Successful Ageing in Australia The Reality

Successful Ageing in The myth
Australia
„ Ageing and memory loss go hand in hand. Any
Memory changes in normal ageing changes in memory mean you are getting
dementia
Lynn Ward
Department of Psychology The Reality

University of Adelaide „ Memory does change with age, but most people
don’t experience memory loss that interferes
with their ability to live a normal life

Normal memory ageing Basic steps in memory

„ Distinguish between pathological and normal „ Registration – paying attention
(maturational) memory ageing „ Retention – moving new information into long-

„ Brain is an organ like heart and kidneys term store
„ Changes in blood supply to brain, speed of „ Retrieval – getting the material out again
„ Forgetting can be due to a failure at any one of
mental operations, richness of interconnections
between nerve cells these phases

Typical changes with age Model of memory subsystems

„ Focus – difficulty focusing on more than one A hierarchy:
thing at a time Memory – Short term and long term
„ Short term – passive and working memory
„ Energy – increased effort will be required to „ Long term – Declarative and procedural
learn new things „ Declarative – semantic and episodic

„ Time – take longer to recall information

Short-term Memory Procedural Memory

„ Holding information in consciousness „ Memory for skills eg riding a bike
eg telephone numbers „ No age effect
„ New learning is slower
„ Capacity is 7 plus or minus 2 „ Unconscious
„ No age difference
„ Working memory
„ Age differences

Semantic memory Episodic Memory

„ General knowledge of concepts „ Autobiographical
„ Vocabulary improves with age „ Lists
„ Retrieving words and names gets worse with age „ Source monitoring, false memory, prospective
„ Tip of tongue experience is more common
memory

Remote Memories Prospective memory

„ Older adults give preponderance of early „ Remembering what to do and when to do it
memories. These may be emotionally „ Time-based prospective memory gets worse – eg
significant, overlearned & rehearsed
take the pills at 3 o’clock
„ Using cue words - people recall events from „ Action-based prospective memory doesn’t – eg
teens and 20s
take the pills at dinner time
„ Often can’t verify facts
„ Memory for TV programs
„ Better recall for recent events
„ Some loss of detail

Episodic Thoughts and feelings

„ Source monitoring – remembering where you „ Your thoughts and feelings can interfere with
heard something or who said it memory

„ Problems in source monitoring increase with age „ Negative self statements – lower expectations –
„ False memories – eyewitness testimony: older less likely to try or to use strategies

adults were more likely to be misled by false „ Overgeneralising eg attributions that young and
post-event information older people use for memory failure

Internal memory aids External memory Aids

„ Imagery – using imagination „ Writing notes, diaries
„ Association – linking to something you know „ Environmental restructuring – eg having a spot
„ Organisation – eg categorising
„ They help you retain the information and for keys
„ Object cues – eg lunch bag on fridge
provide cues to help you retrieve it „ Mnemonics – eg method of loci, ABCs
„ Enriched context

Health and exercise Why don’t memory changes impact
on every day functioning?
„ Ill health and chronic conditions – eg
hypertension & diabetes „ In most everyday activities people can operate at
their own speed, they can use memory aids,
„ B12 and folic acid deficiency develop strategies and focus resources on what
„ Poor health habits is most interesting or relevant
„ Smoking, alcohol abuse
„ Leading a sedentary lifestyle „ Most older people are only mildly
„ Lack of mental exercise inconvenienced by memory changes