Age-related effects of reinforced practice on recognition memory: consistent versus varied stimulus-response...

Healthy older (64-74 years) and younger (19-26 years) men received extended exposure to tasks requiring visual recognition memory (memory scanning). The older men's speeds increased substantially when fast responding was differentially reinforced by time limits placed on the recognition response. Gains were matched by the younger men, however, so that age differences were not reduced. These improvements by the older men occurred under conditions of varied stimulus-response relations (as well as consistent relations), a procedure that has been regarded as especially taxing of the cognitive resources of older adults. Although the study did not provide evidence that age differences in recognition memory were reduced by reinforced practice, the equivalent practice effects and the transfer of these effects from visual to auditory stimuli indicated that the older men's learning abilities were the equal of those of the young adult controls.