Collaborative remembering : are there age-related differences in working with a stranger or with a spouse?
Date
1995
Authors
Gagnon, Lisa Marie
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Abstract
The influence of age and collaborative experience on individual and dyad performed memory-related tasks, including immediate and delayed story recall, working memory , memory self-efficacy, and memory monitoring was investigated. It was expected that typical age-related differences in these tasks would be moderated by collaborative experience. Participants included younger married couples (M = 30.19 years old), younger mixed-gender stranger dyads (M = 29.78 years old), older married couples (M = 70.32 years old), and older mixed-gender stranger dyads (M = 70.37 years old), Participants performed most of the tasks twice, once when working alone and once when working with a partner. It was found that older couples did perform slightly better, although not significantly, than older stranger dyads on memory tasks. In contrast, younger couples and younger stranger dyads performed similarly. In general, both younger and older adults seemed to overestimate the benefits of working with a spouse.