EPISODIC ENCODING: SPECIFICITY INDUCTION AND GENERATION OF DETAILS IN YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS
Author
Mangen, Kathryn ElizabethIssue Date
2018Advisor
Grilli, Matthew
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The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
The effect of an episodic specificity induction on the amount and type of details recalled from unique events was examined. Forty young adults and thirty older adults were asked questions about a recent event. Either an episodic specificity or a gist mode of thinking was induced during this brief interview. Then participants were shown a series of videos, given a filler task, and asked to recall the content of the videos in as much detail as possible. These memories were scored for total detail generation to determine whether older or younger adults recalled more episodic details. It was predicted that an episodic specificity induction would increase encoding and recall of episodic details relative to a gist-based induction, and there would be a greater increase in detail generation in the older adults relative to younger adults. It was found that young adults who received an episodic specificity induction generated more details than young adults who received a gist-based induction. In regard to episodic detail content, the episodic specificity induction selectively benefited the encoding of perceptual details. There was not a significant difference in memory between the older adult groups, indicating the episodic specificity induction did not alter encoding among older adults.Type
textElectronic Thesis
Degree Name
B.A.Degree Level
bachelorsDegree Program
Honors CollegePsychology