Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026
10:38
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Age and forgetfulness: confidence in ability and attribution for memory failures
J T Erber1, I G Prager, M Williams
1Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami 33199, USA.
Psychology and Aging
|June 1, 1996
Summary
Judgments about memory and capability differ based on memory type (episodic vs. semantic). Older adults received less negative memory opinions, but attributions revealed age-based biases in perceived memory failures.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Memory failures are common and can influence social perceptions.
- Understanding how age and memory type affect these perceptions is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how perceivers evaluate targets with memory failures.
- To examine the influence of target age and memory type (episodic vs. semantic) on these evaluations.
Main Methods:
- Participants read scripts of targets (young, middle-aged, older; male, female) exhibiting memory failures.
- Perceivers rated targets' memory, task capability, and attributions for memory failures.
Main Results:
- Episodic memory failures led to higher confidence and attributions to lack of effort/attention compared to semantic failures.
- Older targets received less negative memory opinions but equivalent confidence ratings across age groups.
- Perceivers exhibited an age-based double standard in attributions, though less pronounced than in previous studies.
Conclusions:
- Memory type significantly impacts social judgments and attributions.
- Age influences memory opinions but not necessarily confidence, with biases present in attribution patterns.
- Contextual factors may moderate age-based double standards in social perception of memory.
Related Concept Videos
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...
01:26Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
01:14Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
01:21Forgetting
Forgetting is an intrinsic aspect of human memory, characterized by the gradual loss or inaccessibility of information over time. Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneering psychologist, extensively studied this phenomenon and formulated the forgetting curve. This curve illustrates that memory loss occurs rapidly immediately after learning and then decelerates over time. Several mechanisms contribute to forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, and interference.
Encoding...
Encoding...
01:16Interference and Decay
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
01:13Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition marked by long-term memory loss, which impairs the ability to recall past events or create new memories.
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...