Long‐Term Memory

Abstract

Different aspects of long‐term memory display different trajectories across the adult years. Both semantic memory and nondeclarative memory are relatively preserved. Episodic memory, however, is subject to age‐related changes, becoming both less detailed and less accurate as adults age. Explanations of these changes have focused on broad underlying mechanisms as well as on more specific processes. The role of goals and priorities in deciding what information to remember or to include in narratives about personal experiences must also be considered.