Editing Visual memory (section)

=== Age ===
Studies have shown that with [[aging]], in terms of short-term visual memory, viewing time and task complexity affect performance. When there is a delay or when the task is complex recall declines.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Soininen |first1=H. S. |last2=Partanen |first2=K. |last3=Pitkanen |first3=A. |last4=Vainio |first4=P. |last5=Hanninen |first5=T. |last6=Hallikainen |first6=M. |last7=Koivisto |first7=K. |last8=Riekkinen |first8=P. J. |title=Volumetric MRI analysis of the amygdala and the hippocampus in subjects with age-associated memory impairment: Correlation to visual and verbal memory |journal=Neurology |date=1994 |volume=44 |issue=9 |pages=1660–1668 |doi=10.1212/wnl.44.9.1660 |pmid=7936293 |s2cid=33777145 }}</ref> In a study conducted to measure whether visual memory in older adults with age-related visual decline was caused by memory performance or visual functioning, the following were examined: relationships among age, visual activity, and visual and verbal memory in 89 community dwelling volunteers aged 60–87 years. The findings were that the effect of vision was not specific to visual memory.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Verhaeghen |first1=P. |last2=Marcoen |first2=A. |last3=Goossens |first3=L. |title=Facts and Fiction About Memory Aging: A Quantitative Integration of Research Findings |journal=Journal of Gerontology |date=1993 |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=P157–P171 |doi=10.1093/geronj/48.4.p157 |pmid=8315232 }}</ref> Therefore, vision was found to be correlated with general memory function in older adults and is not modality specific.

As we age performance in regards to spatial configurations deteriorates. In a task to store and combine two different spatial configurations to form a novel one young people out-performed the elderly.<ref name="BHATT">{{cite journal |last1=Cattaneo |first1=Zaira |last2=Bhatt |first2=Ela |last3=Merabet |first3=Lotfi B. |last4=Pece |first4=Alfredo |last5=Vecchi |first5=Tomaso |title=The Influence of Reduced Visual Acuity on Age-Related Decline in Spatial Working Memory: An Investigation |journal=Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition |date=2008 |volume=15 |issue=6 |pages=687–702 |doi=10.1080/13825580802036951 |pmid=18608051 |s2cid=28246373 }}</ref> Vision also has an effect on performance. Sighted participants outperformed the visually impaired regardless of testing modality. This suggests that vision tends to shape the general supramodal mechanisms of memory.<ref name="BHATT" />