Age differences in memory for movement

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted. The purpose of the first experiment was to determine whether memory deficits for movement occur with age. The 52 subjects for Experiment 1 were placed in four age groups: 18–32; 33–47; 48–62; and 63–77. Tests were administered to determine each subject's ability to encode and recall as many as 12 consecutive linear movement lists. When minimal memory requirements were imposed, there was no significant difference in the ability of the older and younger subjects to immediately recall movements. Older subjects, however, could not recall movements as well as younger subjects when greater memory demands were placed on them. Experiment 2 was conducted to determine why memory impairments occurred in older subjects. Organizational schemes were imposed on the subjects, but age differences were still apparent when greater memory requirements were essential or a larger memory capacity was demanded.