Self-ratings of past, present, and future cognitive performance across adulthood.
Age differences in self-ratings of present and projected past and future cognitive performance were examined across a variety of cognitive domains. Participants (N = 151) in their twenties, forties, sixties, and eighties completed a battery of cognitive tasks and rated their present performance, likely performance five years ago (past), and projected performance five years hence (future) for each task. Performance on fluid/speeded intelligence, memory, and reasoning tasks followed a progression of poorer performance with age. Age differences in self-assessment of projected past and future performance were found, as were age by time interactions. Self-ratings of participants in their twenties tended to reflect projections of continuing improvement from past to present to future, but self-ratings of participants in older age groups tended to reflect perceptions of increasing decline over time. These findings suggest that age differences in self-ratings of cognitive performance may be related to age specific implicit theories of cognitive development.
Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
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Fingerman
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Perlmutter
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008128:Logic; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013997:Time Factors