Memory and Aging in Context

Much research has indicated that aging is accompanied by decrements in memory performance across a wide variety of tasks and situations. A dominant perspective is that these age differences reflect normative changes in the integrity and efficiency of the information-processing system. Contextual per...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPsychological bulletin Vol. 131; no. 3; pp. 383 - 405
Main Author Hess, Thomas M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Psychological Association 01.05.2005
Subjects
Age Differences
Age Factors
Aging (Individuals)
Aging - physiology
Aging - psychology
Cognitive Processes
Health Status
Human Development - physiology
Humans
Integrity
Life Style
Memory
Memory - physiology
Models, Biological
Models, Neurological
Prefrontal Cortex - physiology
Stereotyped Behavior - physiology
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Summary:Much research has indicated that aging is accompanied by decrements in memory performance across a wide variety of tasks and situations. A dominant perspective is that these age differences reflect normative changes in the integrity and efficiency of the information-processing system. Contextual perspectives of development, however, argue for consideration of a broader constellation of factors as determinants of both intraindividual change and interindividual variation in memory functioning. The validity of the contextual perspective in characterizing the relationship between aging and memory is examined through a review of studies exploring a variety of alternative mechanisms associated with age differences in performance. It is concluded that a more multidimensional approach to the study of aging and memory is warranted.
ISSN:0033-2909
1939-1455
DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.131.3.383