Episodic spatial memory in adulthood

Two experiments examined age-related differences in memory for spatial location information in a museum exhibit (Experiment 1) and in a secretarial office (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, subjects were the visitors to the exhibit (N = 302, 15-74 years of age), and memory was assessed using a map test. In Experiment 2, subjects were 64 young adults (M = 21.2 years) and 32 older adults (M = 71.2 years), and memory was assessed using both a map test and a relocation test. The relocation test required subjects to replace the to-be-remembered targets where they appeared at study. Experiment 1 showed an age-related decline in spatial memory performance, and it placed the onset of this decline in the sixth decade of life. Experiment 2 showed an age-related decline on both tests, but age effects were smaller on the relocation test than on the map test, and when subjects knew that spatial memory would be tested than when they were not informed.