Age differences in implicit interference.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 115
Description: This investigation used response competition paradigms in order to examine age differences in susceptibility to proactive interference in implicit memory tasks (word fragment completion in Experiments 1, 2 and 4; word stem completion in Experiment 3). The results showed that (1) interference exists in implicit memory tasks; (2) interference in implicit memory tasks is more disruptive to older adults than younger adults; (3) interference is largely automatic for younger adults, whereas for older adults, it results from both automatic and controlled sources; (4) younger adults are able to reduce interference by using controlled retrieval. Age differences in priming were small and non-significant when only the targets, and not the interfering items were presented within the context of the experiment, despite the test cues having multiple solutions in the language (Experiment 1). When interfering items preceded the targets at study, older adults were disrupted by the presentation of multiple legitimate responses to the test cue, whereas younger adults were facilitated by it. Differential susceptibility to response competition led to an increase in the magnitude of age differences in priming (Experiment 2). Similarly, interference from prior laboratory tasks was more disruptive to older adults than to younger adults (Experiment 3). Finally, when interfering items preceded the targets at study, and only the target was a legitimate solution to the test cue, both younger and older adults showed interference, but the magnitude of interference was greater for older adults (Experiment 4). This study enabled the division of participants into more automatic and more controlled retrieval strategy groups, using the Speeded Implicit Retrieval Procedure. The results of the strategy analysis showed that younger adults were able to reduce interference by adopting a controlled retrieval strategy, and that age differences in interference resulted from controlled retrieval. Taken together, the results indicate that age differences in susceptibility to interference in ostensibly implicit memory tasks may be due to age differences in efficiency of response selection when multiple responses are available to a test cue, and younger and older adults may differ in how well they can engage strategies when there are alternative or irrelevant responses.
Notes: Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-06, Section: B, page: 3435.