Age, presentation rate, and the effectiveness of structural and semantic recall cues.
To replicate the results of research on age-related differences in the effectiveness of structural and semantic memory cues, 18 young, 18 middle-aged, and 18 elderly adults recalled three 20-item lists aided by category labels, or the initial two letters of each word, or no cues. Lists were presented at 1.5 or 4 sec presentation rates to evaluate the effects of changes in processing speed on age-related trends in cue effectiveness. Semantic cues were most effective in improving recall at all three age levels; structural cues produced intermediate levels of recall facilitation. There was no indication of reduced effectiveness of semantic cues with increases in age and presentation rate, suggesting factors other than age-related changes in the depth of processing are responsible for developmental differences in memory.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012153:Retention, Psychology