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

Responsible remembering: The role of metacognition, forgetting, attention, and retrieval in adaptive memory

In our everyday lives, we must remember important information, especially if there are consequences for forgetting. In this review, I discuss recent work on responsible remembering: the strategic and effortful prioritization of important information with consequences for forgetting. Thus far, research regarding responsible remembering has revealed several key factors and mechanisms that work together to enhance memory for important information that will continue to be refined: the identification and selection of what to remember (metacognitive reflectivity), the forgetting of less important information to facilitate memory for items that do need to be remembered (responsible forgetting), the functional prioritization of attention at the expense of competing factors (responsible attention), and the selective recall of important information via efficient retrieval strategies (responsible retrieval). Together, these functions form a cohesive system that aims to selectively prioritize, encode, and recall information that is deemed important based on its anticipated utility or the consequences of forgetting, and considering the importance of information may be a critical memory adaptation as we age. Specifically, if younger and older adults learn to self-assess and prioritize important information that has negative consequences if forgotten, engage in strategic forgetting, efficiently allocate their attentional resources, and utilize effective retrieval operations, memory for said important information can be enhanced.

Limited carry-over effects of socioemotional manipulations on subsequent unrelated memory tasks

Although age is typically associated with significant impairments in memory performance, several domains exist in which these impairments are reduced or even eliminated. These "pockets of preservation" in older adults' memory can be seen in tasks involving socioemotional processing and may be supported by distinct encoding or retrieval modes relative to neutral content. The current study examines whether engaging in socioemotional tasks prior to encoding or retrieval allows older adults to enter an encoding or retrieval mode that better supports memory performance. In two online studies, adults across the lifespan were asked to complete a memory task where they incidentally encoded and retrieved neutral (Experiment 1, N = 1621) or emotional (Experiment 2, N = 409) word-image pairs. Participants were randomly assigned to a control (i.e., no manipulation), pre-encoding, or pre-retrieval socioemotional manipulation condition. There were no main effects of manipulation condition, suggesting that such manipulations may not reliably enhance memory. However, future research is needed to follow up on exploratory analyses that highlighted particular conditions under which these manipulations may convey benefits. There were also no age-by-manipulation interactions. While these null effects may suggest that these manipulations are not better suited to older adults, this may also be a result of the unexpected age-related increases (Experiment 1) and age invariance (Experiment 2) in overall memory accuracy in the current study. Socioemotional manipulations should also be examined in older adults who underperform younger adults.

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. While forgetting can be frustrating and consequential, a lifetime of these experiences may help older adults learn to focus on strategically remembering important information and life events. Curiosity and emotion may also guide what older adults remember, such that selective remembering can be an adaptive way to use memory efficiently in older age.