Exploring age-related changes in episodic memory: contributions of a multimodal memory task

While the decline in episodic memory with aging is well-documented, few studies have conducted a detailed analysis of the content of the recall in an experience that closely mimics a real-life situation. The objective of the present study was to compare the recall of young adults, young-old and oldest-old adults using a multimodal paradigm involving the viewing of a short movie. We compared quantitative scores of free recall and deepened recall (guided recall using a semi-structured interview). We analyzed profile scores relative to the distribution of each episodic element into the deepened recall. Data from 60 young adults (20-35 years), 56 young-old adults (60-74 years) and 37 oldest-old adults (75-91 years) indicated significant age-related declines in recall performance. An analysis of the recall structure revealed that oldest-old adults report significantly more episodic elements related to actions than young adults. Besides, compared to both young adults and young-old adults, oldest-old adults reported significantly fewer details related to verbal conversations which require more perceptual specifics. These findings highlight the importance of detailed recall analyses to better understand how the formation of episodic memory may gradually change with age.