Effects of organization and working memory on age differences in memory for scene information

Abstract

We examined the effects of organization and working memory on young and older adults' scene memory. Subjects discriminated transformed pictures from unchanged study items in organized or unorganized scenes. Memory was tested independently for two types of scene transformations: (a) relocations (two objects rearranged and one moved) and (b) substitutions (one object replaced by another). Organization had similar effects on young and older adults, improving memory for relocations but not substitutions. Working memory significantly predicted scene memory, except for relocations in organized scenes, and partially mediated the observed age effects. The results are discussed in relation to the resource and environmental support views of cognitive aging.