Brief report: Aging and functional spatial relations in comprehension and memory.

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that, relative to younger adults, older adults devote a greater proportion of their discourse processing to the situation model level. The current experiment assessed whether this is due, in part, to a preserved ability to focus on functionally appropriate information. The focus here was on spatial relations. Both reading time and recognition data showed superior performance for functional over nonfunctional information, and this functional effect was similar in younger and older adults. This is consistent with the idea that older adults' ability to process information at the situation model level is relatively well preserved.

Aging and situation model processing

“…The studies discussed above demonstrated that younger and older adults tend to integrate information into the causal structure of the situation model (Radvansky, Copeland, & Zwaan, 2003). They also represent prominent and integral components of the situation model in a similar manner (Morrow et al, 1992).…”

“…The general result is that older adults perform more poorly on the surface form and textbase levels than do the younger adults. However, at the situation model level, older adults do as well as or better than the younger adults Radvansky, Copeland, & Zwaan, 2003;). This suggests that memory at the situation model level is relatively resilient, as compared with other age-related declines.…”

“…In a study by Radvansky, Copeland, and Zwaan (2003; the reading time data during comprehension were described earlier), people read stories that included functional and nonfunctional spatial relations. After reading all of the stories, people were given a forced choice recognition test in which they were to select the spatial relation that they remembered reading in the story.…”

“…A study by Radvansky, Copeland, and Zwaan (2003) examined these sorts of functional relations and how their processing was affected by aging. What was found was that reading times for functional and nonfunctional sentences differed, with people reading functional sentences more quickly than nonfunctional sentences, suggesting that it is easier to integrate that information into the causal structure of the situation model, as compared with nonfunctional information.…”

Three Turtles in Danger: Spontaneous Construction of Causally Relevant Spatial Situation Models.

“…Alternatively, if a narrated event was not expected, causally relevant spatial relations may be represented because the recipient tries to construct an explanation for the event (Trabasso & Suh, 1993). In several studies that explored similar ideas, causal relevance proved to be crucial for spontaneous spatial representation under the labels functionality of spatial relations (Radvansky & Copeland, 2000;Radvansky, Copeland, & Zwaan, 2003), relevance for protagonist's goals (Levine & Klin, 2001;Morrow, Bower, & Greenspan, 1990), or required for comprehension (Glenberg & McDaniel, 1992;Hakala, 1999).…”