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., people's 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.