
associative memory mechanisms, likely mediated by
news, or seen on the Internet. This type of memory medial temporal brain regions.
typically exhibits greater age-related decline,” said Adults 60 and older who are interested in participating
in the study can email eventmemorylab@fau.edu for more
Kersten. “Understanding the cognitive mechanisms
Helping Poor underlying this decline is important to help older adults information.
About Florida Atlantic University
keep pace with the information age, where a wealth of
Readers information comes from sources of varying quality.” Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961,
officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public
The primary focus of this study is on memory for the
university in Florida. Today, the university serves more
sources of actions – specifically, who did what. The ability
to remember these sources of actions is critical to social than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students
By Jim Forgan, Ph.D., Licensed School Psychologist functioning, for example, allowing one to attribute credit across six campuses located along the Southeast Florida
to people who provide help or to assign blame to people coast. In recent years, the university has doubled its
It can frustrate you and who commit negative actions. research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student
your child when reading The researchers are examining similarities and achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and
does not develop easily. differences in the cognitive mechanisms underlying excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where
Sometimes the struggle young and older adults’ memory for the sources of traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated
becomes a blame game actions and words. They have created a set of video a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public
of blaming the child for stimuli used to study memory for the sources of actions, university by U.S. News & World Report and a high
not trying hard enough, and are collecting baseline measures of source memory. research activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation
blaming a teacher for They will use the data to explore changes in memory for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information,
poor teaching, or even abilities associated with healthy aging, as well as with visit www.fau.edu.
blaming yourself for
not spending enough
time reading with your Advertise,Send Articles. Check out our website!
child. Ultimately, a child’s struggles are often related
to a combination of factors including a genetic www.seabreezepublications.com or call 746-3244
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I also assess a child’s self-esteem as some kids come Est. 1926
in feeling defeated believing they have a broken brain. The Heart of Hobe Sound
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was common to collect things so as a 10-year-old ON THE CHURCH CAMPUS Church
kid I collected beer cans. My dad drank the beer and Church member Debra Monet is offering
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subscribed me to Beer Can Collectors of America and I How to draw, paint in Watercolor and We Invite You to Worship with Us
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tour at Busch Gardens. While these did not lead me to Acrylic will be the main focus for the Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
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You might encourage your child to read about his is $20, a portion of which will be donated to every Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.
or her interests in Pokémon, Minecraft, arts and crafts, the Church building Improvement Project. Give us a call or visit our
or Candy Crush. Support your child’s reading interests For more class details, or to schedule a class,
with material and experiences. contact Debra Monet at the Sunday coffee hour, website for more information.
To help poor readers, start with specialized tutoring or call her at 772-240-2063. Everyone is welcome. (772) 546-5043
at reading centers like Lindamood Bell or the Reading www.heartofhobesound.org
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If you suspect dyslexia, call our office as we test SEPTEMbEr 9 - ITALIANO
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JimForgan.com or call (561) 625-4125.
11933 SE Juno Crescent • Hobe Sound, Florida 33455