We instructed the use of mediators to encode paired-associate items, and then measured both cued recall of targets and mediators. Older adults (n = 49) and younger adults (n = 57) studied a mixed list of concrete and abstract noun pairs under instructions to either generate a sentence or an image to form a new association between normatively…

The main aim of this research was to study whether memory dynamics influence older people's choices to the same extent as younger's ones. To do so, we adapted the retrieval-practice paradigm to produce variations in memory accessibility of information on which decisions were made later. Based on previous results, we expected to observe…

Previous research indicated that primary memory processes are unaffected by advancing age, except that material is scanned more slowly with age. In the present study, comparing memory scanning rates of young and elderly subjects, there were no age differences in scanning speed or accuracy. (Author/CM)

Compares young and older adults' production of complex syntactic structures in Russian. Finds that content and fluency in Russian were associated with Russian vocabulary knowledge and influenced by educational level and knowledge of English and other languages and that working-memory limitations affect the use of clause and word order variations…

Examines the visual memories of women over 70 years old that take place during a long life and the roles of visual culture in memory and in mental images through interview and focus groups. Indicates that older women's stories anticipate feminist issues and do not conform to traditional male models of understanding. (CMK)

Recent studies of contextual attributes thought to be automatic have reported deficits among the elderly, raising the question of whether automatic memory processing does require some effortful attention and if so, whether such effort is needed during encoding, storage, or retrieval. This study used a secondary task methodology to examine these…

Previous studies of the effect of age and modality on digit span task performance have yielded inconsistent results. To eliminate some of the methodological difficulties in prior research, 18 college students and 18 older adults were given the digit span task by means of three different modalities: (1) visual successive; (2) visual simultaneous;…

Tested recognition memory for items and spatial location by varying picture and word stimuli across four slide quadrants. Results showed a pictorial superiority effect for item recognition and a greater ability to remember the spatial location of pictures versus words for both old and young adults (N=95). (WAS)

Examines several psychological characteristics and life experiences that may be related to reminiscence activity among elderly individuals (n=70). Results provide support for the notion that aspects of reminiscence activity are associated with individual differences in specific psychological and situational variables. (JPS)

Younger (N=24) and older subjects (N=24) generated one or three properties to set of 40 nouns. Subjects received incidental recall test immediately after, 1 week after, or 3 weeks after generation. Younger subjects recalled more nouns than did older subjects in all conditions, although both age groups exhibited high immediate recall. (Author/ ABL)

The present experiment was designed to assess possible age-related differences in metamemory accuracy and efficiency by using a feeling-of-knowing judgment in conjunction with a timed question-answering task. Subjects were 12 college students (19-22 years of age), 12 middle-aged (44-53 years) and 12 elderly (65-74 years) persons. (Author/MP)

Measures of verbal intelligence and abstract reasoning were taken on a group of 31 college-aged and 32 elderly adults, together with mental-processing rates associated with choice reaction time, primary memory scanning, and lexical decoding. Group means showed that verbal IQ and lexical decoding were intact in the elderly subjects. (Author/LMO)

Research on memory performance in children, the elderly, and individuals under stress is integrated with research on memory performance in college students. Assumptions include: (1) variation in attentional capacity within and between individuals, and (2) encoding operations vary in attentional requirements. Most of the data support the framework.…

Assessed the relative availability of Piagetian formal reasoning concepts at different ages in adulthood and examined performance patterns on standardized intelligence tests, logical reasoning, immediate memory span, and personality measures. Results indicated that although the elderly students' performances were generally adequate, their scores…

Two experiments examine whether the encoding of location meets criteria defining an automatic process. Automatic processes are not expected to show developmental changes beyond an early age. They appear to be unrelated to intelligence level and unaffected by instructions. Results support Hasher and Zack's automaticity hypothesis. (RWB)