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Cited by 190Memory Processes and InfluencesCognitive Functions and MemoryIdentity, Memory, and Therapy

False memories and aging

Schacter, Daniel L., Koutstaal, Wilma, Norman, Kenneth A.·1997·Trends in Cognitive Sciences
DOI 10.1016/s1364-6613(97)01068-1
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Abstract

Although memory processes and systems usually operate reliably, they are sometimes prone to distortions and illusions. Here we review evidence indicating that cognitive aging is often associated with increased susceptibility to various kinds of false recollections. Accumulating data indicate that older adults frequently have special difficulties recollecting the source of information, which in turn renders them vulnerable to confusing perceived and imagined experiences, and to related kinds of memory distortions. Evidence from studies of false recall and recognition indicate that older adults are sometimes more likely than younger adults to remember events that never happened, reflecting the influence of indistinct encoding of events and the use of lenient criteria during retrieval. Neuroimaging studies suggest that age-related changes in medial temporal and frontal regions may play a role in the altered functioning of specific encoding and retrieval processes that give rise to memory distortions. Future studies of aging and false memories are likely to provide a promising avenue for illuminating basic mechanisms of memory distortion.

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  • Episodic memory, relative to semantic memory, declines rapidly and dramatically with normal ageing.

    “Similarly, episodic memory, relative to semantic memory, declines rapidly and dramatically with normal ageing [10–15].”

    From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [12]

  • In humans, episodic memory declines with normal ageing and deteriorates earliest and most dramatically compared to other forms of memory.

    “In humans, episodic memory is well known to decline with normal ageing [10,11] and deteriorates the earliest and most dramaticlly compared to other forms of memory [12–15].”

    From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [12]

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Authors
Schacter, D. L., Koutstaal, W., & Norman, K. A.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1997-09
Volume
1
Issue
6
Pages
229-236
ISSN
1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s1364-6613(97)01068-1
OpenAlex
W2063761380
Cited by
190
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 12
FWCI
0.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Aging
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
Keywords
false memory, cognitive aging, older adults, source monitoring, memory distortion, false recall, recognition memory, encoding specificity, medial temporal lobe, frontal cortex, neuroimaging of aging

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