Beliefs about Memory in the Aged

Abstract

Beliefs about memory in the aged were measured across two cultures (58 Sumatrans and 62 residents of Sydney, Australia) for both young (20-59 years) and old (60+) subjects. Sixteen items of common knowledge were selected and matched by back translation to measure (a) beliefs about capacity of old people to remember the items and (b) beliefs about the importance of remembering the items. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance followed by multiple univariate analyses where required. There were strong cultural differences in the items regarded as important by the cultures, with Sumatrans rating as more important items dealing with cultural personal self-sufficiency. Memory performance attributed to the old was directly related to the rated importance of items. Age differences were found for attributed memory but not for judgments of importance. The old rated their own performance as higher than that attributed to them by the young. Contrary to expectations, memory performance attributed to the old in Sumatra was lower than in Australia. The results suggest that there is a general negative stereotype concerning memory among the aged for these cultures. However, such perceived memory is highly selectivive and it is suggested that old people may indeed be more selective and choose to remember that which is defined by the culture to be important.