AGE AND SOCIAL CONTEXT EFFECTS ON NARRATIVE RECALL

University Of Oregon, Eugene OR

Investigators

Abstract

Although memory has been extensively studied in gerontological research, we know little about how the aging memory system functions in the social contexts of everyday life. To help to fill this gap, the specific aim of the proposed study will be to vary social-cognitive aspects of the retrieval context and to examine the effects of such variation on older and younger adults' oral recollection of narrative text. Narrative was chosen as the stimulus material because it closely resembles the structure of every day life episodes. Oral responding was chosen as the recall as the recall modality because it is the primary mode by which people recount daily happenings. Retrieval context will be varied in the following two ways. First, the listener will be varied: either an experimenter or peer will serve as the listener. Second, the retrieval task goal will be varied: the rememberer will be asked either to retell as much of a story as possible or give her or his personal reactions to the story. Second, the retrieval task goal will be varied; the remembered will be asked either to retell as much of a story as possible or to give her or his personal reactions to the story. Retell and react responses will be scored for text-based propositional and elaborative content (e.g., inferential, interpretive, and affective-evaluative propositions). Post-performance rating scale and interview and their perceptions of the functional roles play by the propositions and elaborations they generated. Findings from the proposed study will thus a) contribute to our understanding of older adults' recall performance in more everyday circumstances and b) help to generate specific research hypothesis to address the question of how variations in somal context influence age differences not only in the content of recall, but also in the functional significance of different kinds of recollections.