Age-related differences in spatial processing

Abstract

Associative memory, especially episodic memory, declines in old age—an effect ascribed to age-related decline in the hippocampus. The hippocampus also supports some form of spatial processing, and some have suggested that the decline of spatial processing as early as perception could underly episodic memory deficits. However, to date, no one has investigated spatial processing in older adulthood without the confound of long-term memory demands. I therefore examined age-related differences in spatial perception by having 29 participants complete a novel spatial task that minimized memory demands. The sample comprised 15 younger adults (Mage = 25; SD = 5.75) and 14 older adults (Mage = 64; SD = 3.77). Participants compared screenshots of 3D virtual rooms to simultaneously presented 2D room layouts and indicated whether the rooms were identical or not. My results indicated no age-related difference in accuracy scores on either location or object-based trials. However, older adults spent significantly longer on location-based trials than younger adults did. These results suggest that healthy older adults exhibit subtle age-related deficits in spatial processing, even at perception. My findings support theories proposing that an age-related deficit in spatial processing may cause episodic memory problems in older adults.