Intentional forgetting in younger and older adolescents

Abstract

Intentional forgetting exhibits limited efficacy in children but demonstrates resilience in adults. This study aimed to explore the developmental trends and underlying mechanisms of intentional forgetting in adolescents. Students from grades 7th and 9th were recruited to perform the modified list‐method directed forgetting (DF, Experiment 1) and selective directed forgetting (SDF, Experiment 2) tasks. In Experiment 1, both graders showed typical DF effects. The 9th graders forgot more List 1 compared to the 7th graders in the forgetting condition, indicating a stronger DF ability for the former group. In Experiment 2, an SDF effect was observed for the 9th graders but was absent for the 7th graders. Additionally, a weaker forgetting effect was induced by imagining cues relative to forgetting cues in both experiments. These results demonstrated that DF and SDF abilities in adolescents improved with age and might be mediated by inhibitory control rather than changes in mental context.