John C. Cavanaugh

Metamemory: A critical examination.

CAVANAUGH, JOHN C., and PERLMUTTER, MARION. Metamemory: A Critical Examination. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 11-28. This paper provides a critical examination of the current status of metamemory. A review of background influences, current conceptualizations, research methods, and some research findings is provided. Several limitations of metamemory are noted. In particular, there is no clear definition of the concept, assessment methods are inadequate, research has not gone beyond a demonstration stage, and a strong relationship between memory and metamemory generally has not been substantiated. Several issues that need to be addressed in a reconceptualization of metamemory are discussed. These issues include new assessment methods, redirection of research, predictions and testable hypotheses about the relationship between metamemory knowledge and memory performance, and the origins of metamemory. Although in its present form metamemory has little utility, a revised analysis of metamemory could have an important influence on conceptualizations of memory.

Forgetting and Use of Memory Aids in 20 to 70 Year Olds Everyday Life

In order to examine age differences in everyday memory experiences, twelve younger (mean age = 28) and twelve older (mean age = 59) adults kept diaries of their experiences of memory failures and use of memory aids. There was a general increase with age in the absolute number of memory failures, upset ratings about memory failures, and frequency of memory aid use. There were no age differences in the relative frequency of particular types of memory failures or memory aids that were used. The results suggested that older adults experience more memory failures and are more concerned about memory failures than younger adults, but that they attempt to deal with this problem by increased use of memory aids.

Metamemorial predictors of memory performance in young and older adults.

The relationship between aspects of knowledge about memory and immediate and delayed recall on prose and word-list tasks was examined. Ss were 100 young and 100 older adults. Vocabulary ability was screened. Memory knowledge was assessed by the Metamemory in Adulthood (MIA) scale and the Short Inventory of Memory Experiences (SIME). Capacity and change measures of the MIA correlated with most dimensions of the SIME for both age groups. The anxiety measure of the MIA correlated with SIME measures only for the young. Regression analyses showed that strategy (MIA) predicted performance only for young adults, change (MIA) predicted performance only for older adults, and capacity (MIA) predicted performance for both age groups. Metamemory variables accounted for equivalent amounts of variance in both prose and word-list tasks, although there was an indication that prediction was slightly better for prose. Future researchers need to address the apparent increase in affect-related predictors of memory performance.

7 I Believe, Therefore I Can: Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Memory Aging

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the self-efficacy beliefs in memory aging. It reviews theory and research relating to self-efficacy. It showed that several other constructs related to self-efficacy are also useful, and that all of them are necessary in order to understand metamemory. Unfortunately, as the review of the methodological literature showed, few researchers have developed strong indexes of self-efficacy, and even fewer have attempted to build theoretical frameworks incorporating the empirical work. Much remains to be done. It is believe that there is much to be gained by examining how self-efficacy has been applied to other content areas. In this way, one may be able to avoid some of the pitfalls and make important advances in the near future. It is convinced that self-efficacy and its related constructs prove to be the key to understanding memory performance in the elderly.

Personality and Metamemory Correlates of Memory Performance in Younger and Older Adults.

This study assessed the degree to which anxiety, hostility, depression, and metamemory predicted recall performance on a word list and a prose passage. Participants were 65 older (M = 68.7) and 65 younger (M = 19.0) adults. All participants completed a vocabulary test, the Metamemory in Adulthood instrument, the MAACL, the STAI, and prose and list‐learning tasks. Results indicated different patterns of personality predictors and some consistent metamemory predictors across tasks. Different measures of anxiety related differently to performance. Findings were discussed in terms of the complexity of memory performance, and the need for caution when choosing a measure of anxiety.

On Missing Links and Such: Interfaces between Cognitive Research and Everyday Problem-Solving.

In this article, based on a symposium presented at the Gerontological Society meeting in 1982, several reconceptualizations of adult cognitive development and its relations with everyday problem-solvi

Metamemories of memory researchers.

In the present study, a metamemory questionnaire was completed by three groups of individuals: memory research psychologists who attended a small international convention on everyday memory processes in the aged, academic psychologists with a limited knowledge of the memory literature, and nonpsychologist college professors. There was little evidence that memory psychologists reported using strategies to remember things that were different from the strategies of other academics. The most used and most recommended technique for remembering was to write things down, followed by general internal mnemonic systems such as organization and rehearsal. The least used and least recommended strategies for all three groups were formal mnemonic systems, such as the peg-word system or the method of loci.

I HAVE THIS FEELING ABOUT EVERYDAY MEMORY AGING

In this article, it is argued that a major but neglected topic in the study of everyday memory aging is the role of emotions. Previous work on this topic is noted, and speculative reasons for why the research ended are proposed. Input from personality research, psychoanalytic theory, and metamemory are suggested as places to start. Nostalgia, one emotional outcome of reminiscence, is proposed as the best topic for investigation.

Age Differences in Adults' Self-Reports of Memory Ability: It Depends on How and What You Ask

Self-reports of memory abilities and skills were obtained from fifty younger (M = 20.2) and fifty older (M = 68.7) adults. General rating questions (e.g., How good do you feel your memory is?) and specific questions about memory for certain types of content (e.g., peoples names) were included. Consistent age-related decrements were found only for general questions, especially those assessing perceived changes over time. Less consistent differences were found for specific questions. Results were interpreted in terms of implications for assessing self-reported memory ability, and in terms of their meaning for research on the relationship between self-reported and actual memory ability.

On the reliability and validity of children’s metamemory

Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity of a metamemory battery were assessed. Fifty-five second-graders were given an extensive metamemory battery on two occasions separated by a 6-week interval. Test-retest correlations ranged from.29 to.49 for individual subtests, with a correlation of .67 for the composite battery. The children were then given training on the use of an interrogative-elaboration strategy to aid paired associate learning. Following three training sessions, tests for strategy maintenance and generalization were administered. Correlations relating strategy use with metamemory were significant for the transfer tasks, even when general knowledge was partialled out. The concept of metamemory appears useful in explaining production deficiencies and insightful strategy invention in young children.