The role of self-directed ageism in prospective memory function

Self-directed ageism refers to the many ways in which ageist beliefs become increasingly self-relevant and internalized. Despite extensive literature documenting the harmful effects of self-directed ageism on cognition, it remains to be established whether two core domains of self-directed ageism (ageist beliefs and personal views of one's own aging) independently, but also potentially interactively, influence prospective memory function. Accordingly, the present study was designed to test these relationships. One hundred eighty-three adults aged 41-85 years participated in this study (M_age = 63.84; 46.45% female). Participants completed both self-report and real-world behavioral indicators of prospective memory ability, alongside measures of ageist beliefs and personal views of one's own aging. Hierarchical regressions revealed differential effects of self-directed ageism (after controlling for demographic covariates), such that more negative ageist beliefs and more positive personal views of aging uniquely (but not interactively) predicted objective prospective memory function. Notably, only more positive personal views of aging emerged as a unique predictor of subjective prospective memory function. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how self-directed ageism affects cognitive functioning, highlighting the complex nature of this relationship and the need to consider self-directed ageism at the subdomain level. Given the critical role of prospective memory in maintaining autonomy and everyday functioning, these findings have important implications for clinical practice and future research aimed at improving quality of life in late adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).