Older adults' memory for medical information: Influence of elderspeak and note taking

Abstract

In this study, we examined techniques to improve older adults' (M = 71.02, SD = 7.37, range = 55–90, N = 169) recall of medical information about osteoarthritis. Specifically, we investigated the influence of style of speech presentation and note taking on older adults' cued-recall, over time. We randomly assigned participants to either the elderspeak or nonelderspeak speech style and the note taking or nonnote taking conditions in this 2 × 2 × 3 mixed subjects design. We assessed retention immediately after presentation of the information stimulus, post, 1-week, and 1-month post. Participants recalled more medical information when presented in elderspeak than nonelderspeak. Note taking improved memory performance significantly overtime if participants observed elderspeak instead of nonelderspeak information.