Multistep inference across the human lifespan can be improved with individualized memory interventions.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Aging Research
• Decision-Making

Background:

• Goal-directed decision-making depends on memory and planning, which often decline with age.
• Mnemonic discrimination, a measure of memory precision, is uniquely vulnerable to age-related decline.
• This study investigates if memory precision is a common mechanism underlying age-related cognitive declines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if age-related declines in decision-making stem from a common mechanism related to memory precision.
• To assess the impact of learning schedules on cognitive performance based on memory abilities.
• To explore potential interventions for preserving decision-making abilities in aging adults.

Main Methods:

• A latent learning task was used to assess inference judgments and relational structure organization across the adult lifespan.
• Experiment 1 examined the relationship between judgment performance and mnemonic discrimination.
• Experiment 2 tested if a blocked learning schedule improved performance for individuals with lower memory precision, alongside neural network simulations.

Main Results:

• Both young and older adults demonstrated latent learning and inference, but performance variability was linked to mnemonic discrimination ability.
• Mnemonic discrimination interacted with training conditions: intermixed training favored high memory precision, while blocked training benefited low memory precision.
• Artificial neural network simulations replicated these observed patterns.

Conclusions:

• Age-related declines in complex judgments are associated with reduced mnemonic discrimination.
• Individualized, memory-based training can enhance learning and reasoning for goal-directed planning.
• These findings offer a promising strategy for maintaining decision-making capabilities throughout life.