The impact of retrieval goals on memory for complex events in younger and older adults

Abstract

Retrieval goals influence what individuals remember from past experiences. Previous research has demonstrated that adopting accuracy and social goals modify the content of an associated episodic memory. Age-related episodic memory changes coincide with shifts in retrieval goals, leading to questions about how retrieval goals alter memory in the context of aging. To answer these questions, we conducted a between-group experiment in which younger and older participants (N = 120) encoded an audiovisual movie and later recalled it with either an accuracy or social retrieval goal. Following a 24-h delay, participants completed two recognition memory tasks—one assessing memory for narrative (i.e., story structure), another for the perceptual aspects of the movie – and then freely recalled the movie. Using a Natural Language Processing model, we compared the similarity in content between the encoded movie and recollections as well as between the recollections. First, we found higher similarity for participants recalling the movie with an accuracy compared to a social goal, regardless of age group. Second, when comparing the recollections made to a social versus accuracy goal, we found greater similarity across goals for older compared to younger adults. Finally, while younger adults outperformed older adults on both recognition tasks, this effect was stronger for the perceptual than the narrative recognition task. These findings highlight how retrieval goals shape the content of younger and older adults' memories, yet age differences persist as a reduced ability to tune recall to retrieval goals and access precise details from a memory.