THE INFLUENCE OF LIST FORMAT AND CATEGORY HEADERS ON AGE-DIFFERENCES IN UNDERSTANDING MEDICATION INSTRUCTIONS

We examined whether instructions are better understood and remembered when they contain organizational cues. Our previous research found tha t older and younger adults organize medication information in similar ways, suggesting that they have a schema for taking medication. In the present study, list formats (vs. paragraphs) emphasized the order of information and category headers emphasized the grouping of informatio n specified by this schema. Experiment 1 examined whether list and hea der cues improve comprehension (answer time and accuracy) and recall f or adults varying in age and working memory capacity (measured by a se ntence span task). List instructions were better understood and recall ed than paragraphs, and reduced age differences in answer time and spa n differences in accuracy. Headers reduced paragraph comprehension for participants with lower levels of working memory capacity, presumably because they were not salient cues in the paragraphs. Experiment 2 in vestigated if headers were more effective when more saliently placed i n paragraphs and lists, and if list and header cues helped readers dra w inferences from the instructions. List formats again reduced age dif ferences in comprehension, especially reducing the time needed to draw inferences about the medication. While headers did not impair compreh ension, these cues did impair recall. The present study suggests that list-organized instructions provide an environmental support that impr oves both older and younger adult comprehension and recall of medicati on information.