Age-related changes in memory functions are observed clinically and in the experimental psychology laboratory. The commonly used notion of "benign senescent forgetfulness" implies that such changes are part of "normal" aging and not associated with central nervous system pathology. Some investigators have advocated a diagnostic category, age-associated memory impairment, to define the memory loss that appears in healthy, elderly individuals. These concepts are problematic from a number of perspectives and need to be clarified and more rigorously investigated.