Effortful semantic decision-making boosts memory performance in older adults

Fu, Li; Maes, J.H.R.; Varma, Samarth; Kessels, Roy P. C.; Daselaar, Sander M.

doi:10.1080/09658211.2016.1193204

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Decline in episodic memory is a hallmark of cognitive ageing [1, 2]. An increasing number of studies have been focusing on factors responsible for such deficits as well as strategies to counteract it [3–5]. Particularly, in the area of episodic memory consolidation, a growing amount of research suggests that memory is better retained when participants rest quietly after learning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindwandering propensity modulates episodic memory consolidation

Varma

Takashima

et al. 2019

Aging Clin Exp Res

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Research into strategies that can combat episodic memory decline in healthy older adults has gained widespread attention over the years. Evidence suggests that a short period of rest immediately after learning can enhance memory consolidation, as compared to engaging in cognitive tasks. However, a recent study in younger adults has shown that post-encoding engagement in a working memory task leads to the same degree of memory consolidation as from post-encoding rest. Here, we tested whether this finding can be extended to older adults. Using a delayed recognition test, we compared the memory consolidation of word–picture pairs learned prior to 9 min of rest or a 2-Back working memory task, and examined its relationship with executive functioning and mindwandering propensity. Our results show that (1) similar to younger adults, memory for the word–picture associations did not differ when encoding was followed by post-encoding rest or 2-Back task and (2) older adults with higher mindwandering propensity retained more word–picture associations encoded prior to rest relative to those encoded prior to the 2-Back task, whereas participants with lower mindwandering propensity had better memory performance for the pairs encoded prior to the 2-Back task. Overall, our results indicate that the degree of episodic memory consolidation during both active and passive post-encoding periods depends on individual mindwandering tendency.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40520-019-01251-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindwandering propensity modulates episodic memory consolidation

Varma

Takashima

et al. 2019

Aging Clin Exp Res

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“…One type of environmental support in a broader sense consists of manipulating task demands to enhance depth of processing of the to-be-learned material, such as in tasks that encourage deep semantic encoding [ 3 – 5 ]. In a recent study [ 6 ] comparing young (YAs) and older adults (OAs), we found that encoding especially enhances later memory retrieval in OAs if encoding takes place under relatively demanding conditions that implicate much cognitive effort. This effect is in accordance with the environmental-compensation view [ 6 – 8 ], which states that high task demands may encourage OAs to use their limited cognitive resources in a more efficient way, thereby compensating for their cognitive deficits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent study [ 6 ] comparing young (YAs) and older adults (OAs), we found that encoding especially enhances later memory retrieval in OAs if encoding takes place under relatively demanding conditions that implicate much cognitive effort. This effect is in accordance with the environmental-compensation view [ 6 – 8 ], which states that high task demands may encourage OAs to use their limited cognitive resources in a more efficient way, thereby compensating for their cognitive deficits. However, the amount of cognitive effort invested in a task, which later benefits episodic memory retrieval, might be highly dependent on the individual’s cognitive capacities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To boost or to CRUNCH? Effect of effortful encoding on episodic memory in older adults is dependent on executive functioning

Maes

Kessels

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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It is essential to develop effective interventions aimed at ameliorating age-related cognitive decline. Previous studies found that effortful encoding benefits episodic memory in older adults. However, to date it is unclear whether this benefit is different for individuals with strong versus weak executive functioning (EF). Fifty-one older adults were recruited and divided into low (N = 26) and high (N = 25) functioning groups, based on their EF capacity. All participants performed a semantic and a perceptual incidental encoding task. Each encoding task was performed under four difficulty levels to establish different effort levels. Encoding was followed by a recognition task. Results showed that the high EF group benefitted from increased effort in both tasks. However, the low EF group only showed a beneficial effect under low levels of effort. Results are consistent with the Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH) and suggest that future research directed at developing efficient memory strategies to reduce negative cognitive aging effects should take individual cognitive differences among older adults into account, such as differences in EF.

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“…Eysenck (1974) and Mason (1979) found comparable memory performance in both age groups after shallow encoding but inferior retrieval in older adults following deep encoding. In contrast, Mitchell and Perlmutter (1986) as well as Fu et al (2017) found elderly adults to benefit from deep encoding with comparable performance during retrieval or recognition. However, the effect sizes in these studies were small ( d = 0.25–0.34), with the highest effect size observed by Eysenck (1974).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Incidental Learning: A Systematic Review of Its Effect on Episodic Memory Performance in Older Age

Wagnon

Wehrmann

Klöppel

et al. 2019

Front. Aging Neurosci.

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Episodic memory is the capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information of specific past events. Several studies have shown that the decline in episodic memory accompanies aging, but most of these studies assessed memory performance through intentional learning. In this approach, the individuals deliberately acquire knowledge. Yet, another method to evaluate episodic memory performance–receiving less attention by the research community–is incidental learning. Here, participants do not explicitly intent to learn. Incidental learning becomes increasingly important over the lifespan, since people spend less time in institutions where intentional learning is required (e.g., school, university, or at work). Yet, we know little how incidental learning impacts episodic memory performance in advanced age. Likewise, the neural mechanisms underlying incidental learning in older age remain largely unknown. Thus, the immediate goal of this review was to summarize the existing literature on how incidental learning changes with age and how neural mechanisms map onto these age-related changes. We considered behavioral as well as neuroimaging studies using incidental learning paradigms (alone or in combination with intentional learning) to assess episodic memory performance in elderly adults. We conducted a systematic literature search on the Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, and OVID SP databases and searched the reference lists of articles. The search yielded 245 studies, of which 34 concerned incidental learning and episodic memory in older adults. In sum, these studies suggest that aging particularly affects episodic memory after incidental learning for cognitively demanding tasks. Monitoring deficits in older adults might account for these findings since cognitively demanding tasks need increased attentional resources. On a neuronal level, dysregulation of the default-mode-network mirrors monitoring deficits, with an attempt to compensate through increased frontal activity. Future (neuroimaging) studies should systematically evaluate retrieval tasks with diverging cognitive load and consider the influence of attention and executive functions in more detail.

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Effortful semantic decision-making boosts memory performance in older adults

Cited by 12 publications

References 37 publications

Mindwandering propensity modulates episodic memory consolidation

Mindwandering propensity modulates episodic memory consolidation

To boost or to CRUNCH? Effect of effortful encoding on episodic memory in older adults is dependent on executive functioning

Incidental Learning: A Systematic Review of Its Effect on Episodic Memory Performance in Older Age

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