Life-span changes in implicit and explicit memory

Abstract

The literature shows that whereas explicit memory decreases in later life, implicit memory tends to remain intact. This pattern of results is mirrored in the findings from recent experiments with young children who show age-related increases in explicit but not implicit memory. This paper summarizes research on lifespan changes in implicit and explicit memory. The findings are discussed in terms of broad theoretical accounts that have been used to explain, on the one hand, dissociations between implicit and explicit memory in healthy adults and in memory-disordered patients, and, on the other hand, the development of memory in early childhood.