Challenges to Understanding Age-Related Memory Loss in Late Adulthood: An Introduction

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In the first 1999 issue of Gerontology several current hypotheses of age-related memory loss were canvassed. OBJECTIVE: In hopes of fostering debate and further consideration of factors implicated in memory loss in late adulthood, commentaries were sought from a number of prominent cognitive ageing researchers on this review. METHODS: Four commentaries were received and are briefly distilled in this preamble to them. RESULTS: The papers elaborate on several themes raised in the original review, articulate assumptions implicit in the review, question the techniques used to assess mediational hypotheses, and suggest factors omitted from the review that need also to be considered. CONCLUSION: Despite an extensive literature on memory ageing, we are still a long way from understanding the mechanisms responsible for it. While considerable progress has already been made, over-reliance on between-person analyses, ambiguity in underlying constructs, and omission from consideration of key situation-specific characteristics of a memory episode may all contribute to a less than definitive understanding of memory ageing.

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