EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATION AND WORKING-MEMORY ON AGE-DIFFERENCES IN MEMORY FOR SCENE INFORMATION

We examined the effects of organization and working memory on young an d older adults' scene memory. Subjects discriminated transformed pictu res from unchanged study items in organized or unorganized scenes. Mem ory was tested independently for two types of scene transformations: ( a) relocations (two objects rearranged and one moved) and (b) substitu tions (one object replaced by another). Organization had similar effec ts on young and older adults, improving memory for relocations but not substitutions. Working memory significantly predicted scene memory, e xcept for relocations in organized scenes, and partially mediated the observed age effects. The results are discussed in relation to the res ource and environmental support views of cognitive aging.