The role of metamemory and personality in episodic memory performance in older adults

Abstract

This study newly investigated the joint contribution of metamemory and personality (traits and facets) in explaining episodic memory (EM) performance in typically aging older adults. Forty-eight participants (age range: 64–75 years) completed a self-paced word list (SPWL) recall task, a metamemory questionnaire assessing perceived control and potential improvement (PCPI) and self-efficacy and satisfaction (SESA) regarding one’s mental abilities (e.g., memory), and the Big-Five Questionnaire. Based on the SPWL encoding strategies reported, participants were then classified as effective (N = 20) or ineffective (N = 28) memory strategy users. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that a better SPWL performance was predicted by higher levels of PCPI, Scrupulousness and Dominance personality facets. Effective memory strategy users, then, showed higher SPWL performance and Dominance (Energy facet) than ineffective ones. These findings suggest that both specific metamemory processes and personality facets predict better EM performance in older adults. Moreover, personality dispositions relating to Dominance seem to characterize individuals adopting effective memory strategies to support EM performance. These results represent first evidence of the role of both metamemory and personality—facets—in explaining older adults’ EM performance, which should thus be considered when assessing or training EM in old age.

Ask How They Did It: Untangling the Relationships Between Task-Specific Strategy Use, Everyday Strategy Use, and Associative Memory

“…Consistent with these behavioural findings on executive functions, prefrontal cortex gray matter volumes mediate age-related variations in self-initiated strategy use and associative memory performance (Becker et al, 2015;Kirchhoff et al, 2014). Personality factors such as dominance and neuroticism have been shown to mediate the relationship between episodic memory performance and both everyday and self-initiated, task-specific memory strategy use, possibly through individuals' decisions and/or habits to use strategies (Lenti et al, 2023;Ponds & Jolles, 1996). Overall, intraindividual differences in cognitive reserve and executive functions, which increase with age (Mella et al, 2016;Vandermorris et al, 2013), appear to influence associative memory performance through attentional processes and the tendency to self-initiate and use strategies.…”