Different measurements of episodic memory
recollection and familiarity
Dual process theory of episodic memory and ageing
familiarity sense is preserved in age
recollection decreases with age
Brain areas that reduce in volume with age
caudate nucleus, lateral PFC, cerebellar hemispheres, hippocampus
Brain areas that don’t reduce in volume with age
primary visual cortex, entorhinal cortex
What areas are involved in the different measurements of episodic memory?
recollection –> hippocampus
familiarity –> entorhinal cortex
What is more deficient in the different theories of ageing?
Dual process theory –> recollection
Assoc. deficit hypothesis –> memory for assoc,
Source monitoring framework –> memory for source and context
What is less deficient in the different theories of ageing?
Dual process theory –> familiarity
Assoc. deficit hypothesis –> memory for individual items,
Source monitoring framework –> memory for specific context/items
Issues with processing speed and cognitive processes
processing speed is a key constraint on cognitive processes
processing speed decreases with age
Reasons for older adults performing worse in disgital symbol test
older adults prioritise accuracy over speed
older adults have decreased working memory capacity
difference in memory types and their decline with age
working memory decreases much faster than short term memory with age
Cumulative stress and working memory
High stress over time is correlated with a decline in working memory
What cognitive abilities tend to decline with age?
Fluid abilities like reasoning and processing speed
What cognitive abilities tend to increase/remain stable with age?
crystalised abilities like general knowledge and vocabulary
Reasons for differences in results between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies
practice effects, attrition and cohort differences
terminal drop/decline
significant acceleration of fluid ability decline in last few years of life
factors that affect cognitive ageing
socioeconomic background
physical and sensory disability
racial/ethinic disparities in access to education
dementia
Functions of working memory less affected by ageing
feature binding
directing attention to information
Functions of working memory that are more affected by ageing
encoding associative bindings between arbitrary pieces of information
What strategy does not improve memory performance in older adults?
elaborative strategies via instruction/training
does in younger adults
Difference in working memory and processing speed with age
working memory accounts for age-related variability in cognitive abilities more than processing speed
