The effects of personal relevance of topic and information type on older adults' accurate recall of written medical passages about osteoarthritis.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the influence of information type (based on whether the text affirmed the reader's veridical beliefs or disconfirmed the reader's erroneous beliefs) and self-reported osteoarthritis status on older adults' accurate recall of written medical passages about osteoarthritis.


METHODS
One week after reading the passages, adults aged 65 through 80 without osteoarthritis (n = 46) and with osteoarthritis (n = 31) completed a cued recall task that focused on accurate memory of what the passage said.


RESULTS
Disconfirming information was less accurately recalled than affirming information. Whereas self-reported osteoarthritis status was not significantly (p >.05) related to accurate recall of affirming information, it was significantly (p <.05) related to accurate recall of disconfirming information.


CONCLUSIONS
Older adults with osteoarthritis were more likely than older adults without osteoarthritis to misrepresent the content of the passages as supporting their misconceptions.
Okun
M A
MA
Arizona State University, USA. dr.morris@asu.edu
Rice
G E
GE
D000368:Aged; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D011939:Mental Recall; D010003:Osteoarthritis; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States