Table 1
Demographic data for the 45–54, 55–64, 65–75 and 75–84 year age groups.
| Variable | 45–54 years | 55–64 years | 65–74 years | 75–84 years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | |
| Age (years)a | 49.60 (3.70) | 58.59 (3.08) | 68.82 (3.05) | 79.10 (3.28) | |
| Gender (M/F) | 6/14 | 9/13 | 8/14 | 7/13 | |
| Socio-economic backgroundb | Low | .25 | .27 | .41 | .40 |
| Middle | .45 | .50 | .36 | .30 | |
| High | .30 | .23 | .23 | .30 | |
| Pure-tone thresholds (dB HL) a,c | |||||
| 250 Hz | 10.75 (6.29) | 14.69 (6.23) | 20.68 (7.57) | 26.25 (7.76) | |
| 500 Hz | 10.25 (6.06) | 13.65 (6.25) | 20.81 (7.25) | 27.25 (8.66) | |
| 1000 Hz | 11.25 (8.21) | 12.69 (6.37) | 19.20 (6.79) | 28.13 (10.63) | |
| 2000 Hz | 11.50 (6.90) | 15.10 (7.50) | 23.30 (7.54) | 28.50 (11.28) | |
| 3000 Hz | 11.75 (7.48) | 20.00 (10.53) | 29.32 (7.53) | 36.63 (13.60) | |
| 4000 Hz | 15.00 (8.11) | 23.52 (9.75) | 30.57 (8.79) | 40.50 (13.34) | |
| Mattis Scale (/144)a | 143.45 (1.00) | 142.45 (1.77) | 140.27 (2.29) | 140.65 (2.54) | |
| Mill Hill (/33)a | 25.45 (4.37) | 25.59 (4.17) | 24.41 (4.51) | 26.20 (4.04) |
[i] Note. a Means and standard deviations in parentheses; b Proportion; c Bilateral mean pure tone audiometry thresholds.
Table 2
Performance (mean percentage, standard deviation in parentheses) on the short-term memory tasks of the 45–54, 55–64, 65–75 and 75–84 age groups.
| Task | 45–54 years | 55–64 years | 65–74 years | 75–84 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digit span | 63.75 (13.54) | 59.37 (8.76) | 50.85 (10.79) | 53.43 (10.43) |
| Digit serial order recognition | 85.56 (7.94) | 78.91 (11.23) | 73.11 (15.05) | 75.56 (6.66) |
| Serial order reconstruction (Animal race task) | 68.61 (13.77) | 68.28 (8.46) | 69.94 (6.76) | 62.39 (16.80) |
| Word recognition | 92.05 (5.69) | 88.23 (6.65) | 86.61 (6.81) | 82.50 (9.64) |
| Nonword delayed repetition | 82.16 (14.23) | 77.12 (10.09) | 67.22 (13.12) | 66.44 (13.18) |
| Rhyme probe | 88.52 (5.83) | 85.85 (7.19) | 78.10 (14.57) | 81.02 (7.60) |
| Category probe | 81.93 (6.19) | 81.30 (8.50) | 71.59 (15.02) | 74.89 (8.26) |
Figure 1
Adjusted means for the analyses of covariance performed on the short-term memory tasks with mean PTA as covariate, in the 45-54, 55-64, 65-75 and 75-84 age groups; Fig. 1A. Digit span; Fig. 1B. Digit serial order recognition; Fig. 1C. Word recognition; Fig. 1D. Nonword delayed repetition; Fig. 1E. Rhyme probe; Fig. 1F. Category probe.
Table 3
Correlations between participants’ bilateral mean pure tone audiometry thresholds (mean PTAs) and their scores on the short-term memory tasks as well as between participants’ age and their scores on the short-term memory tasks.
| Variables | Correlations with participants’ mean PTAs | Correlations with participants’ age |
|---|---|---|
| Digit span | r = −.37, p = .001 | r = −.35, p = .001 |
| Digit serial order recognition | r = −. 41, p < .001 | r = −.36, p = .001 |
| Word recognition | r = −.38, p < .001 | r = −.35, p = .001 |
| Nonword delayed repetition | r = −.42, p < .001 | r = −.50, p < .001 |
| Rhyme probe | r = −.31, p = .004 | r = −.35, p = .001 |
| Category probe | r = −.39, p < .001 | r = −.36, p = .001 |