Adult age differences in semantic and episodic memory.

In 2 experiments, performance was compared on memory tests taken by older and younger adults for information that had been rated as more memorable for older adults or more memorable for each age group by adults in that age group. In Experiment 1, semantic knowledge was tested by having the participants recognize or recall information from memory (e.g., name as many states as you can). The older adults performed significantly better; thus, hypotheses of superior knowledge and ease of retrieval of that knowledge for that age group were supported. In Experiment 2, lists of presidents and states were presented to the participants, followed by recognition and recall tests of episodic memory. The younger adults performed significantly better. The older adults studied familiar items on the lists for less time and made many more errors. Thus, the hypothesis of an encoding deficit influenced by item familiarity for older adults was supported.