Younger and Older Adults' Delayed Recall of Medication Instructions: The Role of Cognitive and Metacognitive Predictors

Abstract

The two goals of the present study were to replicate the results of Gould, McDonald-Miszczak, and Gregory (1999) and to examine cognitive and metacognitive variables as predictors of younger and older adults' delayed recall of cued medication instructions. Gould et al. (1999) examined younger and older adults' predictive accuracy for medications instructions using a similar methodology to the present study, but cognitive variables were not the focus of their study. Therefore, 105 younger adults (M = 19.90 years, SD = 1.43) and 58 older adults (M = 74.19 years, SD = 8.65) completed cognitive tests and reported their everyday and task-specific memory self-efficacy in the present study. Like the results of Gould et al. (1999), both age groups overestimated the memorability of the medication instructions in general and no age differences in predictive accuracy were found. Hierarchical regression results revealed that cognitive abilities and metacognitive beliefs played roles in younger and older adults' delayed recall of medication instructions, but the specific predictors differed. Recall was predicted by vocabulary ability and likelihood of recall ratings across age groups, but working memory ability was especially important for older adults' recall. Such differences might provide important insights into age-sensitive intervention strategies to improve adherence to prescription medications.