Prospective memory and self-reports of memory abilities in older adults.

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine age differences in prospective memory, and (b) to examine the relations among metamemory, reported use of memory aids, and actual performance on prospective memory tasks. To assess these issues, participants aged 30-99 (with approximately equal numbers in each of the age ranges of 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+) completed a metamemory questionnaire and two prospective memory tests. For one prospective memory task, participants were instructed to request a red pen when asked to draw a circle and a cube later in the testing session. A sheet of paper and a pencil were in front of the person at the time of the drawing task, and no hints or reminders were given about requesting the red pen. For the other prospective memory measure the participants were told they would be given a questionnaire to be filled out at home. The importance of putting the time and date of completion in the upper left corner of the questionnaire was emphasized. Nearly 100% of the persons in the age range 30-60 successfully completed the pen request. Performance of those in the 70+ age range fell to 70%. On the delayed memory task, older people performed more poorly when a lenient scoring criterion was used, but did not differ from younger people when a strict scoring criterion was used. The metamemory data showed an age-related increase in reported memory problems. The pattern of correlations revealed that metamemory scores and prospective remembering performance were often negatively correlated (especially for the 30-year-old people). The correlations indicate either that people have poor knowledge about their own memory abilities or that their concept of memory is different from that of the psychologist.

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