Selective adult age differences in an age-invariant multifactor model of declarative memory.
Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test competing models of declarative memory. Data from middle-aged participants provided support for a model comprised of 2 2nd-order (episodic and semantic memory) and 4 1st-order (recall, recognition, fluency, and knowledge) factors. Extending this model across young-old and old-old participants established support for age invariance. Tests of group differences showed an age deficit in episodic memory that was more pronounced for recall than for recognition. For semantic memory, there was an increase in knowledge from middle to young-old age and thereafter a decrease. Overall, the results support the view that episodic memory is more age sensitive than semantic memory, but they also indicate that aging has differential effects within these 2 forms of memory.
Nyberg
Lars
L
Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Sweden. lars.nyberg@psy.umu.se
Maitland
Scott B
SB
Rönnlund
Michael
M
Bäckman
Lars
L
Dixon
Roger A
RA
Wahlin
Ake
A
Nilsson
Lars-Göran
LG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012660:Semantics