Comparing music to other autobiographical memory cues in healthy aging

Autobiographical memory retrieval declines with age and is typically marked by reduced episodic detail. However, the extent of this decline may depend on how memories are cued. In this study, younger and older adults retrieved autobiographical memories in response to four cue types: popular songs, images of famous persons, movie clips, and lifetime period text cues. Results indicated that sensory cues (music, images, movies) evoked memories more quickly than lifetime period cues, though the lifetime period cues produced the most episodically detailed memories for older adults. Music-evoked memories contained the fewest external details and the highest proportion of perceptual language, indicating increased memory vividness. However, older adults showed reduced episodic detail for music-evoked memories compared to younger adults. Overall, these results indicate that cue type influences age-related differences in autobiographical memory and also have implications for practical applications of music-based interventions for aging populations.