Age-related decline of metacognitive comprehension monitoring in adults aged 50 and older: Effects of cognitive abilities and educational attainment

• Published in: Cognitive development Vol. 70; p. 101440
• Main Authors: Wannagat, Wienke, Nieding, Gerhild, Tibken, Catharina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.04.2024
• Subjects: Adulthood; Comprehension Monitoring; Education; Metacognition; Reading; Verbal Intelligence; Reading; Verbal Intelligence; Comprehension Monitoring; Adulthood; Education; Metacognition
• ISSN: 0885-2014
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2024.101440

When reading complex expository texts, comprehension benefits from metacognitive monitoring of the comprehension process, which, in part, relies on memory and reasoning abilities that decrease with age. In a cross-sectional study, we examined age-related differences regarding metacognitive comprehension monitoring in adults aged between 50 and 77 (N = 176, M = 63;10 years, SD = 6;2). As an indicator of comprehension monitoring, we considered the number of detected inconsistencies in an inconsistency task. Our findings indicated a moderate but steady decrease of comprehension monitoring, which was mediated via a decrease in verbal intelligence. Besides this negative effect of age, we found a positive effect of educational attainment on comprehension monitoring. Thus, continued experience with texts, for instance provided in jobs that require a university degree, appears to positively affect comprehension monitoring. There was, however, no evidence of a compensatory effect of education on age-related declines in comprehension monitoring. •In adults aged 50 + , metacognitive comprehension monitoring declined with age.•This age-related decline was mediated via a decline of verbal intelligence.•Education positively affected comprehension monitoring independent of age.•Education did not compensate for age-related declines in comprehension monitoring.