Memory Aging Knowledge and Memory Self-Appraisal in Younger and Older Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among memory aging knowledge and memory self-appraisal in college students and community-dwelling older adults. Participants completed the Knowledge of Memory Aging Questionnaire (KMAQ] Cherry, Brigman, Hawley, & Reese, 2003 Cherry , K. E. , Brigman , S. , Hawley , K. S. , & Reese , C. M. ( 2003 ). The knowledge of memory aging questionnaire: Effects of adding a ‘don't know’ response option . Educational Gerontology , 29 , 427 – 446 . doi: 10.1080/713844360 Taylor & Francis Online], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]) and the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ] Gilewski, Zelinski, & Schaie, 1990 Gilewski , M. J. , Zelinski , E. M. , & Schaie , K. ( 1990 ). The memory functioning questionnaire for assessment of memory complaints in adulthood and old age . Psychology and Aging , 5 , 482 – 490 . doi: 10.1037/0882-7974.5.4.482 Crossref], PubMed], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]). We hypothesized that poorer performance on the KMAQ stereotype scale, suggesting an ageist response bias, would be associated with more negative self-appraisals of memory. Results confirmed that responses on the KMAQ stereotype scale were significantly associated with responses on the MFQ Frequency of Forgetting scale and two shorter scales derived from the full MFQ, the memory self-efficacy scale (Zelinski & Gilewski, 2004 Zelinski , E. M. , & Gilewski , M. J. ( 2004 ). A 10-item Rasch modeled memory self-efficacy scale . Aging & Mental Health , 8 , 293 – 306 . doi: 10.1080/13607860410001709665 Taylor & Francis Online], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]), and a revised Seriousness of Forgetting scale after controlling for age and educational level. Implications of these findings for the development of instructional materials to improve memory aging knowledge and memory self-appraisal in adulthood are discussed.