Research article summary (published 30 May 2000):

Hypermnesia: age-related differences between young and older adults.

Full Abstract

Hypermnesia is a net improvement in memory performance that occurs across tests in a multitest paradigm with only one study session. Our goal was to identify possible age-related differences in hypermnesic recall. We observed hypermnesia for young adults using verbal (Experiment 1) as well as pictorial (Experiment 2) material, but no hypermnesia for older adults in either experiment. We found no age-related difference in reminiscence (Experiments 1 and 2), though there was a substantial difference in intertest forgetting (Experiments 1 and 2). Older, relative to young, adults produced more forgetting, most of which occurred between Tests 1 and 2 (Experiments 1 and 2). Furthermore, older, relative to young, adults produced more intrusions. We failed to identify a relationship between intrusions and intertest forgetting. We suggest that the age-related difference in intertest forgetting may be due to less efficient reinstatement of cues at test by older adults. The present findings reveal that intertest forgetting plays a critical role in hypermnesic recall, particularly for older adults.

Author information

Author/s: Widner, R L (RL); Otani, H (H); Smith, A D (AD);

Affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. rwidner(-atsign-)brain.uccs.edu

Grants: AG00175-09 (Agency:NIA NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Memory & cognition (Mem Cognit), published in UNITED STATES. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2000-Jun; vol 28 (issue 4) : pp 556-64

Dates: Created 2000/09/19; Completed 2000/09/19; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 10946539, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MeSH Headings (categories) shown below.

Adolescent Adult Aged Aging - psychology Female Humans

Male Mental Recall Middle Aged Pattern Recognition, Visual Practice (Psychology) Verbal Learning

Note: Bold headings indicate primary MeSH headings or qualifiers.

Related articles

These are the most related articles currently in our database:

• The effect of aging in recollective experience: the processing speed and executive functioning hypothesis. 21 Jan 2007
• Dual task demands on encoding and retrieval processes: evidence from healthy adult ageing. 30 Dec 2006
• Implicit proactive interference, age, and automatic versus controlled retrieval strategies. 29 Apr 2008
• Directed forgetting and aging: the role of retrieval processes, processing speed, and proactive interference. 29 Jun 2008
• Investigating the structure and age invariance of episodic memory across the adult lifespan. 30 May 2007
• Aging and memory for numerical information: the role of specificity and expertise in associative memory. 29 Apr 2007
• [Normal ageing: biological, functional and relational aspects. Epidemiological and sociological date. Prevention of the pathological ageing] 13 Dec 2006
• Aging and temporal patterns of inhibition of return. 27 Feb 2007
• Fragmented pictures revisited: long-term changes in repetition priming, relation to skill learning, and the role of cognitive resources. 13 Dec 2006
• The benefits and costs of repeated memory tests for young and older adults. 30 Aug 2007

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a larger map of 100+ related articles.