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The Effects of Normal Aging on Source Memory for Odors

¹ Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, California.
² Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego.
³ University of California San Diego-San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego.

Please address all correspondence to Dr. Claire Murphy, SDSU-UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92120. E-mail: cmurphy{at}sciences.sdsu.edu

Source and item memory for olfactory stimuli were assessed in healthy older (65+) and young adults. During the study phase, a male and a female source presented 16 odors to each participant one at a time. Each source presented 8 odors to the participant. As a way to assess source memory, the participant was asked to indicate whether an odor from the study phase was presented by the male or female. As a way to assess item memory, a study phase odor and a novel odor were presented and the participant was asked to indicate which was presented previously. Source memory for odors was impaired in older adults compared with young adults. However, there were no significant differences in odor item memory between young and older adults. Thus, source memory for olfactory stimuli may be a task that is particularly sensitive to age-related changes in the brain.