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When reading complex expository texts, comprehension benefits from metacognitive monitoring of the comprehension process, which, in part, relies on memory and reasoning abilities that decrease with age. In a cross-sectional study, we examined age-related differences regarding metacognitive comprehension monitoring in adults aged between 50 and 77 (N = 176, M = 63;10 years, SD = 6;2). As an indicator of comprehension monitoring, we considered the number of detected inconsistencies in an inconsistency task. Our findings indicated a moderate but steady decrease of comprehension monitoring, which was mediated via a decrease in verbal intelligence. Besides this negative effect of age, we found a positive effect of educational attainment on comprehension monitoring. Thus, continued experience with texts, for instance provided in jobs that require a university degree, appears to positively affect comprehension monitoring. There was, however, no evidence of a compensatory effect of education on age-related declines in comprehension monitoring.
Wannagat et al. (Thu,) studied this question.