The effect of goal-setting and feedback on age differences in secondary memory

Goal-setting and feedback have been found to improve performance on a variety of tasks. The present study applied this finding to an examination of adult age differences in secondary memory. Elderly and young adults completed a free-recall task in which one subgroup established a performance goal for blocks of trials and received feedback on a trial-by-trial basis. A second, comparison subgroup completed the same task without setting goals or receiving feedback. Results indicated that the use of the motivational technique of goal-setting and feedback increased memory performance of both age groups beyond that obtained under standard recall conditions.