The use of fact retrieval vs. inference in young and elderly adults.

The relationship between age and utilization of fact retrieval versus inferential question-answering processes was examined. Four groups of participants were used (n = 10; N = 40), representing a 2 x 2 stratification of age (24 to 31 vs. 65 to 76) and information available for question-answering (high vs. low). Two experimental tasks, introspection and choice reaction time, were used. In both tasks, older adults engaged in more inferential processing than younger adults, although this difference was statistically significant in the reaction time task alone. These results were discussed in terms of a possible advanced stage of cognitive development or a reaction to internalized negative stereotypes about memory loss.