title: Memory control beliefs and everyday forgetfulness in adulthood: the effects of selection, optimization, and compensation strategies.
abstract: Controlling for age, gender, education, and self-rated health, the present study used regression analyses to examine the relationships between memory control beliefs and self-reported forgetfulness in the context of the meta-theory of Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC). Findings from this online survey (N = 409) indicate that, among adult New Zealanders, a higher sense of memory control accounts for a 22.7% reduction in self-reported forgetfulness. Similarly, optimization was found to account for a 5% reduction in forgetfulness while the strategies of selection and compensation were not related to self-reports of forgetfulness. Optimization partially mediated the beneficial effects that some memory beliefs (e.g., believing that memory decline is inevitable and believing in the potential for memory improvement) have on forgetfulness. It was concluded that memory control beliefs are important predictors of self-reported forgetfulness while the support for the SOC model in the context of memory controllability and everyday forgetfulness is limited.
authors: Department of Psychology, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand. gunnar.scheibner@gmail.com
authors: Gunnar Benjamin
authors: GB
authors: Scheibner
authors: Janet
authors: J
authors: Leathem
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D011582:Psychological Theory; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult