Abstract
Aging is associated with pronounced impairments in a number of cognitive domains, including speed of processing, working memory, and long-term memory, whereas knowledge-based domains are relatively spared with age. Evidence from cognitive psychology and cognitive and affective neuro science suggests that older adults can compensate for memory impairments under appropriate task conditions and through the recruitment of additional neural regions. This chapter reviews evidence for these age-related changes as well as evidence that changes to memory are malleable, particularly when information is emotionally, culturally, or personally relevant.