title: Updating working memory: memory load matters with aging.
abstract: Age-related effects in working memory updating were investigated by administering a response time-based task to three adult age groups (young, young-old, and old-old). The task differentiated objects to update; participants were asked to update single memory contents or content-context bindings. The data showed an overall delay of response latencies in the elderly groups (both young-old and old-old), relative to the younger. Specifically, each age group showed longer latencies for content-context binding updating, than single memory content updating. However, an interaction with age was obtained when memory load was manipulated across content-context binding updating conditions. These results were taken as evidence of differences between specific objects of updating and age-related changes in cognition and were discussed with reference to the relevant aging literature.
authors.affiliation: Brain and Behavioral Science Department, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 11, 27100, Pavia, Italy. caterina.artuso@unipv.it.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Artuso
authors.affiliation: Brain and Behavioral Science Department, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 11, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cavallini
authors.affiliation: Headache Science Center and Headache Unit, National Neurological Institute C. Mondino, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bottiroli
authors.affiliation: Brain and Behavioral Science Department, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 11, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palladino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Content-context binding; Memory content; Memory load; Short-term memory; Updating; Working memory