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Thirty-six young adults (M age = 24.3 years) and 36 old adults (M age = 71.8 years) listened to four double-episode stories having either standard, interleaved, or scrambled structure. Two days later they were asked to recall the stories. Analysis of the mean number of nodes recalled revealed no age differences in the recall of standard and scrambled stories with both groups recalling the standard stories equally well and the scrambled stories equally poorly. However, for interleaved stories, young adults followed their pattern of recall for standard stories while old adults followed their pattern for scrambled stories. Also, the age groups differed in their pattern of additions and distortions, with old adults giving more for standard stories and young adults giving more for scrambled stories. Results appear to support models of age-related differences in memory processes and/or strategies when material must be reorganized or hierarchized. Possible metacognitive differences were also discussed; i.e., old adults may aim to tell the story interestingly, while young adults aim to tell it accurately.

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Executive function (EF) is fundamental to successful learning and goal-directed behavior in both adults and children. Bilingual experience has been shown to facilitate EF across the lifespan, likely due to the increased cognitive demand required for managing multiple languages on a daily basis. Building on previous research that primarily compared monolinguals and bilinguals categorically, the present study examined whether variation in non-dominant language use moderates the developmental trajectory of EF in a sample of 71 heterogeneous Spanish-English bilingual preschoolers. Using a general linear model, we found a significant interaction between the proportions of Spanish use, chronological age and performance on an EF task. Results suggest that daily bilingual use moderates preschoolers’ development in EF. Bilingualism is a multidimensional experience, and for developing children, daily use is an important quantifiable indicator of bilingualism when considering EF. Research and educational implications are discussed in light of these findings.

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