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Although studies using recall tasks to measure memory typically report age-related declines in performance for older subjects, little is known about how these research results relate to performance in actual situations. A study was undertaken to determine whether years of experience in a domain of knowledge could compensate for age-related differences in performance on recall tasks, as well as to examine whether within that domain, areas that are better known would be more highly structured and richly recalled than less well-known areas. Telephone sales clerks (N=30) ranging in age from 23 to 69 years were recruited from three fastening companies, divided into three age groups, and asked to perform a sort-recall task of high (HF) and low (LF) frequency usage fastening items. The results revealed no age differences on sorting or recall for either the HF or the LF items. On a within-subject basis, all measures of recall were significantly higher for the HF items than for the LF items. HF items were found to have a different organizational relationship than LF items which supports the notion of a more cohesive and structured recall and a richer memory for well-known items. These findings suggest that work experience and frequent exposure to certain product items affects both qualitative and quantitative aspects of organization and recall of this knowledge domain. (NRB)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert