Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
09:13
A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test
Published on: May 16, 2017
10.9K
Age-related differences in episodic feeling-of-knowing arise from differences in memory performance
Mathilde Sacher1, Lionel Landré, Laurence Taconnat
1a UMR CNRS 7295, Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage , Université François Rabelais , Tours , France.
Memory (Hove, England)
|January 4, 2014
Summary
Older adults
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience of aging
- Metamemory research
Background:
- Ageing effects on episodic memory and feeling-of-knowing (FOK) accuracy are debated.
- Previous research yielded conflicting results, possibly due to measurement methods.
- Alternative measures may offer clearer insights into age-related metamemory changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of ageing on episodic FOK accuracy using novel signal-detection theory (SDT) measures.
- To clarify discrepancies in previous findings regarding age differences in metamemory.
- To evaluate the utility of SDT-derived measures in understanding ageing and memory.
Main Methods:
- Employed signal-detection theory (SDT) measures, including receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Brier score.
- Recruited a large sample of 59 young and 61 older adults.
- Analyzed episodic feeling-of-knowing (FOK) accuracy in relation to overall memory performance.
Main Results:
- The apparent deficit in FOK accuracy in older adults is attributable to differences in underlying memory performance.
- SDT-derived measures effectively revealed age-related patterns in metamemory.
- This finding offers a parsimonious explanation for prior conflicting results in the literature.
Conclusions:
- Age-related differences in episodic feeling-of-knowing (FOK) accuracy are primarily driven by variations in memory performance, not metamemory processes themselves.
- Signal-detection theory (SDT) measures provide a more accurate and informative framework for studying metamemory in ageing.
- The study supports the use of SDT in aging research to resolve inconsistencies and advance understanding of memory monitoring.
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