Strategic value-directed remembering in younger and older adults.

To examine potential age-related differences in controlled memory processes, we investigated whether strategic value-based processes can override the influence of information memorability and enhance memory performance for important information in younger and older adults. In three experiments, we manipulated the memorability (using word length, concreteness, and frequency in Experiments 1 and 2 and presentation time in Experiment 3) and the value of words to investigate the influence of item properties versus strategic processes on value-directed remembering in younger and older adults. Results revealed that older adults' selective memory (i.

Prediction of information value influences memory: the effect of predicted and assigned value on memory.

We tend to prioritise more valuable information at the expense of less valuable information to optimise the use of our limited memory capacity. Participants better remember information that they judge to be valuable and that they are told is valuable. Using a recognition paradigm, we sought to examine whether predicting the value of art pieces before learning the experimenter assigned value would influence memory and the quality of retrieval.

Associative memory for honest and dishonest faces in younger and older adults.

Older adults often show a deficit in associative memory for faces paired with pieces of information. Older adults also have a heightened trust for faces despite the information the faces are associated with, in some cases. The present study investigated young and older adults' associative memory for faces associated with scams, donations, or a neutral label and whether trustworthiness would be reflective of these associations.

Curiosity across the adult lifespan: Age-related differences in state and trait curiosity.

Maintaining curiosity in older age may be a key predictor of successful aging, but prior research on the relationship between curiosity and age is mixed, with mounting evidence showing that curiosity declines with age. However, there is evidence suggesting that state curiosity - a situational feeling of curiosity in response to information - may increase with age. Prior work has largely not adequately differentiated state and trait curiosity when examining its relationship with age.

Memory selectivity in younger and older adults: The role of conative factors in value-directed remembering.

Memory selectivity refers to our ability to flexibly prioritize and remember important information over less important information. In three studies, we investigated the roles of various conative factors (i.e.

Does repetition enhance curiosity to learn trivia question answers? Implications for memory and motivated learning.

Curiosity, an intrinsic desire to seek new information, benefits motivation and learning. While curiosity is associated with novelty, less is known about how the repetition of a question without its answer affects curiosity and memory. In two experiments, participants viewed 60 trivia questions, half of which were repeated, and rated their curiosity to learn the answers.

Mind-wandering when studying valuable information: The roles of age, dispositional traits, and contextual factors.

The factors that trigger lapses of attention (e.g., mind-wandering) during new learning remain unclear.

Advancing with age: Older adults excel in comprehension of novel metaphors.

Older adults may experience certain forms of cognitive decline, but some forms of semantic memory remain intact in older age. To address how metaphor comprehension changes with age and whether metaphor comprehension relies more heavily on analogical reasoning (supported by fluid intelligence) or on conceptual combination (supported by crystalized intelligence), we compared performance of younger and older adults. In two experiments, healthy older adults (54-88 years) scored lower on a measure of fluid intelligence (Ravens Progressive Matrices) but higher on a measure of crystalized intelligence (Mill Hill Vocabulary Test) relative to younger adults (18-34 years).

The perceived importance of words in large font guides learning and selective memory.

People are often presented with large amounts of information to remember, and in many cases, the font size of information may be indicative of its importance (such as headlines or warnings). In the present study, we examined how learners perceive the importance of information in different font sizes and how beliefs about font size influence selective memory. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with to-be-remembered words that were either unrelated or related to a goal (e.

The effect of time constraints on value-directed long-term memory in younger and older adults.

We often encounter more information than we can remember, making it critical that we are selective in what we remember. Being selective about which information we consolidate into our long-term memory becomes even more important when there is insufficient time to encode and retrieve information. We investigated whether older and younger adults differ in how time constraints, whether at encoding (Experiment 1) or retrieval (Experiment 2), affect their ability to be selective when remembering important information that they need to recall later.

Memory selectivity in older age.

Memory often declines with age, but older adults can off-set memory challenges by selectively remembering important information. When encountering large amounts of information and knowing that memory is limited, older adults may choose to focus on what is most important and forget less relevant details. Prioritizing what to remember becomes essential when memory is limited, and influences what information can be off-loaded.

Age-related differences in selective associative memory: implications for responsible remembering.

While often showing associative memory deficits, there may be instances when older adults selectively remember important associative information. We presented younger and older adults with children they would be hypothetically babysitting, and each child had three preferences: a food they like, a food they dislike, and a food they are allergic to and must avoid. In Experiment 1, all foods associated with each child were simultaneously presented while in Experiments 2 and 3, participants self-regulated their study of the different preferences for each child.

Age-Related Differences in Framing Selective Memory in Terms of Gains and Losses.

We examined whether framing younger and older adults learning goals in terms of maximizing gains or minimizing losses impacts their ability to selectively remember high-value information. Specifically, we presented younger and older adults with lists of words paired with point values and participants were either told that they would receive the value associated with each word if they recalled it on a test or that they would lose the points associated with each word if they failed to recall it on the test. We also asked participants to predict the likelihood of recalling each word to determine if younger and older adults were metacognitively aware of any potential framing effects.

Value-directed retrieval: The effects of divided attention at encoding and retrieval on memory selectivity and retrieval dynamics.

Value-directed remembering refers to the tendency to best remember important information at the expense of less valuable information, and this ability may draw on strategic attentional processes. In six experiments, we investigated the role of attention in value-directed remembering by examining memory for important information under conditions of divided attention during encoding and retrieval. We presented participants with lists of words of varying objective or subjective value and compared participants completing the study phase under full or divided attention, in addition to participants completing the testing phase under full or divided attention.

Age-related differences in memory when offloading important information.

People can choose to use external memory aids and offload information to help them remember it, but it is unclear how objective and subjective value or importance influence offloading decisions in younger and older adults. We presented younger adults ( = 99; age range: 18-31) and older adults ( = 93; age range: 60-96) with items to remember for a later test and allowed them to offload a subset of the presented items. In Experiment 1, the to-be-remembered information was lists of associated words paired with point values counting toward participants' scores if recalled.

The effect of video playback speed on learning and mind-wandering in younger and older adults.

Prior work has demonstrated that watching videos at faster speeds does not significantly impair learning in younger adults; however, it was previously unclear how increased video speed impacts memory in older adults. Additionally, we investigated the effects of increased video speed on mind-wandering. We presented younger and older adults with a pre-recorded video lecture and manipulated the video to play at different speeds.

The effect of video playback speed on learning and mind-wandering in younger and older adults.

Prior work has demonstrated that watching videos at faster speeds does not significantly impair learning in younger adults; however, it was previously unclear how increased video speed impacts memory in older adults. Additionally, we investigated the effects of increased video speed on mind-wandering. We presented younger and older adults with a pre-recorded video lecture and manipulated the video to play at different speeds.

Value-directed learning: Schematic reward structure facilitates learning.

When learning, it is often necessary to identify important themes to organize key concepts into categories. In value-directed remembering tasks, words are paired with point values to communicate item importance, and participants prioritize high-value words over low-value words, demonstrating selective memory. In the present study, we paired values with words based on category membership to examine whether being selective in this task would lead to a transfer of learning of the "schematic reward structure" of the lists with task experience.

Younger and older adults' strategic use of associative memory and metacognitive control when learning foreign vocabulary words of varying importance.

Older adults often face memory deficits in binding unrelated items. However, in situations such as preparing for foreign travel, a learner may be highly motivated to learn the translations of important words (e.g.

Age-Related Differences in Overcoming Interference When Selectively Remembering Important Information.

We examined the effects of interference on value-based memory in younger and older adults by presenting participants with lists of words paired with point values counting toward their score if recalled. In Experiment 1, we created a situation where there was a buildup of interference such that participants could recall words from any studied list to earn points. However, to increase participants' motivation to combat interference, we told participants that if they recalled words from previously studied lists, those words would be worth double the original point value of the word.

Value-directed memory selectivity relies on goal-directed knowledge of value structure prior to encoding in young and older adults.

People are generally able to selectively attend and remember high-value over low-value information. Here, we investigated whether young and older adults would display typical value-based memory selectivity effects for to-be-learned item-value associations when goal-directed information about the meaning of associated values was presented before and after encoding. In two experiments, both young and older adults were presented with one (Experiment 1) or multiple (Experiment 2) lists of words that were arbitrarily paired with different numerical values (e.