Preserved olfactory cuing of autobiographical memories in old age

The authors investigated whether olfactory cues can facilitate memory retrieval and whether they retain their effectiveness in old age. In Phase 1, 57 young and 57 old adults (mean ages of 21 and 84 years, respectively) were asked to recall autobiographical memories associated with each of six cue w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2002, Vol.57 (1), p.P41-P46
Main Authors: MAYLOR, Elizabeth A, CARTER, Sarah M, HALLETT, Emma L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult. Elderly
Age
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - physiology
Autobiography as Topic
Biological and medical sciences
Cues
Developmental psychology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Memory
Mental Recall
Middle Aged
Odors
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Recall
Smell - physiology
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Summary:The authors investigated whether olfactory cues can facilitate memory retrieval and whether they retain their effectiveness in old age. In Phase 1, 57 young and 57 old adults (mean ages of 21 and 84 years, respectively) were asked to recall autobiographical memories associated with each of six cue words. In Phase 2, the same words were presented again with instructions to recall new memories; on this second occasion, half of the words were accompanied by their appropriate odors. Both age groups recalled more than twice as many memories in Phase 2 with the odor than without the odor, providing evidence for substantial olfactory cuing that is remarkably intact in old age.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/57.1.p41