INFLUENCE OF TASK-SPECIFIC PROCESSING SPEED ON AGE-DIFFERENCES IN MEMORY

Two studies were conducted to investigate the aspect(s) of processing involved in the hypothesized speed mediation of adult age differences in memory. Both studies involved a serial memory task in which information was to be recalled either in the original order of presentation, or in a reordered sequence. Results from both studies indicated that task-specific processing durations were slower among older adults than among young adults, but that the attenuation of the age-related variance in memory was nearly as great after statistical control of a task-independent speed measure as after control of task-specific speed measures. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a substantial proportion of the adult age-related differences in memory is associated with a decrease with increased age in the speed of executing many cognitive processes, and not simply the speed of one or two specific processes.