Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

On age differences in processing variability and scanning speed.

P A Allen1

  • 1Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center.

Journal of Gerontology
|September 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Chiari 1000 Registry Project: assessment of surgical outcome on self-focused attention, pain, and delayed recall.

Psychological medicine·2017
Same author

How shared are age-related influences on cognitive and noncognitive variables?

Psychology and aging·2001
Same author

Visual attention and aging.

Frontiers in bioscience : a journal and virtual library·2000
Same author

Adult age differences in visual search accuracy: attentional guidance and target detectability.

Psychology and aging·2000
Same author

A molar entropy model of age differences in spatial memory.

Psychology and aging·1998
Same author

Age differences in entropy: primary versus secondary memory.

Experimental aging research·1998
Same journal

Shakespeare's attitude towards old age.

Journal of gerontology·2010
Same journal

Involution of tissues in fetal life; a review.

Journal of gerontology·2010
Same journal

Attitudes toward aging and the aged; primitive societies.

Journal of gerontology·2010
Same journal

Budgeting for social security.

Journal of gerontology·2010
Same journal

The Hodson Community Center; an experiment in preservation of personality.

Journal of gerontology·2010
Same journal

Prolongation of life with prevention of leukemia by thymectomy in mice.

Journal of gerontology·2010
See all related articles

Adults show age differences in memory for order information. Data support a processing variability model over a generalized slowing model for recognition memory tasks.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Aging Research

Background:

  • Recognition memory for the order of information is crucial for daily functioning.
  • Understanding age-related changes in memory processes is vital for gerontology and cognitive health.
  • Previous models, such as generalized slowing, offered limited explanations for specific memory deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age differences in recognition memory for the positional order of items.
  • To test the predictive power of the processing variability model against the generalized slowing model.
  • To examine how primary and secondary memory affect order information recall.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments using a modified memory-scanning task with letter stimuli presented in boxes.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Participants judged probe letters' original positions, with manipulations including distractor tasks (primary vs. secondary memory) and acoustic similarity.
  • Data analysis focused on error rates and reaction times to assess distance effects in transposition judgments.

    • Main Results:

    • Both experiments demonstrated "distance effects," where errors and reaction times increased with smaller positional distances between transposed letters.
    • These distance effects were observed in both left and right transposition directions, supporting the processing variability model.
    • The generalized slowing model's prediction of distance effects only in the left direction was not supported.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings support the processing variability model, suggesting that age-related memory deficits stem from variations in cognitive processing rather than a general slowing of cognitive speed.
    • Age differences in recognition memory for order information are better explained by fluctuations in processing efficiency.
    • The study highlights the importance of considering processing variability when examining age-related memory decline.