Patterns of memory performance in young-old and old-old adults: a selective review

Three experiments were discussed as a means of bridging the gap between biological and psychological data on aging and memory. Memory performances of young-old (73 year-old) and old-old (82 year-old) subjects were compared. The common denominator of these experiments was that contextual or cognitive support had been provided at study and/or test. The rationale behind discussing these experiments in the present context was that subjects should be able to use this support to focus attention on the critical aspects of the to-be-remembered information; thereby the subjects should be able to compensate for neurological degeneration pertinent to attentional difficulties. The nature of the differences between young-old and old-old subjects was found to vary among tasks. Study 1 demonstrated qualitative differences between young-old and old-old subjects, whereas Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated the differences to be merely quantitative in nature. Implications for memory training programs for the elderly were discussed.