Practical Memory Concerns in Adulthood

Abstract

In this article, we focus on practical memory concerns in adulthood. Young, middle-aged, and community-dwelling older adults responded to seven open-ended questions covering the topics of memory self-efficacy, memory management, memory remediation, and fears about memory aging in adulthood. The results revealed several similarities among the age groups. All groups reported the same types of information as easy to recall, and responses across age groups were also largely alike in terms of mnemonics usage, forgetting that is bothersome, and forgetting that is not bothersome. Differences between the age groups were most evident in responses related to types of information that are difficult to recall, areas of memory where improvement is desired, and fears of memory aging. Implications for understanding adult memory concerns and memory beliefs across the adult lifespan are discussed.