SelfhelpMagazine

by H. Lee Swanson, Ph.D.

As we age, it is not our memory that fails us. Memory loss has multiple origins and older age is not the only culprit. This psychological study demonstrates that age-related differences in memory are related to storage capacity, not just slowing down of processing efficiency.

Psychologist H. Lee Swanson, Ph.D. examined the working memory of 778 individuals, ranging in age from 6 to 76 years old. Working memory is the ability to activate new information while maintaining old information. Dr. Swanson tested each participant individually to compared age-related differences in two types of working memory.

During each 40-minute exercise, participants were asked to recall a number embedded in a short sentence and organize words into abstract categories to test for verbal working memory. To test for visual and spatial working memory, participates had to remember a sequence of directions and demonstrate their knowledge on an unmarked map.

Dr. Swanson found that younger adults are able to retain new information better than children and older adults. During childhood, working memory steadily increases. It peaks around age 45, then steadily declines. Obviously, more studies will follow. However, this is one of many areas of exploration of not only how memory fail us, but also, how memory can be improved.

Reference:

"What Develops in Working Memory? A Life Span Perspective," H. Lee Swanson, Ph.D., Riverside, Developmental Psychology, Vol. 34, No. 4.

This information received from the American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC.