Two aspects of cognitive control were investigated using the item-recognition task and the verb generation task. The item-recognition task had two conditions, high and low interference. The verb generation task was manipulated in three ways, for different levels of interference and time interval. The intention was to more deeply investigate one aspect of the item-recognition task, comparing response times for different trial types in different conditions, and to investigate a fatigue effect between the item-recognition and verb generation task. Thirty-two participants were tested at two occasions, in a within-subjects design. Results for the verb generation task revealed effects for levels of interference and time interval, although there was no difference in the manipulation. Results for the item-recognition task revealed effects for condition and trial type, as well as an interaction effect between these. The non-familiar trials in the high interference condition resulted in faster response times compared to the same kind of trials in the low condition. The result from the item-recognition task extends those from previous studies, revealing details for differences between trial types. This finding demonstrates a carry-over facilitation effect.

<p>Two aspects of cognitive control were investigated using the item-recognition task and the verb generation task. The item-recognition task had two conditions, high and low interference. The verb generation task was manipulated in three ways, for different levels of interference and time interval. The intention was to more deeply investigate one aspect of the item-recognition task, comparing response times for different trial types in different conditions, and to investigate a fatigue effect between the item-recognition and verb generation task. Thirty-two participants were tested at two occasions, in a within-subjects design. Results for the verb generation task revealed effects for levels of interference and time interval, although there was no difference in the manipulation. Results for the item-recognition task revealed effects for condition and trial type, as well as an interaction effect between these. The non-familiar trials in the high interference condition resulted in faster response times compared to the same kind of trials in the low condition. The result from the item-recognition task extends those from previous studies, revealing details for differences between trial types. This finding demonstrates a carry-over facilitation effect.</p>

Empathy and memory are two central aspects that make us human. In the following work, I combined these two areas with genetics and asked how they would interrelate against the background of age. At study, 28 younger and 32 older adults went through an item recognition/source memory paradigm with neutral and emotional (i.e., angry) faces. Dispositional empathy was measured using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ). Further, 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from mainly oxytocin receptors (OXTR) were extracted. Results revealed that older adults had a lower score on the Fantasy dimension of the IRI. Younger and older adults did not differ in hit rate, but older adults showed a higher false alarm rate for neutral source memory. For emotional item recognition, older adults showed a higher liberal response bias whereas, for neutral source memory, younger adults showed a higher conservative response bias. For both memory and empathy, main effects and age interactions were found for OXTR rs237887, rs237897, rs2254298, rs4564970, and rs4686302. These findings illustrated the close interconnectivity of memory, empathy, and genetics over the human life span.