Memory for Activities for Young,Young-Old, and Old Adults

Abstract

Adult age differences in memory for activities have frequently been reported. However, the age range of the older sample has varied from as young as 56 to as old as 89. The present memory for activities study distinguished between the performance of young-old adults (60 to 70) and old adults (71 to 82) in comparison to young adults (18 to 34). Nineteen tasks were administered over a 2-day period, and individuals were asked to recall them immediately or after a 24-h delay. Young-old adults' memory for activities was comparable to the young adults' for both immediate and delayed recall. Both the young and the young-old groups outperformed the old adults. The results suggest that researchers must consider the age of the individuals in the ''old" group before drawing conclusions about adult age differences in memory for activities.