Destination memory for self-generated actions

There is a substantial body of literature showing memory enhancement for self-generated information in normal aging. The present paper investigated this outcome for destination memory or memory for outputted information.

In Experiment 1, younger adults and older adults had to place (self-generated actions) and observe an experimenter placing (experiment-generated actions) items into two different destinations (i.e., a black circular box and a white square box). On a subsequent recognition task, the participants had to decide into which box each item had originally been placed. These procedures showed better destination memory for self- than experimenter-generated actions. In Experiment 2, destination and source memory were assessed for self-generated actions. Younger adults and older adults had to place items into the two boxes (self-generated actions), take items out of the boxes (self-generated actions), and observe an experimenter taking items out of the boxes (experiment-generated actions). On a subsequent recognition task, they had to decide into which box (destination memory)/from which box (source memory) each item had originally been placed/taken.

For both populations, source memory was better than destination memory for self-generated actions, and both were better than source memory for experimenter-generated actions.

Taken together, these findings highlight the beneficial effect of self-generation on destination memory in older adults.