Explaining age differences in working memory: The role of updating, inhibition, and shifting
| Autor: | Christoph P. Kaller, Andreas Ihle, Louise H. Phillips, Matthias Kliegel, Vanessa M. Loaiza, Christoph Stahl, Sascha Zuber, Katharina M. Schnitzspahn |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Aging
Age differences Working memory General Neuroscience 05 social sciences Conflict of interest Library science 050105 experimental psychology language.human_language Updating Executive functions German 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology ddc:150 ddc:618.97 language 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Christian ministry Psychology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Inhibition |
| Zdroj: | Psychology & Neuroscience, Vol. 12, No 2 (2019) pp. 191-208 |
| ISSN: | 1983-3288 1984-3054 |
| Popis: | Working memory (WM) represents the capacity to store and process a limited amount of information. To better understand developmental changes of WM forms a key topic in research on neuropsychology of aging. Previous studies reveal age differences in WM and in executive functions (EFs). Although EFs are seen as essential mechanisms in WM, the specific relation between the two cognitive constructs thus far remains unclear. The present study set out to investigate the unique roles of the three main facets of EFs (i.e., updating, inhibition, and shifting) in accounting for age-related variability in WM. Therefore, 175 younger and 107 older adults performed a battery of cognitive tests, including measures of WM, EFs, and processing speed. A set of statistical approaches, including regression analyses and path models, was used to examine the cognitive correlates that could explain individual and age-related variance in WM. Significant age differences were found in WM and on EF measures. Regression analyses and path models showed that updating and inhibition, but not shifting, played a major role in explaining age-related variance in WM. In sum, findings suggest that updating and inhibition are most influential for age differences in WM. The results further show that age and processing speed do not significantly contribute to variability in WM performance beyond executive resource. The present findings have implications for conceptual and developmental theories of WM and may further offer an initial empirical basis for developing possible trainings to improve older adults' WM performance by strengthening the efficiency of updating and inhibitory processes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|