The development of memory efficiency and value-directed remembering across the life span: a cross-sectional study of memory and selectivity.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study (graded by design analogy for non-clinical behavioral research)
PubMed 21942664 · doi:10.1037/a0025623
What was done
A cross-sectional study evaluated value-directed remembering across the lifespan in 320 participants aged 5 to 96 years. Participants completed a selectivity task where they studied and recalled items associated with different point values, aiming to maximize their total score. The task measured memory capacity (total words recalled) and memory efficiency/selectivity (proportionate recall of high-value versus low-value items).
What was found
The abstract reports directional comparisons without numerical data or effect sizes. Young adults recalled more total words than other age groups. In contrast, memory selectivity showed a different trajectory: younger adults and older adults were both more selective for high-value items than children and adolescents.
Why it matters
This study shows a dissociation across the lifespan between memory capacity, which peaks in young adulthood, and value-directed selectivity, which is preserved in older adults despite declines in total recall.
Limits
The abstract provides no numerical figures, standard deviations, or effect sizes. A cross-sectional design cannot track individual developmental trajectories and may be influenced by cohort effects. Subgroup sample sizes and participant cognitive or health screening criteria are not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports As adults age, their memory systems become more selective, prioritizing the encoding and recall of high-value information over less important details.