According to new research from Concordia University, older individuals experience reduced memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks. Published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, these findings offer new insights into why ageing is associated with a decline in memory, and may lead to practical solutions.
"The first step of our study was to test the working memory of a younger and older population and compare the results," says Mervin Blair, a Ph.D. student in Concordia's Department of Psychology and a member at the Centre for Research in Human Development. Sixty participants took part in the study. Half were an average of 23 years old, while the other half averaged about 67 years old. Each participant was asked to perform a working memory task, which included recalling and processing different pieces of information.
"Overall, we showed that our older participants had reduced working memory compared to our younger participants," says Blair. "Younger adults were better than the older adults at recalling and processing information."
Failure to "purge" irrelevant information may be the problem
The next step was to determine if the ability to "delete" irrelevant information changed with age. This was measured using a memory task: images were displayed in a random order and participants were required to respond to each image in a pre-learned manner. Once again, the youngsters outperformed their older counterparts. Blair reports that the older adults less successfully "cleared" irrelevant information, repeatedly responding to previously relevant images. Says Blair, "Basically, older adults are less able to keep irrelevant information out of their consciousness, which then impacts other mental abilities."
For those who are having trouble remembering, Blair suggests that focusing and reducing mental clutter may help. "Reduce clutter; if you don't, you may not get anything done," he says. But keeping a mind clutter-free can be more difficult as people age, especially during periods of stress. Blair says relaxation exercises can help de-clutter the brain. What's more, the brain continues to function optimally into old age when it is mentally stimulated by learning a new language, playing an instrument, completing crossword puzzles, keeping an active social life and exercising.
Source: The Concordia Department of Psychology. This work was supported by funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
