Memory and Curiosity for Free Grocery Items and Prices in Younger and Older Adults

Older adults often show memory deficits, but these deficits can be reduced when newly learned information is consistent with one's schemas (prior knowledge). For example, research has found similar memory performance for young and older adults when remembering realistic market-value grocery items and prices; however, age-related differences are more prominent for overpriced items, which are inconsistent with schemas. In the present work, we examined how labelling items as free may impact memory for prices, and if curiosity may influence how younger and older adults remember price information. Experiment 1 investigated young and older adults' memory for free, market-priced, and overpriced items. In Experiment 2, participants' curiosity for learning the items and their prices was investigated to see if curiosity can be predictive of performance accuracy for information that is consistent and inconsistent with their schemas.

In Experiment 1, participants were shown grocery store items and were tested on the exact prices of these items and the categories they belong to. In Experiment 2, participants were first shown items and asked how curious they were to learn the price of the item. Participants were then shown the grocery item's price and category label, and were later tested on the associations of these items.

Across both experiments, older adults were more accurate in recalling market-priced and free items compared to overpriced items. In contrast, younger adults did not show significant differences across price conditions. In Experiment 2, state curiosity significantly predicted accuracy in recalling exact prices, with this relationship being particularly strong among older adults.

Findings suggest that older adults benefit more from schematic support when remembering price information and that state curiosity enhances memory accuracy, especially for older adults. Schematic support and state curiosity may help mitigate age-related memory deficits.