Older adults describe less effective problem-solving solutions, producing fewer relevant steps than younger adults¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Younger adults described more relevant steps than older adults (d = 1.46), with no age difference in irrelevant steps (d = 0.03). → Peters 2019

Evidence¶

Peters 2019¶

Peters, S. L., Fan, C. L., & Sheldon, S. (2019). Episodic memory contributions to autobiographical memory and open-ended problem-solving specificity in younger and older adults. Memory & Cognition, 47, 1592–1605. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-019-00953-1

q3 · i3 · associational · r2

Mixed-design ANOVA on MEPS steps in the problem-solving experiment found younger adults described more relevant steps than older adults, "Cohen's d= 1.46"; irrelevant steps did not differ (d = 0.03).

"The interaction effect was driven by younger adults (M = 11.8, SE = 0.57) describing more relevant steps than older adults (M =6 . 9 8 ,SE =0 . 7 9 ;t(47) =6 . 7 3 ,p < .001, Cohen's d= 1.46)"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Older adults produce fewer internal details than younger adults during elaboration across both experiments — related
• Older adults produce fewer specific responses than younger adults in the generation task across both experiments — related
• Generation and elaboration specificity correlate for autobiographical memory but not for problem solving in both age groups — related