Inference generation in older adults: Comparing pictorial and textual comprehension in the context of cognitive decline.
Narrative comprehension, a cognitive skill essential for social participation, relies on a range of abilities, including memory and inference-making. While aging-related cognitive changes are well-documented, research on narrative comprehension in aging populations yields mixed findings, underscorin...
| Publicado en: | Memory & Cognition Vol. 54; no. 1; pp. 27 - 45 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Springer Nature
Jan2026
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=191289391&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 191289391 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 0090502X MEG jtl: Memory & Cognition issn: 0090502X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jan2026 vid: 54 iid: 1 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 191289391 10.3758/s13421-025-01736-7 ppf: 27 ppct: 18 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 1.5MB tig: atl: Inference generation in older adults: Comparing pictorial and textual comprehension in the context of cognitive decline. aug: au: Varkentin, Ekaterina Brich, Irina R. Sünkel, Ulrike von Thaler, Anna-Katharina Eschweiler, Gerhard W. Huff, Markus affil: https://ror.org/03hv28176 Perception and Action Lab, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Schleichstraße 6, 72076, Tübingen, Germany https://ror.org/03a1kwz48 Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany https://ror.org/00tkfw097 German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany https://ror.org/04v76ef78 Department of Neurology, Kiel University, University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany https://ror.org/04zzwzx41 Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany https://ror.org/03a1kwz48 Geriatric Center, Tübingen University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany https://ror.org/03a1kwz48 Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany su: Age distribution Anxiety Aging Storytelling Psychological stress Sleep Psychological tests Educational attainment Mental depression Social participation Cognition in old age Chronic pain Experimental design Pre-tests & post-tests Research Visual perception Comparative studies Data analysis software Thought & thinking sug: subj: Age distribution Anxiety Aging Storytelling Psychological stress Sleep Psychological tests Educational attainment Mental depression Social participation Cognition in old age Chronic pain Experimental design Pre-tests & post-tests Research Visual perception Comparative studies Data analysis software Thought & thinking keyword: Age Codality Inferencing Narrative comprehension Preventive factors Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology Risk factors Age Codality Inferencing Narrative comprehension Preventive factors Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology Risk factors ab: Narrative comprehension, a cognitive skill essential for social participation, relies on a range of abilities, including memory and inference-making. While aging-related cognitive changes are well-documented, research on narrative comprehension in aging populations yields mixed findings, underscoring the importance of this study. This preregistered study examines how age, education, and presentation format (i.e., the narrative's codality: pictorial vs. textual) influence inference generation in older adults (N = 143, ages 62–86 years). Participants were presented with pictorial and textual stories consisting of three panels, with the second panel replaced with a blank panel. Their task was to comprehend the stories and determine whether the inferences provided for the missing event were correct or incorrect. Results reveal that pictorial narratives were better comprehended than textual ones; however, this advantage attenuates with increasing age. Contrary to expectations, narrative comprehension was largely resilient to age-related declines, as neither age nor education significantly impaired performance. Exploratory analyses tested the influence of protective (e.g., physical and mental activity, companionship) and risk factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, chronic pain, stress, and poor sleep) but found no significant impact on comprehension. Notably, narrative comprehension correlated with memory performance but not with other cognitive abilities, underscoring its specificity within the broader cognitive domain. These findings highlight the stability of narrative comprehension across media and aging, while also suggesting a narrowing pictorial advantage with age. Implications for existing cognitive theories and future research directions are discussed. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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