Speed and accuracy of memory decisions in older adults

An experiment examined the speed and accuracy with which older individuals made decisions about the contents of their memory. 63 volunteers aged between 50 and 80 years made speeded decisions about whether they knew the meaning of rare words presented to them on a computer screen followed by a forced-choice recognition test to assess the veracity of the memory decisions. Subjects were required to select 3 targets from a list of 10 that together constituted the definition of the original word. Analysis showed (i) the older adults were slower to decide whether or not they knew the words, (ii) positive decisions were quicker when more was known about the target, (iii) the age difference in decision speed was unrelated to the amount known about each item.