It is well documented that aging is accompanied by decrements in memory-functioning. The present research is concerned with examining some hypotheses about the basis for such decrements, and with examining processing techniques which may reduce these decrements in specific situations. Since motoric interaction with the environment appears to be a critical component of early concept development, it seems reasonable to test the assumption that motoric components constitute an important, primitive aspect of the meaning of many of our concepts. This assumption suggests that, from a """"""""levels of processing"""""""" perspective, motoric enactment (M-processing) of a concept should constitute processing the concept at a deep level of its meaning, and should therefore facilitate memory for the relevant meaning. The present proposal addresses several goals. (a) To provide evidence concerning the potential of M-processing as an aid for memory problems in older persons. (b) To attempt to determine the cognitive factors producing memory decrements with age. The identification of the cognitive functions by which M-processing counteracts memory decrements in the aged may give us important clues concerning the reasons for such decrements. (c) To advance our theoretical understanding of the manner in which we normally process sentence materials, and how M-processing operates to facilitate memory.
