MEMORY SELF-EFFICACY AND STRATEGY USE IN SUCCESSFUL ELDERS

Studies have demonstrated that in their everyday lives older adults us e external memory strategies more often than they use internal memory strategies. However, previous research has failed to account for perso n and task variables influenced by efficacy expectations. The use of i nternal and external memory strategies in relation to memory efficacy, anxiety, depression, and health status was examined. Participants wer e 169 community-residing adults age 55 or older (mean age = 67.95, SD = 6.35) who had no depression and high perceived health status and wer e recruited from continuing education programs in Louisiana and Texas. External memory strategies (M = 3.75) such as lists and notes were us ed significantly more often than internal memory strategies (M = 3.49) such as elaboration and rehearsal, t(157) = 5.474, p = .0001. Even th ough the correlations between memory efficacy and the strategy variabl es were insignificant, there was a significant decrease in memory effi cacy with age. The bivariate correlations between anxiety and self-eff icacy, both level and strength (r = -.31), and between anxiety and ext ernal strategy use (r = .20) were significant. There was a significant inverse correlation between anxiety and health status (r = -.35). Imp lications for educational gerontology programs are discussed.