Preserved memory for decisions across adulthood.

Remembering our decisions is crucial - it allows us to learn from past mistakes and construct future behavior. However, it is unclear if age-related memory declines impact the memorability of older adults' decisions. Here, we compared younger and older adults' ability to remember their decisions. In Studies 1 and 2, participants made choices between two objects based on their star rating (shopping context) or circle count (neutral context) and later remembered what they chose. while Study 3 tested participants' memory for active vs. passive decisions. Overall, we found no evidence for age differences in the ability to remember decisions. Furthermore, age did not interact with context - both similarly benefitted from making and remembering their decisions in a more shopping-like context. These results reveal an aspect of cognition that appears to be preserved in healthy aging. Highlighting such aspects can help improve older adults' self-perceptions and reframe the narrative around aging.

Duke Scholars

Author Elizabeth J. Marsh Psychology & Neuroscience

Author Gregory Russell Samanez-Larkin Psychology & Neuroscience