The Impact of Age on Short-term Memory

Abstract

Short-term memory (STM) temporarily stores sensory events, movements, and cognitive information. Several studies have shown that STM can store previously encountered information as memory. Studies show that as age increases, the STM of the individual decreases; however, there is no precise age division for when the decay of STM occurs. In this study, a method of short-term visual memorization of a random sequence of numbers has been used to study the correlation between age and STM, and the age of decay of STM. The result of this study has shown a significant difference in the number of digits recalled between the age groups 1-12 and 65 and above and age groups 13-17 and 65 and above.Similarly, age groups 1-12 and 18-64 differed significantly. We conclude that the increase in age correlates negatively with short-term memory, where the STM and the ability to recall short items decrease as age increases. Potential genetic and physiological mechanisms of the negative correlation between age and STM are discussed.