Abstract
The edited book, Memory and Aging: Current Issues and Future Directions, largely delivers on the promise of its title. Across 14 chapters, the book covers a breadth of topics, incorporating experimental, applied, cognitive neuroscience and genetics research addressing the effects of aging on memory. The book reflects a current approach to the study of cognitive aging, complementing behavioral research with diverse methods such as multimodal neuroimaging (Chapter 11), computational and neurochemical approaches (Chapter 12), and individual differences approaches (Chapter 11). Even the seemingly “classic” topics are treated with a modern twist, with cognitive control emphasized in the study of working memory (Chapter 1) and the role of context (Chapter 8) as well as motivational value (Chapter 10) considered in the study of long-term memory. The selection of chapter authors is consistent with this two-pronged approach, representing well-established leaders in the field in addition to exciting, impactful early career investigators.
While the book overall succeeded in incorporating a breadth of methods, it would be desirable to spread some of these approaches more evenly throughout the chapters. For example, Hess called for an integration of neuroscience data alongside the behavioral work addressing memory in context. Neuroscience data are largely segregated in chapters distinct from behavioral data. Yet, Kensinger’s chapter nicely integrates the two approaches for the study of emotion, and Howard and Howard’s chapter succeeds in incorporating results from patient, genotyping, and white matter connectivity studies in their treatment of implicit memory. Likewise, consideration of applied methods and longitudinal studies is largely confined to separate chapters.
As is important in edited volumes of this sort, most authors were representative in their coverage of the topic, refraining from relying too heavily on their own bodies of research. Authors reflected a critical perspective, including Light’s excellent chapter summarizing the occasionally conflicting literature on recollection and familiarity, and critiquing the techniques. Chapters also reflected the challenges and trade-offs of methods, such as the use of cross-sectional as well as longitudinal designs (Chapter 13), and the importance of considering individual differences. The authors were mindful of their topic’s history of study but also were forward-looking, striving to share their thoughts about future directions for the field. Ideas as diverse as the use of information technology to support memory (Chapter 10) and the contribution of emotion regulatory goals to memory (Chapter 9) offer intriguing future directions. The recognition of the lack of data on a number of topics (e.g. brain structure–function relationships, Chapter 11; neural data on motivation, Chapter 8) and identifying potential theoretical advances (e.g. model for when impairments occur in implicit memory, Chapter 6) provides concrete and tangible directions to advance research on memory and aging.
I would have liked to see inclusion of other trends in the field. As Part 3 of the book was subtitled “Social, emotional, and cultural perspectives,” I was disappointed that consideration of cross-cultural differences was confined to the topic of stereotypes of aging (Chapter 8) rather than incorporating the small but growing literature on cultural differences in cognitive aging (see Park and Gutchess, 2006). Another major movement in the field, the investigation of training studies and intervention (Lustig et al., 2009), also did not play a prominent role in the volume. The link between memory for the past and planning for the future has been a recent insight in the broader field of memory (Schacter et al., 2007). That exciting line of work could have been incorporated here as a future direction (perhaps in relation to prospective memory). However, the book reflected other important current trends involving a health perspective (Chapter 14), incorporating research on the association between age-related cognitive and physical changes, including sensory biomarkers, lung function, muscle strength, and motor function.
The book is written for a general audience and most chapters would be accessible to a broad audience including undergraduates, graduate students, fellow researchers in the field of aging and memory, and even potentially to the general public. In particular, some of the chapter authors did an excellent job in making the importance of their work relevant to a broad audience through the use of clear prose and accessible examples. For instance, Harada, Suto, and Asano apply concepts to real-world technology challenges. Castel, McGillivray, and Friedman start with the everyday observations older adults make about their memory, signifying awareness of age-related changes. Additionally, they discussed the real-world implications of errors in overestimating or underestimating one’s abilities with age. A few chapters may have been somewhat inaccessible to a broader audience due to an emphasis on advanced methods without a general introduction familiarizing readers with concepts and data interpretation. In contrast, other chapters served as a model for clear discussion of data and methods. Specifically, Verhaeghen’s chapter was notable for its care in explaining seemingly complex patterns of data. He described how to read Brinley plots and gave an explicit breakdown of the implications of the data.
In conclusion, the breadth and depth of the chapters in Memory and Aging: Current Issues and Future Directions serve as an excellent introduction to foundational work, as well as current trends and future directions for the field.