European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 1, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Multiple memory systems How s that again by Daniel Goleman new York times forget the old Maxim that memory deteriorates with age. The new Wisdom emerging from recent studies is that there Are several kinds of memory Only one of which worsens in old age. Though psychologists still dispute precisely How Many kinds of memory there Are most agree that there Are at least three major kinds a episodic a for specific events a semantic a for knowledge and facts and Quot implicit a for skills one exercises automatically like speaking grammatically or hitting a Golf Ball. Semantic and implicit memory do not decline with age the new studies show. And declines in episodic memory May be due to factors like retirement rather than aging itself and May be reversible psychologists say. These encouraging findings and the framework they support Are gaining wide acceptance among memory researchers. For scientists trying to understand the Workings of memory the findings offer a major clue to fresh avenues of research and to new models of How the mind stores and retrieves information. It has Long been known that elderly people who forget recent events can still recall memories from the Distant past. But the new findings suggest that even this memory loss is not inevitable except in those with an illness that affects the brain. And until recently psychologists had no Clear Way to explain the difficulties in recalling recent events but not those Long ago because the prevailing View was that there was but a single kind of memory an idea that is still held in some quarters. The new findings go beyond simplistic ideas about memory to depict a More complicated picture of How memory fares with aging. Quot the idea that memory inevitably deteriorates As you age came from studies that Only tested one kind of memory Quot said David Mitchell a psychologist at Southern methodist University. Quot now we see that there Are multiple memory systems and each holds up differently As you  the Type of memory that declines substantially in old age is Quot episodic Quot memory which deals with specific events like what happened at yesterdays meeting the name of someone you have just met or where the keys to the car were left. Peter Graf a psychologist at the University of British Columbia said Quot the scientific literature shows that episodic memory is stable through the mid-60s, with a slight drop but no real problems for most people. But there is a pronounced drop in the 70s for most people. The drop May be largely due to retirement and the Way that changes How you use your memory people usually done to exercise their mental faculties As much after work demands . Memory researchers Point out that Many people develop strategies that compensate for the decline. Apart from writing notes to oneself about things that Are important to remember Mitchell said Quot it s possible to store episodic memories in someone else. You ask your husband or your Secretary about the details when you  mulling events Over or talking or thinking about them later seems to help store the memory in the Quot semantic memory a the Overall store of information and experience people accumulate Over a lifetime. Quot semantic memory is the seat of Wisdom Quot Mitchell said. Quot when you make decisions and judgments you draw on this store of  semantic memory is the most robust some studies suggest. In data to be published in the journal psychology and aging Mitchell used a vocabulary test to compare semantic memory in people from 18 to 34 with an older group ranging in age from 57 to 83. Those in the older group scored higher on the vocabulary test. Of 70 possible Correct answers the older group got an average 60 Correct while the younger group scored just 51 on average. Quot semantic memory does not decline with age Quot Mitchell said. Quot it  data suggesting that the difference Between age groups is from a continued accumulation of information comes from older studies reported by Robert Katzman chairman of the department of neurosciences at the University of California medical school at san Diego. A group of men and women in their 60s was tested on the same vocabulary list that Mitchell used and then tested again 10 years later. During the intervening decade the men and women improved their scores by an average of six or seven words which Mitchell called a substantial increase. The studies done at the National Institute of mental health in 1956 and 1967, were first published in the 1970s but they were largely overlooked by memory researchers. Only when they were republished in 1983 in a Book on the neurology of aging did they catch the attention of memory researchers Mitchell said. The data were particularly important he said because almost All research on memory and aging involves comparing a younger group with an older group. Longitudinal data in which the same people Are tested years later Are Able to establish More strongly that any differences seen Are a result of aging itself. / sunday May 13 name address san Apo duty phone Home phone dear mom i know i done to say it often enough but today i want to Tell you with this message that i love you your son style one a $10 for getting us off to school on time. And everything else you do we just want to say we love you from your Bunch of spoiled kids. Check one a style one $10 a style two $25, momus #1 a style three $25, your headline mail to. Stars amp stripes attn mothers Day Box 266 Apo 09211-4211. Headline. 20 characters maximum message area in a sending you this message today to thank you for always being there when i needed you. I love you your Loving daughter style two a $25 style three a $25 Send a special Mother s Day message to mom. Its simple and easy to Dol just write your message 25 words or less on this order form or on a Plain piece of paper. Please include your name social Security number address and phone number. Select your style from the samples shown. Examples shown Are actual size. For longer messages add 10<t per word. Make your personal Check or Money order payable to stars and stripes fund ecn-874. Do not Send Cash. Messages received from children less than 16 years of age Are half Price. All Mother s Day messages must be received no later than Friday May 4.tuesday, may1, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 17