Picture memory in older adults: effects of contextual detail at encoding and retrieval

In the present study, contextual detail was manipulated in a stimulus set by reproducing cartoon pictures intact or with much of the background obliterated. Young and older adults were presented cartoon slides both with and without contextual detail for study. During recognition, presence or absence of background was crossed factorially with its presence or absence during encoding, and participants indicated whether they recognized the cartoon. Analysis of d' scores indicated that old and young adults evidenced encoding specificity effects of comparable magnitude. Additionally, young people recognized pictures with contextual detail better than pictures without detail, whereas the reverse appeared to be true for older individuals. The implications of these findings with respect to those of Craik and Simon are discussed.