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A developmental comparison of the effectiveness of encoding tasks
B H Basden1, D R Basden, E Devecchio
1Department of Psychology, California State University, Fresno.
Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs
|November 1, 1991
Summary
College students outperformed children and older adults in memory recall tasks. Effective memory encoding strategies varied by age, with organization proving most beneficial.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Memory encoding strategies significantly impact recall performance across different age groups.
- Understanding age-related differences in memory is crucial for developing effective learning interventions.
- Previous research indicates varying levels of cognitive flexibility in memory recall among distinct age demographics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different encoding tasks affect free-recall performance in young children, college students, and older adults.
- To compare the effectiveness of various encoding strategies, including simple learning, sentence frames, and sentence construction, across age groups.
- To explore age-specific needs for organizational cues in memory recall.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Assessed free recall in young children, college students, and older adults using simple learning, base/elaborate sentence frames, and sentence construction encoding tasks.
- Experiment 2: Examined recall of a categorized list by college students and older adults with simple learning, elaborate sentence frames, and word fragment completion.
- Performance metrics focused on the number of correctly recalled items for each condition and age group.
Main Results:
- College students generally showed better recall than children and older adults, particularly with simple learning.
- Young children benefited most from sentence construction, while older adults' recall was not significantly affected by encoding tasks in Experiment 1.
- In Experiment 2, simple learning yielded the highest recall for both college students and older adults; recall was equal only when organization was discouraged.
Conclusions:
- Organizational strategies are generally most effective for memory encoding, but their optimal application varies with age.
- Older adults may require more explicit organizational structures compared to younger adults to enhance memory recall.
- Cognitive processing that discourages deep organization can lead to similar recall performance between younger and older adults.