Instructing Use of an Effective Strategy Improves Recognition Memory in Healthy Adults

Age-related memory decrements correlate with metacognitive declines, including knowledge and deployment of effective mnemonic encoding strategies. However, whether imparting such strategy suffices for mitigating memory differences is unclear.

In a longitudinal study of 276 healthy adults aged 18-79 years, we tested associative and working memory, and assessed beliefs regarding mnemonic strategies. Testing was repeated every 2 years, 5 times. Starting with the third occasion, we instructed participants to use an effective mnemonic strategy (sentence generation). Using continuous-time dynamic modeling, we assessed changes in the item and associative recognition, intervention effects, and their relations with age, sex, meta-memory beliefs, working memory, and metabolic health.

Younger age, better working memory, and stronger belief in effective mnemonic strategies predicted better recognition, whereas instructional intervention attenuated associative memory deficits, with some persistence over time.

The present findings show merely imparting effective strategies holds promise for mitigating age-related associative memory deficits.