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Directed forgetting in working memory: age-related differences
Pilar Andrés1, Martial Van der Linden, Fabrice B R Parmentier
1Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, UK. pandres@plymouth.ac.uk
Memory (Hove, England)
|July 15, 2004
Summary
Older adults struggle with directed forgetting, showing less efficient inhibition of irrelevant information. Their working memory also becomes more sensitive to interference as they age.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Aging
Background:
- Working memory capacity declines with age.
- Age-related cognitive changes impact executive functions like inhibition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of aging on the directed forgetting of information.
- To examine age-related differences in inhibiting irrelevant memories.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Reed's (1970) directed forgetting procedure.
- Compared memory recall for letter trigrams in single-item, interference, and directed forgetting conditions.
- Assessed elderly and younger participants' ability to inhibit to-be-forgotten information.
Main Results:
- Elderly participants demonstrated less efficient inhibition of irrelevant information compared to younger adults.
- Age-related decline in directed forgetting performance was observed.
- Increased sensitivity to interference was noted in elderly participants, even when inhibition was not explicitly required.
Conclusions:
- Aging impairs the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, supporting the Hasher and Zacks (1988) model.
- Age-related working memory deficits extend to inhibitory control processes.
- Future research should explore interventions to enhance inhibitory control in older adults.