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Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
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Memory strategy use in older adults with subjective memory complaints
Nikita L Frankenmolen1,2, Eduard J Overdorp3, Luciano Fasotti4,5
1Centre for Cognition, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. n.frankenmolen@donders.ru.nl.
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
|October 7, 2016
Summary
Older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMC) use more memory strategies, but these do not improve objective performance. Interventions may help optimize strategy use in this population.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are prevalent in older adults.
- The extent of spontaneous memory strategy use in older adults with SMC is not well understood.
- SMC may indicate future memory decline, necessitating research into compensatory mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spontaneous memory strategy use in older adults with and without SMC.
- To explore the relationship between memory complaints, strategy use, and objective memory performance.
Main Methods:
- Compared self-reported and observed memory strategy use in 38 adults with SMC and 38 without.
- Assessed correlations between memory complaints, strategy use, and task performance.
Main Results:
- Adults with SMC reported and used more memory strategies than those without SMC.
- In the SMC group, higher complaints correlated with greater strategy use.
- Objective strategy use correlated with task performance only in adults without SMC.
Conclusions:
- Memory strategy use in older adults with SMC appears compensatory but does not enhance objective memory performance.
- Older adults experiencing SMC may benefit from interventions focused on improving memory strategy effectiveness.
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