Age and response bias: Evidence from the strength-based mirror effect

Abstract

Performance in episodic memory is determined both by accurate retrieval from memory and by decision processes. A substantial body of literature suggests slightly poorer episodic memory accuracy for older than younger adults; however, age-related changes in the decision mechanisms in memory have received much less attention. Response bias, the willingness to endorse an item as remembered, is an important decision factor that contributes to episodic memory performance, and therefore understanding age-related changes in response bias is critical to theoretical development. We manipulate list strength in order to investigate two aspects of response bias. First, we evaluate whether criterion placement in episodic memory differs for older and younger adults. Second, we ask whether older adults have the same degree of flexibility to adjust the criterion in response to task demands as younger adults. Participants were tested on weakly and strongly encoded lists where word frequency (Experiment 1) or similarity between targets and foils (Experiment 2) was manipulated. Both older and younger adults had higher hit rates and lower false-alarm rates for strong lists than for weak lists (i.e., a strength-based mirror effect). Older adults were more conservative (less likely to endorse an item as studied) than younger adults, and we found no evidence that older and younger adults differ in their ability to flexibly adjust their criterion based on the demands of the task.

Age Effects in Adaptive Criterion Learning

“…Likewise, both age groups show strength-based mirror effects (i.e. higher hit rates and lower false alarm rates for strongly vs. weakly encoded items) (Criss et al, 2014). We expand the literature by showing this ability through trial-to-trial adaptation.…”

“…For instance, when a difficult test on word pairs follows an easy one, both young and older adults shift criteria to become more conservative (Pendergrass, Olfman, Schmalstig, Seder, & Light, 2012). Related work reports similar findings of intact flexibility, although older adults tend to be more conservative (Criss et al, 2014). Other work suggests relative inflexibility, such that older adults adjust criteria to a lesser extent than young to maximize payoffs (Baron & Surdy, 1990).…”

List-strength effects in older adults in recognition and free recall

“…Although there were overall recognition differences between young adults and older adults, the results suggest that agerelated differences in recognition cannot be solely accounted for by the reduced attentional resources of older adults. The current findings are also consistent with Criss et al (2014), who found intact SBME between older and younger adults.…”

Age differences in sustained attention tasks: A meta-analysis

“…According to the diffusion model approaches (see Ratcliff & Smith, 2004 , for a review), older adults typically need to collect more evidence before selecting a response compared with their younger counterparts (Ratcliff et al, 2004 ; Starns & Ratcliff, 2010 ). Moreover, evidence exists of an age-related increase in the response criterion (Criss et al, 2014 ), a parameter of the signal detection theory, which represents the willingness of the subject to report a signal in ambiguous conditions; the higher the criterion, the higher the evidence the subject requires to report a signal, indicating a more conservative strategy.…”