[Aging, memory performance and metacognitive beliefs: a narrative review]

Abstract

Aging is characterized by an increase in older adults’ negative beliefs about their memory. These negative metamemory beliefs are thought to decrease their motivation to engage in memory tasks and to implement effective memory strategies leading to decreased memory performance. Memory assessment conditions tend to accentuate this phenomenon by increasing the salience of negative metamemory beliefs, resulting in an artificial reduction in memory performance (i.e., stereotype threat). However, experimental interventions like allowing participants to successfully complete a cognitive task before memory assessment (i.e., prior task success condition) would improve older adults’ metamemory beliefs, allowing them to increase their memory performance. The effect of these psycho-emotional and contextual factors must be taken into account, as they are likely to induce bias in research and clinical examinations.

Keywords: aging; memory; metamemory beliefs; self-efficacy; stereotype threat.