Age-associated increase in mnemonic strategy use is linked to prefrontal cortex development

Memory functioning undergoes dynamic changes between childhood and adulthood. Spontaneous use of elaborative strategies, which can enhance the recall of information, expands with age and contributes to age-associated improvement in memory functioning. Findings from lesion and neuroimaging studies suggest that the ability to use elaborative strategies is dependent upon intact functioning of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), particularly the …