scholarly journals A Specificity Principle of Memory: Evidence From Aging and Associative Memory

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel R. Greene ◽  
Moshe Naveh-Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Associative Recognition ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Variable Delays ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Multiple Levels

The ability to remember associations among components of an event, which is central to episodic memory, declines with normal aging. In accord with the specificity principle of memory, these declines may occur because associative memory requires retrieval of specific information. Guided by this principle, we endeavored to determine whether ubiquitous age-related deficits in associative memory are restricted to specific representations or extend to the gist of associations. Young and older adults (30 each in Experiment 1, 40 each in Experiment 2) studied face–scene pairs and then performed associative-recognition tests following variable delays. Whereas both young and older adults could retrieve the gist of associations, older adults were impaired in their ability to retrieve more specific representations. Our results also show that associations can be retrieved from multiple levels of specificity, suggesting that episodic memory might be accessed on a continuum of specificity.

scholarly journals A Specificity Principle of Memory: Evidence from Aging and Associative Memory

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel R. Greene ◽  
Moshe Naveh-Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Associative Recognition ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Old Adults ◽  
Variable Delays ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Multiple Levels

The ability to remember associations among components of an event, which is central to episodic memory, declines with normal aging. In accord with the specificity principle of memory (Surprenant & Neath, 2009), these declines may occur because associative memory requires retrieval of specific information. Guided by this principle, we endeavored to determine whether ubiquitous age-related deficits in associative memory (e.g., Naveh-Benjamin, 2000) are restricted to specific representations or extend to the gist of associations. Young and old adults (30 each in Experiment 1, 40 each in Experiment 2) studied face-scene pairs and were administered associative recognition tests following variable delays. Whereas both young and older adults could retrieve the gist of associations, older adults were impaired in their ability to retrieve more specific representations. Our results also show that associations can be retrieved from multiple levels of specificity, suggesting that episodic memory might be accessed on a continuum of specificity.

scholarly journals Age-related decline in item but not spatiotemporal associative memory for a real-world event

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Diamond ◽  
Kristoffer Romero ◽  
Nivethika Jeyakumar ◽  
Brian Levine
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Real World ◽  
Item Memory ◽  
Discrimination Accuracy ◽  
Core Component ◽  
Museum Exhibit ◽  
Item Order ◽  
Age Related

Normal aging is typically associated with reduced ability to reconstruct the spatiotemporal context of past events, a core component of episodic memory. However, little is known about our ability to remember the order of events comprising extended real-world experiences and how this ability changes with age. We leveraged the richness and structure of a museum exhibit to address this question. Three months after visiting the exhibit, 141 adults aged 18-84 completed a test of spatiotemporal order memory and old/new recognition using pictures from the exhibit and similar lures, from which measures of associative and item memory were derived. Order discrimination accuracy was modulated by inter-item order and distance in younger and older adults, extending findings from recognition of laboratory stimuli at short delays to remote real-world experiences. In contrast to established findings from laboratory-based assessments, we observed a significant effect of aging on item memory driven byincreased lure susceptibility, but no age-related reduction in spatiotemporal associative memory. These findings present novel insights into different components of memory for real-world experiences at naturalistic timescales and across the lifespan.

scholarly journals Age-related Decline in Associative Memory: Understanding the Roles of Controlled and Automatic Processes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimmy Y. Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Automatic Processes ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Associative Deficit ◽  
Contextual Elements ◽  
Episodic Memories

Memory decline in old age is highly noticeable based on tasks assessing episodic memory, which require remembering information about events at specific times and places. The exact cognitive mechanism that accounts for this prominent age-related decline in episodic memory has not been well-understood, and the multitude of mechanisms that were proposed have drawn a credible amount of research and discussions. The current review focuses on the associative deficit hypothesis (ADH) - originally proposed by Naveh-Benjamin and colleagues - that was suggested to form the basis of age-related declines in episodic memories. According to the ADH, older adults’ poorer episodic memory is attributed to the difficulties they experience in formulating relations or links between single units of information (i.e., items or contextual elements), binding them together into a coherent distinctive unit, and retrieving the links between the component features/units whenever necessary [COPYRIGHT CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 J. Y. ZHONG, 2018].

Mechanism of Sequential Swallowing During Straw Drinking in Healthy Young and Older Adults

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K. Daniels ◽  
David M. Corey ◽  
Leslie D. Hadskey ◽  
Calli Legendre ◽  
Daniel H. Priestly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Significant Relation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Laryngeal Penetration ◽  
Airway Invasion ◽  
Edge Location

Recent research has revealed differences between isolated and sequential swallowing in healthy young adults; however, the influence of normal aging on sequential swallowing has not been studied. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of normal aging on deglutition during sequential straw drinking. Videofluoroscopic samples of two 10-s straw drinking trials were obtained for 20 healthy young men (age 29±3 years) and 18 healthy older men (age 69±7 years). Hyolaryngeal complex (HLC) movement patterns, leading edge of the bolus location at swallow onset, and occurrences of airway invasion were determined. Two HLC patterns were identified: (a) HLC lowering with the epiglottis returned to upright between swallows and (b) partially maintained HLC elevation with the epiglottis inverted between swallows. The bolus was frequently in the hypopharynx at swallow onset. Strong associations were identified between age and HLC pattern, age and leading edge of the bolus location, and HLC pattern and leading edge location. Laryngeal penetration was uncommon overall; however, it occurred more frequently in the older adults than in the young adults. A significant relation was identified between age and the average Penetration-Aspiration Scale score. Laryngeal penetration was associated with both HLC movement patterns and hypopharyngeal bolus location, particularly in older adults. Results indicate that subtle age-related differences are evident in healthy young and older adults with sequential straw drinking. These data suggest that specific inherent swallowing patterns may increase the risk of laryngeal penetration with normal aging.

Is There a Decline in Picture Naming With Advancing Age?

1994 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Goulet ◽  
Bernadette Ska ◽  
Helen J. Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Inconsistent Finding ◽  
Naming Performance ◽  
Subject Characteristics

This review of 25 studies of the picture-naming accuracy of normal aging individuals shows that an age-related decline in picture naming is an inconsistent finding. Naming performance of older adults varied throughout the studies reviewed in this paper. This variability is attributed to the research methods used and to subject characteristics. To date, there are no studies that have considered all “nuisance factors” (e.g., health status, medication) in such a way that would allow support for a decrease in picture-naming accuracy associated with primary aging.

A Review and Reappraisal of the Default Network in Normal Aging and Dementia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna ◽  
Matthew D. Grilli ◽  
Muireann Irish
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Default Network ◽  
Pathological Aging ◽  
Age Related

The brain’s default network (DN) has received considerable interest in the context of so-called “normal” and pathological aging. Findings have generally been couched in support of a pessimistic view of brain aging, marked by substantial loss of structural brain integrity accompanied by a host of impairments in brain and cognitive function. A critical look at the literature, however, reveals that the standard loss of integrity, loss of function (LILF) view in normal aging may not necessarily hold with respect to the DN and the internally guided functions it supports. Many internally guided processes subserved by the DN are preserved or enhanced in cognitively healthy older adults. Moreover, differences in motivational, contextual, and physiological factors between young and older adults likely influence the extant neuroimaging and cognitive findings. Accordingly, normal aging can be viewed as a series of possibly adaptive cognitive and DN-related alterations that bolster cognitive function and promote socioemotional well-being and stability in a stage of life noted for change. On the other hand, the available evidence reveals strong support for the LILF view of the DN in neurodegenerative disorders, whereby syndromes such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and semantic dementia (SD), characterized by progressive atrophy to distinct DN subsystems, display distinct aberrations in autobiographical and semantic cognition. Taken together, these findings call for more naturalistic, age-appropriate, and longitudinal paradigms when investigating neurocognitive changes in aging and to adequately assess and control for differences in non-neural factors that may obscure “true” effects of normal and pathological aging. A shift in the framework with which age-related alterations in internally guided cognition are interpreted may shed important light on the neurocognitive mechanisms differentiating healthy and pathological aging, leading to a more complete picture of the aging brain in all its complexity.

Episodic Future Thinking and Cognitive Aging

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Schacter ◽  
Aleea L. Devitt ◽  
Donna Rose Addis
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Episodic Future Thinking ◽  
Future Thinking ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Prosocial Intentions ◽  
Age Related Changes

Episodic future thinking refers to the ability to imagine or simulate experiences that might occur in an individual’s personal future. It has been known for decades that cognitive aging is associated with declines in episodic memory, and recent research has documented correlated age-related declines in episodic future thinking. Previous research has considered both cognitive and neural mechanisms that are responsible for age-related changes in episodic future thinking, as well as effects of aging on the functions served by episodic future thinking. Studies concerned with mechanism indicate that multiple cognitive mechanisms contribute to changes in episodic future thinking during aging, including episodic memory retrieval, narrative style, and executive processes. Recent studies using an episodic specificity induction—brief training in recollecting episodic details of a recent experience—have proven useful in separating the contributions of episodic retrieval from other non-episodic processes during future thinking tasks in both old and young adults. Neuroimaging studies provide preliminary evidence of a role for age-related changes in default and executive brain networks in episodic future thinking and autobiographical planning. Studies concerned with function have examined age-related effects on the link between episodic future thinking and a variety of processes, including everyday problem-solving, prospective memory, prosocial intentions, and intertemporal choice/delay discounting. The general finding in these studies is for age-related reductions, consistent with the work on mechanisms that consistently reveals reduced episodic detail in older adults when they imagine future events. However, several studies have revealed that episodic simulation nonetheless confers some benefits for tasks tapping adaptive functions in older adults, such as problem-solving, prospective memory, and prosocial intentions, even though age-related deficits on these tasks are not eliminated or reduced by episodic future thinking.

Swallow Stronger and Safer: Past, Present, and Future of the SwallowSTRONG Device

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-70
Author(s):  
JoAnne Robbins ◽  
Jackie Hind
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Bolus Transit ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Swallowing Rehabilitation ◽  
Risk Of Aspiration

This article discusses oropharyngeal strengthening for swallowing rehabilitation in adults. Reduced oropharyngeal strength is common in older adults and adults with age-related medical conditions resulting in less effective bolus transit and increased risk of aspiration. Specific information is presented regarding scientific and theoretical basis (past), development of devices to facilitate and evidence supporting oropharyngeal strengthening (present), and areas requiring further study (future).

scholarly journals Relational binding and holistic retrieval in aging

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Ngo ◽  
Nora Newcombe
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Verbal Iq ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Associative Deficit ◽  
General Cognitive Status ◽  
Relational Binding

Episodic memory binds together diverse elements of an event into a cohesive unit. This property enables the reconstruction of multidimensional experiences when triggered by a cue related to a past event via pattern completion processes. Such holistic retrieval is evident in young adults, as shown by dependency in the retrieval success for different associations from the same event (Horner & Burgess, 2013, 2014). Aspects of episodic memory capacity are vulnerable to aging processes, as shown by reduced abilities to form linkages within an event through relational binding (associative deficit hypothesis: Naveh-Benjamin, 2002). However, prior work has not examined whether this reduction affects holistic retrieval in typical aging. Here, we leveraged dependency analyses to examine whether older adults remember or forget events holistically, and whether the degree of holistic retrieval declines with old age. We found evidence for continued holistic retrieval, because accuracy for one aspect of an event predicted accuracy for other aspects of the same event. Younger and older adults did not differ in the degree of holistic recollection, despite robust age-related differences in relational binding. However, within the group of older adults, holistic recollection showed a significant decline with advancing age, controlling for pairwise relational binding performance, verbal IQ, and general cognitive status. These results suggest that a decline in holistic retrieval is an aspect of episodic memory decrements later in cognitive aging.

scholarly journals Implicit Memory and Cognitive Aging

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma V. Ward ◽  
David R. Shanks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Implicit Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Explicit Memory ◽  
Human Memory ◽  
Memory Systems ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Age Related

It is well documented that explicit (declarative, conscious) memory declines in normal aging. Studies have shown a progressive reduction in this form of memory with age, and healthy older adults (typically aged 65+ years) usually perform worse than younger adults (typically aged 18–30 years) on laboratory tests of explicit memory such as recall and recognition. In contrast, it is less clear whether implicit (procedural, unconscious) memory declines or remains stable in normal aging. Implicit memory is evident when previous experiences affect (e.g., facilitate) performance on tasks that do not require conscious recollection of those experiences. This can manifest in rehearsed motor skills, such as playing a musical instrument, but is typically indexed in the laboratory by the greater ease with which previously studied information is processed relative to non-studied information (e.g., repetition priming). While a vast amount of research has accumulated to suggest that implicit memory remains relatively stable over the adult lifespan, and is similar in samples of young and older adults, other studies have in contrast revealed that implicit memory is subject to age-related decline. Improving methods for determining whether implicit memory declines or remains stable with age is an important goal for future research, as the issue not only has significant implications for an aging society regarding interventions likely to ameliorate the effects of age-related explicit memory decline, but can also inform our theoretical understanding of human memory systems.

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