Comparing memory skill maintenance across the life span: preservation in adults, increase in children.
The authors examined life-span differences in the maintenance of skilled episodic memory performance by assessing 100 individuals (10 -11, 12-13, 21-26, and 66-79 years old) 11 months after termination of an intensive multisession mnemonic training program (Y. Brehmer, S.-C. Li, V. Müller, T. von Oertzen, & U. Lindenberger, 2007). Skill maintenance was tested in 2 follow-up sessions, the first without and the second with mnemonic reinstruction. Younger and older adults' average performance levels were stable across time. In contrast, both younger and older children's memory performance improved beyond originally attained levels. Older adults' performance improved from the first to the second follow-up session, presumably profiting from instruction-induced skill reactivation. Results suggest that (a) skill maintenance is largely intact in healthy older adults, (b) older adults need environmental support to fully reactivate their former skill levels (cf. F. I. M. Craik, 1983), and (c) children adapt a skill learned 11 months ago to their increasing cognitive capabilities.
Brehmer
Yvonne
Y
Saarland University, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany. yvonne.brehmer@ki.se
Li
Shu-Chen
SC
Straube
Benjamin
B
Stoll
Gundula
G
von Oertzen
Timo
T
Müller
Viktor
V
Lindenberger
Ulman
U
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology