Metamemory mediates the protective effect of cognitive reserve on episodic memory during aging

• Published in: Acta psychologica Vol. 228; p. 103627
• Main Authors: Angel, Lucie, Guerrerro-Sastoque, Lina, Bernardo, Marie, Vanneste, Sandrine, Isingrini, Michel, Bouazzaoui, Badiâa, Kachouri, Hajer, Fay, Séverine, Taconnat, Laurence
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.08.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Aging; Aging - psychology; Cognitive Reserve; Cognitive science; Episodic memory; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Memory, Episodic; Mental Recall; Metacognition; Metamemory control; Neuroscience; Psychology; Cognitive reserve; Aging; Metamemory control; Episodic memory
• ISSN: 0001-6918; 1873-6297
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103627

The present study investigated the impact of cognitive reserve on episodic memory and metamemory control during aging using a multidimensional index of cognitive reserve and a measure of metamemory control abilities. We tested the hypotheses that cognitive reserve may play a protective role against age-related differences in episodic memory and metamemory control and that metamemory control may mediate the effect of cognitive reserve on episodic memory during aging. Young and older adults carried out a readiness-recall task in which task difficulty was manipulated through a variation of the nature of the cue-target pair link (weak vs. strong semantic associates). Episodic memory was assessed through recall performance, and metamemory by a task difficulty index reflecting the ability to adjust study time to task difficulty. Results confirmed that older adults recall fewer words, indicating an age-related deficit in episodic memory, and that older adults adjust less to task difficulty, suggesting impaired metamemory control. Findings also showed that metamemory control moderates the age-related decline in episodic memory and that cognitive reserve plays a protective role against age-related deficits in episodic memory and metamemory control. In addition, metamemory abilities mediated the beneficial effect of cognitive reserve on episodic memory performance during aging. Hence, this study sheds new light on the mechanisms underlying the impact of cognitive reserve on cognitive aging, highlighting the role of metacognitive processes. •Metamemory control moderates the age-related decline in episodic memory.•Cognitive reserve plays protects from age-related deficits in memory and metamemory.•Metamemory mediated the beneficial effect of cognitive reserve on memory in aging.