Aging Influences on Working Memory for Hand Movements: A Test of the Metamemory Deficit Hypothesis

Abstract

This study examined the role verbal labels play in working memory for hand movements between young and older adults. All young adults formed verbal labels spontaneously to remember hand movements, whereas only 20% of the older adults did so. After instructed to use verbal labels, the older adults performed at a level close to the level of the young adults. These results indicated an age-related decline of the ability to spontaneously recruit a verbal labeling strategy that can be learned and retained. However, there was no significant interaction between age group and instruction, suggesting the need for further investigation into factors other than verbal labels, including the capacity of the visuospatial memory, interference from earlier items, and fatigue.

The author would like to thank Jenny McMahon and Robert Knight for their assistance in the process of data collection, and Peter Wilson, Peter Kelly, and Jeff Elias for helpful comments.

Notes

*Statistically significant results (p < .01, two-tailed).

*Statistically significant results (p < .05, two-tailed).

*p < .05

**p < .01.