Koutstaal, W., Schacter, D.L., Galluccio, L.,
& Stofer, K.A.(1999). Reducing gist-based false
recognition in older adults: Encoding and retrieval
manipulations. Psychology & Aging, 14, 220-237.
Overview
This article concerns age differences in susceptibility
to false recognition in the categorized pictures paradigm. In this
paradigm people are shown detailed full color photographs of objects belonging
to different categories. People sometimes falsely recognize non-presented
objects matching the categories.
Past research has shown that false recognition
is greater in older adults than in younger adults. Past research
has also shown that the more instances of the category that are presented
the greater the false recognition.
Compared two possible reasons for the age differences:
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Maybe older participants encode fewer source
specifying perceptual details
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Maybe older participants use a less stringent decision
criterion at retrieval
Strategy of the studies is to alter the way young
and old participants encode and/or retrieve information to try to lessen
age differences.
Experiment 1--Retrieval Factors
General Procedure: Old and young participants
are shown categorized pictures. Number of pictures per category varies
within subjects. Participants are given either standard old/new recognition
instructions or modified instructions. The modified instructions
ask participants to indicate for every item whether it is identical
to an item presented, not identical but similar to an item presented
or unrelated to an item presented.
Overall Results: The authors report correct
and false recognition as well as measures of sensitivity and response bias.
Their major findings are:
-
More false recognition in the elderly than in the
younger participants
-
Modified instructions decreased false recognition
in both older and younger participants
-
Modified instructions had a bigger impact on older
than younger participants. However did not eliminate the difference.
-
More false recognition in lists with more associates
Experiment 2--Encoding Factors
Overall Procedures: Like Experiment 1 except
used standard recognition test. Encoding instructions asked participants
to notice some salient feature of object making it more distinctive or
perform a control task. By making targets more distinctive should
reduce false memories.
Overall Results:
Again the authors report correct and false recognition as well as signal
detection measures.
-
As in Experiment 1 and previous research more
false memories for elderly and more false memories when many associates
than when few associates
-
Encoding manipulation decreased false recognition.
-
False recognition decreased more for elderly than
for young
Experiment 3--Can We Eliminate Age Differences?
Overall Procedures: Experiment 3 was an attempt
to eliminate age differences altogether by combinging the encoding and
retrieval manipulations. All participants received both manipulations
(they were not varied between Ss as in Experiments 1 and 2).
Overall Results: The findings match the
previous two Experiments. Even when both encoding and retrieval manipulations
were used in combination they were unable to completely eliminate the age
differences in false memories.
Discussion
Manipulations types of manipulation (encoding and
retrieval) decreased the rate of false recognition. This occurred
for both young adults and the elderly, but the effects were somewhat more
pronounced in the elderly.
However, age differences were not entirely eliminated
by these manipulations. There were still residual differences between
the elderly and young adults in false recognition.