Age and the availability of inferences
Psychology and Aging
|March 1, 1992
Summary
Older adults struggle with updating working memory, showing broader alternative interpretation activation and poorer inference recall compared to younger adults. This suggests age-related declines in inhibitory control.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Understanding age-related cognitive changes is crucial for addressing memory and inference challenges in older adults.
- Working memory and inhibitory control are key executive functions that may decline with age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age differences in the availability and revision of inferences during reading.
- To examine how inhibitory mechanisms influence working memory in younger and older adults.
Main Methods:
- A speeded decision procedure and cued recall were employed.
- Participants (younger and older adults) read passages designed to elicit target and competing inferences.
- Subjects judged word consistency with their evolving interpretation of the text.
Main Results:
- Both age groups ultimately agreed on the target inference.
- Older adults exhibited broader, more sustained activation of alternative interpretations.
- Older adults demonstrated lower recall of specific inferences.
Conclusions:
- Age-related differences exist in inference processing and revision.
- Findings support a model of age-related decline in inhibitory control over working memory contents.
- Impaired inhibition may lead to difficulties in updating mental representations in older adults.
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