How is your memory?

Press, 6 September 1989, Page 16

How is your memory?

NZPA-AP Gainesville Florida Older people who accept the stereotype that they’re supposed to be forgetful are more likely to be so, a researcher says. “A younger person is likely to attribute memory problems to inattention or a task being difficult, while an elderly person often says, ‘Well, I had trouble with that because I’m old’,” said Ms Robin West, a University of Florida psychology professor and author of the book “Memory Fitness Over 40.” In a new study, Ms West hopes that combining memory-improving techniques with a different set of beliefs about ageing will bring long-term changes. “We’re not going to try to convince people that ageing doesn’t change memory — it does,”

“If older adults avoid memory tasks, they’re likely to lose these skills because their lifestyles often are less demanding than those of younger people,” Ms West said. "Their boss isn’t asking them to do a complex job and they aren’t supervising their children’s activities.”

The first memory skill people are likely to lose as they get older is mental speed. Other early problems are difficulty in concentrating and retrieving information, such as feeling someone’s name is on the tip-of-the-tongue, she said.