Even normal ageing causes a decline of memory functioning is an indisputable fact. An EU-funded project has evaluated young and old to get information for feeding more reliable computational models of ageing and its effects.
The CHARM (Cognitive mechanisms that lead to age related memory deficits) project has tested to see if an ageing memory is due to a global decline in processing efficiency where both automatic and controlled processes are affected. At the same time, the researchers evaluated if only controlled processes were slowed down.
Further details: Features of an ageing memory