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Associative interference in older and younger adults.
Rachel L Burton1, Isabel Lek1, Roger A Dixon1
1Department of Psychology.
Psychology and Aging
|May 17, 2019
Summary
Older adults experience greater associative interference and proactive interference in memory tasks compared to younger adults. This age-related associative deficit persists even with self-paced learning, indicating a fundamental difference in memory processing.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Aging
Background:
- Healthy older adults often show greater difficulty with associative interference than younger adults.
- Previous findings may have been influenced by differences in list discrimination ability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if older adults exhibit more pronounced associative interference in AB/AC learning.
- To test the hypothesis of an associative deficit in aging, independent of list discrimination.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a self-paced AB/AC learning procedure to assess associative interference.
- Measured accuracy and interference effects in older (60-74 years) and younger adults.
- Employed a method to assess interference without requiring list membership knowledge.
Main Results:
- Older adults demonstrated lower accuracy and greater proactive interference, confirming the associative deficit in aging.
- Older participants' memory for AB and AC showed statistical independence.
- Younger participants, under self-paced conditions, resolved and even reversed associative interference.
Conclusions:
- The associative deficit in aging is extended, showing increased susceptibility to proactive interference in older adults.
- Older adults exhibit less resolution of associative interference compared to younger adults.
- Age differences in associative interference are not explained by list discrimination ability.
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