Mediators of long-term memory performance across the life span.

• DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.11.4.621
• Publication Date: 2005-09-22T14:02:31Z
• Authors: Denise C. Park; Anderson D. Smith; Gary Lautenschlager; Julie L. Earles; David Frieske; Melissa Zwahr; Christine L. Gaines
• Keywords: Adult; Aged, 80 and over; Male; Aging; Psychometrics; 05 social sciences; Individuality; Retention, Psychology; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Reference Values; Mental Recall; Reaction Time; Humans; Female; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; Geriatric Assessment; Aged

An individual-differences approach was used to examine the component processes that predict episodic long-term memory performance. A total of 301 participants ages 20-90 received a 7-hr cognitive battery across 3 days. Key constructs hypothesized to affect long-term memory function were assessed, including multiple measures of working memory and perceptual speed. Latent-construct, structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationship of these measures and age to different types of long-term memory tasks. Speed was a key construct for all 3 types of memory tasks, mediating substantial age-related variance; working memory was a fundamental construct for free and cued recall but not spatial memory. The data suggest that both speed and working memory are fundamental to explaining age-related changes in cognitive aging but that the relative contributions of these constructs vary as a function of the type of memory task.