ADULT AGE-DIFFERENCES IN-SOURCE RECALL - A POPULATION-BASED STUDY

Age differences in source recall were investigated in a population-bas ed sample of healthy adults aged 35 to 80 years (N = 1000). Participan ts, who were screened on a variety of demographic, psychological, and biological variables, studied facts about well-known and unknown perso ns that were presented in four different ways, depicting four differen t sources of item information. An age-related deterioration of both it em and source recall was observed, with source recall being more impai red than item recall. Source error analyses revealed an increase of so urce amnesia in subjects aged 75-80 years. individual differences in b ackground variables, age, gender, and word comprehension were related to source recall of well-known items, whereas age and years of formal education were related to source recall of unknown items. Source amnes ia was accentuated in the two oldest cohorts and related to word compr ehension. The age-related tendency to forget the source even when the fact is retained is suggested to be a specific feature of cognitive ag ing.