MODULE SUPPLEMENT: NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEM
Memory and Aging

It is through interactions with our internal and external environments that our nervous system is modified and memories are consolidated (Timiras, 1994; LeDoux, 2002). Yet memory, like other components of cognition, is very complex and different terms are used by different researchers to describe various aspects of memory. In general,  we have to be able to register the information, keep it in mind and process it for a period of time, and then, if it's something we need to retain (and not just a telephone number we looked up), we need to transfer this to a form of more permanent storage.

With aging, our ability to get the information in so it stays there declines; it takes longer and needs more repetition. If older adults are not given the opportunity to lean materials to the same proficiency as younger individuals, then after a delay, less information will be retained, as indicated by findings from some early work by Dr. Poon (1985).