This study was designed to determine whether adults' memory for pictorial and word stimuli might be differentially affected by age. Twenty female secretaries, median age 22.1, and 20 female members of a senior citizens' center, median age 69.4, were asked to learn lists of pictorial and word stimuli under free recall conditions. Eight trials were given on each list and recall was untimed to allow subjects maximum opportunity to develop and use retrieval strategies. Some of the findings indicated that pictorial stimuli were recalled significantly better than the word stimuli. The average number of errors per trial was 4.96 for pictures and 6.63 for words. The young subjects made significantly fewer errors than the old subjects. The young subjects made an average of 4.28 errors per trial whereas the older subjects made an average of 7.31 errors per trial. Performance improved for both groups as the number of trials increased. The results led the investigators to the conclusion that memory processes for the visual and verbal modes differ only quantitatively, and not qualitatively, as a function of increasing age. (MKM)