Final answer:
Attitude and age affect memory through the formation and stability of schemas, with older individuals having more stable schemas and attitudes that influence memory. Studies like Krosnick & Alwin (1989) and Peterson and Peterson (1959) provide evidence on how age and attitude influence memory decay and interference.
Step-by-step explanation:
Attitude and age significantly affect memory function. Schemas, which are mental structures that organize our knowledge and assumptions about something, play a vital role in the way memories are encoded, stored, and retrieved. They can affect memory in both youths and adults and be influenced by attitudes.
In relation to age, the study by Krosnick & Alwin (1989) showed that older individuals were less susceptible to attitude changes, suggesting that with age, established schemas and attitudes become more stable, and this could influence memory retention and recall. Attitudes can shape how one encodes and interprets information, reinforcing existing beliefs or schemas. An optimistic or pessimistic attitude can color the memories that are stored, which further illustrates the schema theory.
Two studies exemplifying these concepts are: First, the research on schema theory, which reveals that people encode and recall information consistent with their existing schemas more easily. Second, the study by Peterson and Peterson (1959), which highlights the idea of memory trace decay and interference in short-term memory. They propose different mechanisms for memory failures, each affected uniquely by age and attitude.