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Aging and fluency-based illusions in recognition memory.

Anjali Thapar1, Deanne L Westerman

  • 1Department of Psychology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, USA. athapar@brynmawr.edu

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Older and young adults show similar susceptibility to fluency-based memory illusions. Age does not significantly impact how perceptual or conceptual fluency affects recognition memory decisions.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience of Aging

Background:

  • Memory illusions, particularly those based on processing fluency, are a key area of cognitive research.
  • Understanding age-related differences in memory is crucial for addressing cognitive decline and maintaining quality of life in older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether older adults are more susceptible to fluency-based memory illusions compared to younger adults.
  • To examine the influence of perceptual and conceptual fluency on recognition memory across different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted using distinct methods to manipulate item fluency during recognition tests.
  • Participants included both young and older adults, with analyses comparing their susceptibility to memory illusions.

Main Results:

  • No significant age-related differences were found in overall susceptibility to fluency-based memory illusions.
  • Both perceptual and conceptual fluency influenced recognition memory similarly in older and young adults, irrespective of sensory modality matching.

Conclusions:

  • Older adults are not inherently more vulnerable to fluency-based recognition memory illusions than younger adults.
  • Age does not appear to affect sensitivity to factors modulating the impact of fluency on recognition memory decisions.