9 - Age and Memory: Perceptions of Forgetful Young and Older Adults

Abstract

This chapter discusses the relation between the age and memory performance. The chapter explains that memory has received a great deal of attention in the study of aging. Indeed, there is considerable evidence for the existence of age-related differences in memory. Moreover, older adults often complain about memory failures. However, memory failures can happen to anyone, regardless of age. That young and old targets are perceived as having equivalent capability can be related to a number of factors, including individuating information about the target, schemas perceivers may hold about compensating traits considered more typical of older than of young adults, and the context in which capability judgments are made. Moreover, targets that experience semantic failures are considered less capable than targets that experience episodic failures. With regard to the age of the perceivers, the findings suggest that older perceivers are more lenient when judging others who experience memory failures. Compared with young perceivers, older perceivers consider memory failures less serious in an absolute sense. In any case, the results of this study suggest that older perceivers may not be so lenient when judging an age peer whose forgetting has immediate negative consequences, particularly when that age peer has a lifestyle that differs from their own. Finally such affective responses can have implications for the self-image, and possibly the mental health, of the individuals who are forgetful.