摘要：Item memory refers to memory of an event (e.g., it rained) whereas source memory refers to memory of the context of that event (e.g, Paul said it would rain ). Source memory has been related to executive functions whereas item memory has been linked to medial temporal lobe functions by some authors (Glisky et al., 1995). Both these cognitive functions decline with age. Conversely, lifelong bilingualism has been linked to enhanced executive control in older adults (Bialystok et al., 2006), and has been considered as a protective factor against age-related cognitive decline. Surprisingly, no study has ever looked at the impact of bilingualism on source memory in aging. Considering the advantage of bilinguals relative to monolinguals in executive control, we predicted that older bilinguals would outperform older monolinguals in source memory, but not in item memory.
