Aging makes memories more general and less detailed, study finds

ANBAR, Iraq — A study by the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, published in the journal Psychology and Aging, found that aging changes not only the capacity to recall the past but also the way memories are retrieved. Professor Louis Renou of the university's psychology department said memories become "less detailed and more general" with age, with people recalling the overall framework of an event while struggling to retrieve its specific details. The study examined 74 participants, 37 young and 37 older adults, who were given cue words such as "market" and asked to switch between specific and general memories while researchers measured their recall and task-switching abilities. Results showed performance declines when switching between memory types across all participants, but the effect was more pronounced in the older group for memories linked to routine, repetitive experiences such as going to work. Memories of specific events, such as a birthday party, were recalled at similar levels. Content analysis indicated older participants conveyed fewer scene, sound and emotional details from specific events and included more general information and commentary in their narratives. The researchers said the findings suggest aging alters how memories are accessed rather than erasing them, and could contribute to understanding age-related memory changes.