Modified Signal Detection Models of Context Memory and Feature Memory Account for Age Differences
Poster Session C - Sunday, March 30, 2025, 5:00 – 7:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom
Ashley, C. Steinkrauss1 (steinkas@bc.edu), Haley, A. Fritch2, Chad S. Dodson3, Scott, D. Slotnick1; 1Boston College, 2Broad Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Harvard University, 3University of Virginia
Memory is influenced by age-related changes in cognitive processes. This study employed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses to distinguish between continuous and threshold models of memory by evaluating five models: the two-high threshold model (2HT), the classic unequal variance model (UEV), a new UEV model with forgetting (UEVFG), the UEV model with source misattribution (UEVSM), and the UEV with both source misattribution and forgetting (UEVMF). Four hundred and sixty-three (243 younger, 220 older) participants completed tasks involving color context recall or feature recall. Participants studied objects with either a green or orange background (context) or a green or orange internal color (feature). At test, they were presented with old and new items and classified each as “green”, “orange”, or “new.” Context memory and feature memory ROCs were generated for younger and older participants, and model parameter values were adjusted using maximum likelihood estimation. For younger adults, the UEVFG model provided the best fit, suggesting that forgetting is a primary factor influencing memory performance for this group. For older adults, the UEVSM model provided the best fit, replicating previous results and indicating that aging increases the likelihood of source confusion. These findings highlight age-related differences in memory processes, with younger adults’ memory performance primarily influenced by forgetting and older adults’ memory performance primarily influenced by source misattribution. The results underscore the importance of using modified models of memory to capture age-specific nuances. The observed differential cognitive processing of younger and older adults are expected to inform the interpretation of neuroimaging results.
Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Episodic