Imagery in the aged

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to investigate the use of imagery by subjects of different ages. Experiment 1 was designed to test the effectiveness of "peg-word" system as a memory aid for the elderly. Variables believed to be important in the effectiveness of mnemonic devices were manipulated. The results showed that the mnemonic and imagery instructions were of benefit to the young subjects but not to the older subjects. Age was also found to interact with the concreteness variable, item concreteness having a smaller effect on the oldest subjects. These results suggest that the older subjects were not using imagery mediation effectively. Under the conditions of the second experiment, however, item concreteness had a similar effect across age groups. Tye of instruction was also manipulated in Experiment 2 and only the middle age group improved with imagery instructions. The older age group was not benefited by such instruction.

Differential Effects of a List-Learning Mnemonic in Three Age Groups

“…Finally, it is possible that the widening gap in recall found after training in the mne monic might be due to age differences in the ability to generate and retrieve visual images [Winograd and Simon, 1980], This explana tion was invoked by Mason and Smith [1977] in explaining their finding that young sub jects improved their recall through use of the peg-word mnemonic, whereas middle-aged and elderly subjects did not. Other research with this mnemonic [Poon et al, 1980.…”

Strategy Use in Reasoning Training With Older Adults

“…Studies have shown older adults, given simple instructions to use a speci®c strategy, improved their subsequent performance on a memory task compared to other older adult groups not informed on the use of a particular strategy (Hertzog, McGuire, & Lineweaver, 1998;Mason & Smith, 1977;Treat & Reese, 1976).…”

Aging and source monitoring: Cognitive processes and neuropsychological correlates.

“…To encourage participants to focus on the items and their appearance, they were asked to rate how long it would take to draw the picture they were looking at or imagining (see Durso & Johnson, 1980). They were explicitly directed to generate images on the appropriate trials because evidence suggests that older adults do not necessarily spontaneously use imagery Mason & Smith, 1977) but can perform as well as younger adults on a variety of memory tasks when instructed to use imagery (e.g., Fullerton, 1983;Treat & Reese, 1976;Whitboume & Slevin, 1978;Wood & Pratt, 1987;Yesavage, Rose, & Bower, 1983). Later participants were given a surprise source test in which they indicated whether each item had been seen, imagined, or was new.…”