Younger and older adults weigh multiple cues in a similar manner to generate judgments of learning

Abstract

One's memory for past test performance (MPT) is a key piece of information individuals use when deciding how to restudy material. We used a multi-trial recognition memory task to examine adult age differences in the influence of MPT (measured by actual Trial 1 memory accuracy and subjective confidence judgments, CJs) along with Trial 1 judgments of learning (JOLs), objective and participant-estimated recognition fluencies, and Trial 2 study time on Trial 2 JOLs. We found evidence of simultaneous and independent influences of multiple objective and subjective (i.e., metacognitive) cues on Trial 2 JOLs, and these relationships were highly similar for younger and older adults. Individual differences in Trial 1 recognition accuracy and CJs on Trial 2 JOLs indicate that individuals may vary in the degree to which they rely on each MPT cue when assessing subsequent memory confidence. Aging appears to spare the ability to access multiple cues when making JOLs.

Simultaneous utilization of multiple cues in judgments of learning

“…The question of cue integration has been a major focus in judgment research, but has received relatively little attention in metacognition research. In fact, it was mostly tangential to the focus of prior JOL studies (for notable exceptions, see Hertzog et al, 2013;Hines et al, 2015;Tauber & Rhodes, 2012). In four experiments, we simultaneously varied up to four intrinsic and extrinsic cues of diverse validities in both orthogonal (Experiments 1-3) and representative designs (Experiment 4).…”

“…Prior JOL studies that focused on cue integration investigated JOLs made during multitrial learning (e.g., Hertzog, Hines, & Touron, 2013;Hines, Hertzog, & Touron, 2015;Tauber & Rhodes, 2012). In these experiments, people studied the same material in two or more study-test trials.…”

Toward a Neurocognitive Understanding of the Algorithms That Underlie Metamemory Judgments

“…Patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, which tends to disproportionately affect MTL structures, have memory impairments but tend to have intact memory monitoring (Gallo et al, 2012; Moulin et al, 2000). However, metamemory deficits are often observed later in Alzheimer’s disease progression when the frontal lobes become affected (Cosentino et al, 2007; Hines et al, 2015). In contrast, patients with frontotemporal lobe dementia exhibit both impairments in memory and memory monitoring (Rosen et al., 2014; Souchay et al, 2003).…”

“…In addition to past-test information, which people seem to use in a highly analytic or conscious way (Serra & Ariel 2014; but see Tauber & Rhodes, 2012), people also seem to use a variety of nonconscious cues that contribute to the improvement in relative accuracy across trials (cf. Hertzog et al, 2013; Hines et al, 2015; Serra & Ariel, 2014; Tauber & Rhodes, 2012). Importantly, evidence suggests that people might demonstrate individual differences in how they weigh and utilize even the same cues, including past-test performance (Hines et al, 2015).…”

The Role of Task Understanding on Younger and Older Adults’ Performance

“…However, older adults often struggle to update their knowledge of strategy effectiveness or alter their strategic choices-processes known as metacognitive control (Dunlosky et al, 2006;Dunlosky & Connor, 1997;Dunlosky & Hertzog, 2000;Hertzog et al, 2002;Matvey, Dunlosky, Shaw, Parks, & Hertzog, 2002). Likewise, in causal learning tasks and probabilistic learning tasks-where participants learn to predict an outcome based on a series of cues-older adults struggle to learn about negative cue-probability relationships and use fewer cues when making predictive judgments (Chasseigne et al, 2004;Mata, von Helversen, & Rieskamp, 2010;Mutter & Asriel, 2016; but see Hines, Hertzog, & Touron, 2015). These results suggest that, relative to younger adults, older adults may also struggle to update their task representations or may not fully take advantage of accurate task representations (a utilization failure).…”