The effect of memory cue duration on performance in the directed forgetting task in healthy aging

ABSTRACT

Although forgetting is usually considered a memory error, intentional forgetting can function as an adaptive mechanism. The current study examined the effect of increased processing time on directed forgetting in aging as a mechanism to compensate for age-related forgetting. Specifically, an item-method directed forgetting paradigm was used in conjunction with Remember/Know/New responding to examine the effect of cue duration (1, 3, 5 s) on directed forgetting and remembering in younger and older adults. Results indicated that increased processing time improved performance in both age groups. Critically, older adults exhibited a linear increase in directed remembering performance across all cue durations which was related to individual differences in cognitive reserve. Specifically, those older adults with the highest levels of cognitive functioning showed the greatest memory benefit in the longest cue duration condition. These findings indicate the importance of processing time in accounting for intentional memory performance in older adults.

KEYWORDS:

• Directed forgetting
• aging
• cue durations
• processing speed
• memory

Acknowledgments

We thank Kristina Peterson, Christina Webb, David Hoagey, Matt McGee, and Joanna Zappalla for their assistance during data collection of this project. An earlier version of this project was submitted in partial fulfillment of Courtney Allen’s honors requirement.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Portions of this research were conducted, while N.A.D. was an AFAR Research Grant recipient from the American Federation for Aging Research.