Age Differences in False Recognition Using a Forced Choice Paradigm

Abstract

Recent findings suggest that older adults may be more susceptible to false recognition responses than younger adults because of age differences in gist-based processing at both encoding and retrieval. It has been suggested that age differences in the quality of memory representations that result from this age-related reliance on gist processing can produce age differences in response criteria, with older adults employing more lenient criteria than young adults. Support for this argument comes from studies where suppressed false recognition in older adults occurs with shifts toward more conservative response criteria. The current study further examined this issue by minimizing the effects of response criteria by using a two alternative forced-choice task in the study of false recognition in young and older adults. This manipulation reduced false recognition in both young and older adults, but did not eliminate age differences in false recognition.

Everyday Memory in Healthy Aging: Porous but Not Distorted

“…Calculating susceptibility to gist memory by examining discriminability and bias estimates calculated from yes responses to reversed signal items showed no group differences. Although previous studies have reported a greater reliance on gist among older adults (e.g., Koutstaal et al, 1999; LaVoie and Faulkner, 2000), the failure to observe it in our study could be attributed to several factors. The participants in our study were given detailed information about the items they will be confronted with in the recognition task and what type of answer is appropriate for each item.…”

Verbatim and gist memory in aging.

“…They clearly indicate that direct access declines with age. Moreover, the other studies showing an increase in false memories with age (e.g., Koutstaal & Schacter, 1997;LaVoie & Faulkner, 2000;Tun et al, 1998) suggest that target recollection declines during aging, while context recollection, which supports false memories, may not be (or less) affected. Hence, older adults' reduced ability to suppress false memories suggests substantial declines in target recollection (Brainerd et al, 2014).…”

Now you make false memories; now you do not: the order of presentation of words in DRM lists influences the production of the critical lure in Alzheimer’s disease

“…Second, regarding correct recalls, we expected older adults and Alzheimer's patients to recall fewer words than younger or middle-aged participants (e.g., Craik, Byrd, & Swanson, 1987;Spaan et al, 2003) whatever the order of item presentation. Third, with regard to false memories, older adults should produce more CLs than younger adults (Dennis et al, 2007;LaVoie & Faulkner, 2000). Finally, we expected Alzheimer's patients (1) to produce fewer CLs in the descending FAS order of item presentation than in the ascending FAS one and (2) to produce more CLs than older adults in the ascending FAS condition but as many CLs as older adults in the descending FAS one (Balota et al, 1999;Gallo, 2006;Waldie & Kwong See, 2003).…”

“…Research using the DRM paradigm and its variants with healthy older adults regularly describes a decrease in correct recalls-compared to younger adults-associated with an increase in false recalls or false recognition of CLs (e.g., Balota et al, 1999;Dehon & Brédart, 2004;Dennis, Kim, & Cabeza, 2007;Koutstaal, Schacter, Galluccio, & Stofer, 1999;LaVoie & Faulkner, 2000;Norman & Schacter, 1997); but see McCabe and Smith (2002) or Thomas and Sommers (2005) for contradictory results. Some authors have suggested that this propensity for false memories in older participants is due to a verbatim treatment deficit, in favor of a gist treatment (Koutstaal et al, 1999;Norman & Schacter, 1997;Spencer & Raz, 1995) or to a source monitoring deficit that prevents participants from distinguishing information really learned and self-generated information (e.g., Balota et al, 1999).…”