Verbal recall in aging: Effects of stimulus modality

Abstract

Purpose: Free recall tasks target cognitive and linguistic processes such as episodic memory, lexical access, and retrieval. Consequently, the free recall paradigm is suitable for assessing memory deterioration caused by aging, which can be influenced by stimulus presentation modality. Hence, the present study aimed to determine if aging has an effect on visual and auditory recall abilities. Materials and Methods: Twenty young adults (mean age: 25.4 ± 0.99) and older adults (mean age: 63.3 ± 3.51) participated in the study. Participants performed a free recall task under two conditions – related and unrelated and two modalities – visual and auditory where they were instructed to recall as many items as possible with no specific order and time limit. Results: Free recall performance was calculated as the mean number of correctly recalled items. Although younger participants recalled a higher number of items, the performance across conditions and modality was variable. Conclusions: The findings of the present study revealed an age-related decline in the efficiency of episodic memory, which is crucial to remember recent events.

Keywords

• aging
• episodic memory
• modality
• recall