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Age-related changes in visual encoding strategy preferences during a spatial memory task.
Vladislava Segen1,2,3, Marios N Avraamides4,5, Timothy J Slattery6
1Ageing and Dementia Research Centre, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK. vladislava.segen@gmail.com.
Psychological Research
|March 23, 2021
Summary
Older adults use different visual strategies for spatial memory tasks, focusing more on object-landmark relationships. This categorical encoding helps them perform similarly to younger adults despite age-related memory changes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Ageing is linked to spatial memory decline, but the underlying cognitive mechanisms are not fully understood.
- Investigating age-related differences in spatial memory encoding strategies is crucial for understanding these deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine age-related variations in spatial encoding strategies using eye-tracking.
- To identify cognitive processes contributing to age-related spatial memory impairments.
Main Methods:
- Eye-tracking was employed to monitor visual encoding strategies in young and older adults.
- Participants encoded object locations in a virtual room with manipulated landmarks (removed, identical, unique).
- A perspective shift and object swapping were introduced during the testing phase.
Main Results:
- Perspective shifts and object swapping negatively impacted performance in both age groups.
- Older adults exhibited comparable task performance to younger adults.
- Gaze analysis revealed older adults favored a categorical encoding strategy, linking objects to landmarks.
Conclusions:
- Older adults employ distinct visual encoding strategies, prioritizing categorical relationships between objects and landmarks.
- Despite age-related changes, older adults can maintain spatial memory performance through adaptive encoding strategies.
