Abstract
Visual short-term memory (VSTM) ability falls throughout the life span in healthy adults. Using a continuous report task, in a large, population-based sample, we first confirmed that this decline affects the quality and quantity of reported memories as well as knowledge of which item went where. Visual and sensorimotor precision also worsened with advancing age, but this did not account for the reduced memory performance. We then considered two strategies that older individuals might be able to adopt, to offset these memory declines: the use of contextual encoding, and metacognitive monitoring of performance. Context and metacognitive awareness were both associated with significantly better performance, however these effects did not interact with age in our sample. This suggests that older adults retain their capacity to boost memory performance through attention to external context and monitoring of their performance. Strategies that focus on taking advantage of these preserved abilities may therefore help to maintain VSTM performance with advancing age. The article reports on analysis of the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) data.
Highlights
Visual short-term memory (VSTM) ability falls throughout the life span in healthy adults
A population-based sample of 700 healthy participants was recruited as part of the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN; see Shafto et al, 2014 for full details of the sample and exclusion criteria; all participants performed a range of psychological tests and neuroimaging assessments, but only the VSTM task is analyzed here)
The results suggest that older individuals remain able to make use of context to boost various aspects of VSTM performance, with no clear evidence of this ability changing substantially across the age range
Summary
Visual short-term memory (VSTM) ability falls throughout the life span in healthy adults. Visual and sensorimotor precision worsened with advancing age, but this did not account for the reduced memory performance. Context and metacognitive awareness were both associated with significantly better performance, these effects did not interact with age in our sample. This suggests that older adults retain their capacity to boost memory performance through attention to external context and monitoring of their performance. Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge; Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN), University of Cambridge; Rhodri Cusack, Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, University of Dublin. McMinn, Kim Norman, Jessica Penrose, Fiona Roby, Diane Rowland, John Sargeant, Maggie Squire, Beth Stevens, Aldabra Stoddart, Cheryl Stone, Tracy Thompson, Ozlem Yazlik; and administrative staff: Dan Barnes, Marie Dixon, Jaya Hillman, Joanne Mitchell, Laura Villis
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