Second thoughts versus second looks: an age-related deficit in reflectively refreshing just-activated information.
Age-related deficits in memory are greater as encoding and retrieval tasks require more reflective (self-generated or executive) processing. One problem in developing more specific models of age-related changes in cognition is that the tasks studied tend to be complex and vary in the combinations of component cognitive processes they recruit. Here we report an age-related deficit in one of the most elementary, but critical, components of reflection: refreshing a just-activated representation. Impairment in such a process potentially has a wide-ranging impact on all higher-order cognition.
Johnson
Marcia K
MK
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8205, USA. marcia.johnson@yale.edu
Reeder
John A
JA
Raye
Carol L
CL
Mitchell
Karen J
KJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011897:Random Allocation