Varieties of memory compensation by older adults in episodic remembering

Abstract

In a recent paper (Backman, 1985a), I introduced a conceptual frame of reference for research on adult aging and episodic remembering based on the superordinate concepts of compensation and recoding. This chapter constitutes an extension and elaboration of the framework proposed there. One basic point of departure for the discussion here concerns the fact that older adults possess the ability to compensate for various deficits in episodic remembering through different types of contextual and cognitive support. A classification scheme comprising three basic categories of memory compensation in later adulthood is presented: compensation via experimenter-provided support, compensation via inherent task properties, and compensation via cognitive-support systems. These categories deal with proximal interactions between the capabilities of the learner and the actual task demands. It is also suggested that younger adults, because of superior ability in various recoding operations , are less dependent on contextual and cognitive support in order to remember successfully. “Recoding ” is here defined as “all the processes and operations an individual possesses that, when applied, bring about a richer and more elaborate representation of the initially registered information to be remembered ” (Tulving, 1983). It is argued that a multifactorial approach is a necessary prerequisite for gaining the best understanding of what happens with memory as one gets older. Accordingly, some aspects of memory compensation in later adulthood other than those falling under the aforementioned categories are described.