Age-based beliefs about memory changes for self and others across adulthood.

This study is intended to clarify the nature of beliefs about aging and memory. Earlier experiments (e.g., Ryan, 1992) had demonstrated that more frequent everyday memory problems are expected for typical older adults than for typical young adults. We used three self-efficacy scales of the Metamemory in Adulthood instrument (Dixon & Hultsch, 1983) to examine whether age changes are anticipated for oneself as well as for typical adults. …