Investigation of everyday memory in normal subjects using the Subjective Memory Questionnaire (SMQ)

This study examined memory for everyday events by method of self-report using the Subjective Memory Questionnaire (SMQ). The purpose of the study was to repeat and extend existing normative data. The SMQ was found to be adequately reliable, but this finding needs to be replicated in a large sample of subjects. Data from 170-224 control subjects revealed no effects of age or sex on total SMQ scores. However, sex differences occurred in 50% of individual questions, possibly reflecting cultural stereotypes. Higher social classes rated their memory more optimistically than lower classes. Overall subjects estimated their memory as being above "average". Principal Component Analysis revealed 10 factors with eigen-values greater than 1.0. These included factors for "male" and "female" memory that have not been found previously in studies using subjective measures of everyday memory. Factors identified as "absentmindedness", "names" and "how to get somewhere" were similar to those reported elsewhere.