Face recognition memory across the adult life span: event-related potential evidence from the own-age bias.

Young adult participants are more accurate at remembering young as compared with old faces (own-age bias). This study investigated behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) correlates of recognition memory in 4 consecutive age categories (ranging from 19-29, 30-44, 45-59, and 60-80 years), both with respect to face and participant age. Young and young middle-aged participants yielded more accurate recognition memory for both young and young middle-aged as compared to old middle-aged and old faces, suggesting that the own-age bias in adults is not exclusively directed toward age-congruent "in-group" faces. No own-age bias was observed in old middle-aged and elderly participants. Analysis of ERPs revealed significant positive correlations of both N170 latency and amplitude with participant age, thus, suggesting an age-related delay of processing speed and an increase in processing demands at early perceptual stages of face processing. Furthermore, an ERP old-new effect (400-700 ms), with more positive amplitudes for hits as compared with correct rejections, was detected in young and young middle-aged participants but not in the 2 older groups. Because these older groups did not demonstrate enhanced memory performance for own-age faces, we suggest that detailed recollection of study-episode information, as reflected in the ERP old-new effect, may be a necessary prerequisite for the own-age bias. 2013 APA, all rights reserved