People with Dementia Use Schemata to Support Episodic Memory

This paper describes two experiments which examine whether people with dementia use schemata, established knowledge stores associated with specific scenarios, to aid episodic memory. On all tests of memory, volunteers with dementia remembered less than their age-matched controls. There was evidence for an age-related decline in cognitive resources available for effortful memorizing. For people with dementia, errors of commission in free recall, false recognition scores and reconstruction data were consistent with the use of schema to guide retrieval of items from memory. We conclude that retrieval support improves memory performance for both the healthy and dementing elderly. More importantly, pre-established schemata remain intact well into the course of dementia and can support recall of newly acquired episodic information.