Age and interference in visuospatial working memory

Two experiments considered the possibility that age differences in VSWM span are due, in part, to older adults' susceptibility to interference. Older and younger participants were tested under conditions of either high or low interference, using two different displays; computerized versions of a 3 x 3 matrix, and the standard Corsi block task (CBT). We found that age differences in VSWM estimates were reduced in the low-interference condition. An additional finding was that males outperformed females, but only among young adults, and only in the CBT condition. A third experiment comparing the two displays replicated these gender findings. Our results suggest that: (1) Older adults' VSWM can be improved by reducing the amount of interference. (2) Typical WM span tasks may have a number of opposing components that differentially affect younger and older adults. (3) Gender differences in VSWM span appear to be task specific, and may decrease with age.