The QuadMax Task: Parametrically Manipulating Associative Memory Load across the Adult Lifespan
Corinna Y Franco1, Alexander Alcaraz-Torres1, Ilana J Bennett1
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA.
Experimental Aging Research
|August 24, 2022
Summary
Associative memory declines with age and increased memory load. Older adults show greater deficits in recalling items studied together, especially with more items.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human lifespan studies
Background:
- Paired-associative memory deficits are common in adults and worsen with aging.
- Understanding memory for higher associative loads, which tax binding processes, is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associative memory performance across the adult lifespan under varying associative loads.
- To assess the impact of aging on associative memory at increased set sizes.
Main Methods:
- A novel recognition task (QuadMax) was developed to study word pairs, triplets, and quadruplets.
- 250 adults aged 18-78 years completed the task, with memory tested for repeated, recombined, and novel word sets.
Main Results:
- All adults exhibited associative memory deficits, with performance worsening at higher set sizes.
- Older adults showed poorer associative memory, characterized by more false alarms to recombined sets and lower overall associative memory scores.
- Deficits increased with higher associative loads and in older age groups.
Conclusions:
- Associative memory performance is sensitive to increased binding demands and aging.
- The QuadMax task effectively manipulates and assesses associative memory load across the lifespan.
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