Contextual memory and encoding strategies in young and older adults with and without depressive symptoms.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the role of depressive symptoms associated with age on contextual memory and how this association could impair the use of strategic instructions during encoding.


METHODS
Young and older controls and older adults with depressive symptoms performed memory recognition tests for item and context.


RESULTS
Memory results indicated that mild depressive symptoms did not aggravate the age-related contextual memory pattern, but interfered with the magnitude of the memory enhancement provided by specific encoding instructions when compared with young adults. These between-group differences in the use of memory strategies were eliminated with the inclusion of the performance on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test as a covariate.


CONCLUSIONS
Mild depressive symptoms were associated with an impaired ability to use incidental memory strategies at encoding, suggesting the need for further investigation on the effects of non-clinical depressive symptomatology on cognitive decline in aging.
Bisol Balardin
Joana
J
Pontifical Catholic University, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Vedana
Gustavo
G
Ludwig
Andreine
A
de Lima
Daiane Borba
DB
Argimon
Irani
I
Schneider
Rodolfo
R
Luz
Clarice
C
Schroder
Nadja
N
Bromberg
Elke
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001245:Association Learning; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult