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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

Age differences and format effects in working memory.

Paul W Foos¹, Paula Goolkasian

¹Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

Experimental Aging Research

|June 15, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Format effects impact working memory recall, with alternating case words reducing this effect for both younger and older adults. Older adults showed reduced working memory capacity, especially with more items.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Human Memory
Aging and Cognition

Background:

Format effects describe reduced working memory recall for printed words compared to spoken words or pictures.
These effects are linked to decreased attention towards printed stimuli.
Older adults may experience more pronounced format effects due to diminished attentional resources.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how alternating case words affect working memory recall in younger and older adults.
To determine if alternating case words can mitigate format effects in older adults.
To compare the working memory capacity and attentional allocation between age groups.

Main Methods:

Comparing recall performance for pictures, spoken words, printed words, and alternating case words.
Testing younger and older adults on memory tasks involving three or six items.
Analyzing the impact of stimulus format on recall accuracy across age groups.

Main Results:

Older adults performed comparably to younger adults with three items but less effectively with six items.
Alternating case words reduced format effects in both age groups, with a greater reduction observed in younger adults.
Working memory capacity differences between age groups were evident, particularly with larger set sizes.

Conclusions:

Alternating case words can reduce format effects in working memory for both younger and older adults.
Older adults exhibit reduced working memory capacity compared to younger adults, especially when processing more information.
Findings support models suggesting age-related declines in attentional resources within working memory.