How retrieval processes change with age: Exploring age differences in semantic network and retrieval dynamics.
Mariana Teles Santos, Isabelle L. Moore, Yoed Nissan Kenett · Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale · 2024
= 6.09), completed a word recall test to assess delayed recall performance. Semantic memory networks were constructed from recall data by analyzing the co-occurrence and sequence of recalled words. We observed significant differences in network structure, where the older group displayed higher average shortest path length and modularity values, indicative of less integrated networks, while the younger group exhibited a higher clustering coefficient, suggesting a more interconnected network. In terms of retrieval dynamics, both groups showed a temporal contiguity effect with forward asymmetry. However, this effect was less pronounced in older adults. The study also identified participants that diverted from the average dynamic curves: one subgroup relied on nontemporal mechanisms, and the other employed a backward direction in memory search. Participants utilizing forward temporal associations demonstrated the highest recall performance. Overall, our findings suggest that lower free recall performance in older adults may be related to a diminished capacity to reinstate temporal context for retrieval and distinct differences in their semantic memory network structure. Specifically, older adults appear to exhibit networks with a less flexible, small-world-like structure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).