Editing Short-term memory (section)

=== Age ===
[[Short-term memory loss|Memory loss]] is a natural aging process. Research has reported short-term memory decreases with age. The decline appears to be constant and continuous beginning in the twenties.

One study used data from a previous study that compiled normative French data for three short-term memory tasks (verbal, visual and spatial). They found impairments in participants between the ages of 55 and 85 years of age.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fournet |first1=N. |last2=Roulin |first2=J. Vallet |last3=Beaudoin |first3=M. |last4=Agrigoroaei |first4=S. |last5=Paignon |first5=A. |last6=Dantzer |first6=C. |last7=Descrichard |first7=O. |year=2012 |title=Evaluating short-term and working memory in order adults: french normative data |journal=Aging & Mental Health |volume=16 |issue=7 |pages=922–930 |doi=10.1080/13607863.2012.674487 |pmid=22533476 |s2cid=28301212}}</ref>

Advanced age is also associated with decrements in episodic memory. The associated deficit is that differences in recognition memory reflect difficulty in binding components of a memory episode and bound units.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bender |first1=A. |last2=Naveh-Benjamin |first2=M. |last3=Raz |first3=N. |year=2010 |title=Associative deficit in recognition memory in a lifespan sample of Healthy Adults |journal=Psychology and Aging |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=940–948 |doi=10.1037/a0020595 |pmc=3011045 |pmid=20822256}}</ref> A previous study used mixed and blocked test designs and reported an associative deficit for older adults.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=T. |last2=Naveh-Benjamin |first2=M. |year=2012 |title=Assessing the Associative Deficit of Older adults in long-term and Short-term/working Memory |journal=Psychology and Aging |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=666–682 |doi=10.1037/a0026943 |pmid=22308997 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10355/14958 }}</ref>

Even absent neurological diseases and disorders, progressive and gradual loss of some intellectual functions become evident in later years. Several tests assess the psychophysical characteristics of the elderly, such as the functional reach (FR) test and the [[mini–mental state examination]] (MMSE). FR is an index of the aptitude to maintain balance in an upright position, while the MMSE test is a global index of cognitive abilities. These tests were used by Costarella  et al.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Costarella |first1=M. |last2=Montelone |first2=L. |last3=Steindler |first3=R. |last4=Zuccaro |first4=S. |year=2010 |title=Decline of physical and cognitive conditions in the elderly measured through the functional reach test and the mini-mental state examination |journal=Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics |volume=50 |issue=3 |pages=332–337 |doi=10.1016/j.archger.2009.05.013 |pmid=19545918}}</ref> to evaluate the psychophysical characteristics of older adults.  They found a loss of physical performance (FR, related to height) as well as a loss of cognitive abilities (MMSE).{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}