Strategic encoding and retrieval processes in verbal recall among middle‐aged and older adults

Abstract

The authors used an analysis of individual differences to examine the role of executive control in strategic encoding and retrieval in verbal recall. Participants enrolled in the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study completed measures of working memory (WM), cognitive status, vocabulary, and free recall of words. Indices of clustering in free recall were calculated to permit inferences on strategic encoding and retrieval processes. We hypothesized that WM would be more strongly associated with strategic encoding and retrieval metrics than vocabulary based on the assumption that successful remembering requires executive control in WM. Regression analyses, together with a variance

The protective effect of educational level varies as a function of the difficulty of the memory task in ageing

“…These results are in line with a wide literature showing that older adults have difficulties to spontaneously implement semantic organisation during recall and that when implemented, the strategies are less efficient for memory than for younger adults (Denney, 1974;Taconnat et al, 2009, Taconnat et al, 2020 , but also other mnemonic strategies in diverse memory tasks (e.g., Burger et al, 2017) . Although we did not test for any cognitive control abilities, there is growing evidence that one reason why older individual fail to implement semantic organisation in a memory task where the words as organisable but not organised is due to lower working memory capacities (e.g., Cherry et al, 2021;Kuhlmann & Touron, 2016).…”

“…Although we did not test for any cognitive control abilities, there is growing evidence that one reason why older individuals fail to implement semantic organisation in a memory task where the words as organisable but not organised is due to lower working memory capacities (e.g. Cherry et al 2021 ; Kuhlmann and Touron 2016 ).…”

“…Indeed, the use of semantic organisation requires to keep both words and semantic categories in memory, and eventually reattributes the remembered words in the appropriate categories in mind. As such, some studies have reported that older individuals with lower cognitive control (Taconnat et al 2008 ), and more especially working memory capacities (Cherry et al 2021 ), organised less information into semantic clusters. However, when manipulating the format presentation to disentangle spontaneous and instructed semantic organisation, Kuhlmann and Touron ( 2016 ) observed that whereas instructed semantic organisation was linked to working memory, spontaneous semantic organisation was linked to metacognition.…”

“…Many studies used an interval of presentation between words comprised between three to five seconds (e.g. Cherry et al 2021 ; Kuhlmann and Touron 2016 ; Moutoussamy et al 2022 ; Taconnat et al 2008 ; Uittenhove et al 2015 ), and so we aligned with them by using an interval between words of five seconds. However, one could argue that if a longer interval was used, individuals would have more time to memorise and potentially grouping words into semantic clusters.…”

The respective contribution of cognitive control and working memory to semantic and subjective organization in aging.

“…Indeed, to our knowledge, all studies tackling subjective organization have reported a negative effect of age on this process (e.g., Hultsch, 1974; Kausler, 1994; Light, 1991; Sauzéon et al, 2006; Stuss et al, 1996; Taconnat et al, 2020; Witte et al, 1990). Conversely, findings have been mixed for semantic organization with some studies reporting impairments with age (Denney, 1974; Froger et al, 2009; Howard et al, 1981; Taconnat et al, 2020; West & Thorn, 2001; Zivian & Darjes, 1983), or only in very old age (Cherry et al, 2021), while others revealed no such effect (e.g., Park et al, 1989; Rankin et al, 1984; Sauzéon et al, 2006, 2016). These declines are likely due to the alteration of prefrontal cortex (PFC) functioning during aging (Raz, 2000, 2005).…”