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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
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Memory impairment in older adults' diversionary thoughts
Fátima Alves1, Flávia Resende1, Maria Salomé Pinho1
1Laboratory of Memory, Language and Executive Functions, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra Coimbra, Portugal.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|November 6, 2015
Summary
Thinking about personal memories can impair recall of recently learned information in older adults. This effect, known as the diversion paradigm, did not worsen with more distant memories.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- The directed forgetting paradigm investigates memory control.
- The diversion paradigm explores forgetting induced by engaging thoughts.
- Older adults may have different memory regulation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if autobiographical memory recall interferes with recent information recall in older adults.
- To determine if memory recall interference is influenced by the temporal distance of the autobiographical memory.
Main Methods:
- Employed the diversion paradigm with 90 healthy older adults (65-69 years).
- One group recalled autobiographical events after List 1, before List 2.
- Control group performed a speed-reading task instead of recalling memories.
- Assessed recall of both lists after a distraction task.
Main Results:
- Confirmed the amnesic effect of diversionary thought on recall.
- No significant difference in forgetting was observed based on the temporal distance of autobiographical memories.
Conclusions:
- Autobiographical memory recall can disrupt the retention of recently encoded information in older adults.
- Memory interference is not modulated by the temporal remoteness of the diversionary autobiographical memory.
- Strategies to enhance memory retention and forgetting in older adults are important.
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