Fuzzy-trace theory and lifespan cognitive development

Abstract

Fuzzy-trace theory (FTT) emphasizes the use of core theoretical principles, such as the verbatim-gist distinction, to predict new findings about cognitive development that are counterintuitive from the perspective of other theories or of common-sense. To the extent that such predictions are confirmed, the range of phenomena that are explained expands without increasing the complexity of the theory's assumptions. We examine research on recent examples of such predictions during four epochs of cognitive development: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and late adulthood. During the first two, the featured predictions are surprising developmental reversals in false memory (childhood) and in risky decision making (adolescence). During young adulthood, FTT predicts that a retrieval operation that figures centrally in dual-process theories of memory, recollection, is bivariate rather than univariate. During the late adulthood, FTT identifies a retrieval operation, reconstruction, that has been omitted from current theories of normal memory declines in aging and pathological declines in dementia. The theory predicts that reconstruction is a major factor in such declines and that it is able to forecast future dementia.

Internet Safety and the Silver Surfer: The Relationship Between Gist Reasoning and Adults' Risky Online Behavior

“…However, in the domain of Internet use, this might not necessarily be the case, as increased aged was inversely associated with experience. During healthy ageing, specific (verbatim) representations of memory decay faster and are less accessible than gist representations, and as such, older adults' increased gist reasoning in false‐recall experiments has been linked to this decay in their neurocognitive functioning (e.g., Brainerd & Reyna, ; Koustaal et al, ). In addition, Corbin et al () found that individuals with higher working memory capacity show a preference for gist reasoning strategies in risky decision making, and Huang, Wood, Berger, and Hanoch () have shown that a greater age effect exists when participants make decisions on deliberative tasks compared with experiential tasks.…”

Constructivist developmental theory is needed in developmental neuroscience

“…Also, the brain, the working brain, is a complex semantic-pragmatic processor, a meaning generator and carrier. Brainerd and Reyna 45 also make clear that essential, effective-complexity meaning is what is abstracted from contextualised semantic-pragmatic processes: what is not essential is dropped, only the gist is retained. As we mentioned and discuss later on, the schemes activated and compatible within a situation overdetermine intended performance or representation.…”

“…The fuzzy-trace theory 45,46 is an interesting variant of a dualprocess theory. It is interesting because its chosen dimension of variation (which has two types, gist processing versus verbatim processing) is not based on complexity, abstraction or mental effort (working memory demand), but it is instead based on meaning (deep thinking) versus the manifest signs or referents that might express simpler meaning (shallow thinking).…”

“…Lack of space prevents us to mention them all. We take as examples dual-process theories of reasoning and cognition, [42][43][44] of which fuzzy-trace theory 45,46 is an interesting variant.…”

Age differences in false memories for visual scenes and the effect of prior recall

“…The first explanation is that false recall for visual scenes is likely to rely more on gist memory to generate theme-related lures, but children's gist memory is poorer than the other age groups. A second related explanation is that young children's language is still developing so it is harder for them to recall than recognize a thematically related lure (Brainerd & Reyna, 2015).…”