Memory for scripts in young and older adults

Abstract

This study examined the question of whether young and older adults differ in their representation or utilization of the generic knowledge contained in scripts. In Experiment 1, young and older adults generated scripts for routine daily activities, such as grocery shopping, going to the doctor, and writing a letter to a friend. No evidence was found for age-related differences in the way that stereotypical action sequences are represented in semantic memory. In Experiment 2, young adults were found to recall and recognize new instantiations of scripts better than did older adults. However, adults in both age groups displayed similar effects of action typicality on retention, suggesting that there are no age-related differences in drawing inferences from generic knowledge. The implications of these findings for processing-resource hypotheses about memory and aging are discussed. © 1983 Psychonomic Society, Inc.