Compensation and recoding: A framework for aging and memory research

This article introduces a conceptual frame of reference for the area of aging and memory. The framework is based upon the superordinate concepts of compensation and recoding . It is suggested that older adults are capable of compensating for deficits in episodic remembering by utilizing various types of contextual and cognitive support. A classificatory scheme comprising three subcategories of memory compensation in the elderly is proposed: "compensation via experimenter-provided support" (CEPS), compensation via inherent task properties (CITP), and "compensation via cognitive support systems" (CCSS). The aspect of compensation as an adaptive activity of older adults is also discussed. Further, it is suggested that younger adults because of a superior ability for various recoding operations are less dependent on contextual and cognitive support in order to remember successfully. Recoding is defined as all the cognitive operations an individual possesses that, when applied, enriches the originally registered information. The superordinate nature of the concepts of compensation and recoding is indicated by the fact that they bring together a vast number of empirical findings previously regarded as support for opposed theoretical accounts.