Serial order in short-term memory: a comparative study between dementia patients and normal individuals

ABSTRACT

The present study is designed to investigate the impact of three different types of short term memory models on serial recall. It also aims to see the impact of these different memory models on different levels of neurological functioning. Fifty .four demented patients were selected from Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital and Mental hospital Peshawar, Pakistan. Mini Mental State Examination was used for screening as well as for measuring the intensity of dementia. On the basis of these scores, patients were bifurcated into two experimental groups of an equal number portraying severe dementia and moderate dementia. The control group [n=27] was selected from the normal population having no neurological dysfunction, and was matched on the basis of age, education and socioeconomic status. In order to explore the difference among the groups t-test was used. Results indicated a significant difference among the groups, which subsequently supports the hypothesis framed for this study