Memory for route and survey descriptions across the adult lifespan: The role of verbal and visuospatial working memory resources

Markostamou, Ioanna and Coventry, Kenny ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2591-7723 (2021) Memory for route and survey descriptions across the adult lifespan: The role of verbal and visuospatial working memory resources. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 78. ISSN 0272-4944

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Abstract

Spatial representations of an environment involve different perspectives and can derive from different inputs, including spatial descriptions. While it is well-established that memory of visually-encoded spatial representations declines with increasing age, less is known about age-related changes in recalling verbally-encoded spatial information. We examined the lifespan trajectories of memory recall for route (person-centred) and survey (object-centred) spatial descriptions and compared it to non-spatial verbal memory in a sample (N = 168) of young, middle-aged, young-old, and old-old adults. We also examined the mediating role of both verbal and visuospatial short-term and working memory capacity in accounting for age-dependent changes in non-spatial verbal and spatial-verbal (route and survey) memory recall. Age-related differences emerged across all memory recall tasks, however, the onset and rate of changes was earlier and steeper for spatial descriptions compared to non-spatial verbal recall. Interestingly, the age effect on route recall was partially mediated by age-related changes in both verbal and visuospatial working memory capacity, but survey recall was associated only with visuospatial working memory, while non-spatial verbal recall was associated only with verbal working memory resources. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings for spatial cognition and ageing models are discussed.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2021 01:26
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2024 15:55
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/81852
DOI:	10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101712

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