Age Effects on Old/New Recognition Memory Involving Abstract Figures and Non-words

Toth, Monika; Sambeth, Anke; Blokland, Arjan · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.915055

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Summary

This study investigates age-related differences in old/new recognition memory, specifically examining how memory strength and stimulus type influence performance in older adults. Motivated by the prevalence of age-related memory complaints and the unclear processes underlying recognition deficits, the research aimed to determine if impairments are stimulus-dependent. The authors utilized pre-experimentally unfamiliar stimuli—abstract figures and non-words—to control for prior semantic knowledge, which can confound results in older adults. The study tested the hypothesis that age effects on discriminability would vary based on the nature of the stimuli and the depth of encoding. The experimental design involved 15 young adults (mean age 23) and 13 healthy older adults (mean age 71). Participants completed a three-phase old/new recognition paradigm. In Phase 1, stimuli underwent deep processing: participants redrew abstract figures or identified rhyming words for non-words, creating "strong" memories. In Phase 2, these items were mixed with new ones and processed shallowly via rote rehearsal, creating "weak" memories. In Phase 3, participants performed an old/new recognition test on all items. Signal Detection Theory metrics, including hit rates, correct rejection rates, and discriminability indexes (A’), were analyzed alongside reaction times. Results indicated that older adults exhibited significant impairments in recognizing new abstract figures, showing lower correct rejection rates and reduced discriminability for both strongly (drawn) and weakly (studied) encoded abstract figures compared to young adults. Age-related differences in reaction times were also evident for abstract figures, with older adults responding slower. However, these age effects were absent for non-words; older adults performed comparably to young adults in discriminating and rejecting new non-words, and no significant age differences were found in reaction times for verbal stimuli. Crucially, memory strength affected recognition performance equally in both age groups, suggesting that while encoding depth improves memory, it does not eliminate age-related deficits in visual recognition. The findings suggest that age-related recognition impairments are not uniform but depend heavily on stimulus type. The deficit in abstract figure recognition supports the perceptual encoding hypothesis and the notion of decreased sensitivity to novelty in older adults, likely due to difficulties inhibiting irrelevant information. The lack of age effects with non-words indicates that verbal recognition may rely on different cognitive mechanisms less susceptible to aging. These results imply that recognition memory in aging is impaired only under specific conditions, highlighting the importance of environmental support and stimulus characteristics in mitigating age-related cognitive decline.

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• cognitive aging