AGING, METAMEMORY, AND STRATEGY USE DURING LEARNING

四个领域的研究提出了系统地评估年龄相关的差异在联想学习的元认知框架内。该框架的一个核心假设是，人们通过以下方式积极参与学习新材料：（1）利用他们对认知要求高的任务的知识来选择排练策略，（2）监控正在进行的学习和表现，以及（3）利用这种监控来调节控制学习和表现的控制过程。我们的长期目标包括发现自我导向学习的这些方面如何影响学习速度和学习中的年龄差异。拟议的研究涉及四个不同的工作领域。一般来说，所提出的实验涉及使用配对联想学习和回忆来研究元认知，策略和学习。区域1代表了在上一个资助周期中为老年人提供的新的独特培训计划中实施有关衰老，元认知和策略使用的知识的关键一步，该培训计划同时重建了对年龄和学习的负面信念，培训了相关的学习策略，并在学习期间培训了自我测试的使用（一种使用监控指导学习的实用方法）。区域2建立在已完成或正在进行的工作的基础上，表明与年龄有关的监控认知系统的能力的保留。研究人员关注影响监测相对和绝对准确性的因素，并评估自发（未经指导）策略使用的年龄差异。领域3指示注意在联想学习过程中使用的中介策略的性质，扩展工作与新的方法来衡量战略自我报告开发的最后一个资助周期，以评估自发（未经指导）的策略使用的年龄差异。区域4评估监测的利用率，以指导自主节奏的成对联营公司的研究，部分通过创建新的元认知判断，应有助于解释已经确定的年龄差异，在利用监测。从所有四个领域获得的结果具有重要的理论意义的年龄差异的联想学习，也将提供宝贵的信息，如何构建培训和干预方案，以帮助老年人优化学习在日常生活中的情况。

Four areas of research are proposed that systematically evaluate age-related differences in associative learning within a metacognitive framework. A central assumption of this framework is that people actively participate in learning new material by (1) utilizing their knowledge about cognitively demanding tasks to select rehearsal strategies, (2) monitoring on-going learning and performance, and (3) utilizing such monitoring to regulate control processes that govern learning and performance. Our long-term objectives include discovering how each of these aspects of self-directed learning influences the rate of learning and age differences in learning. The proposed research involves four separate areas of effort. In general, the proposed experiments involve the use of paired-associate learning and recall to study metacognition, strategies, and learning. Area 1 represents a critical step toward implementing knowledge about aging, metacognition, and strategy use gained in the last funding cycle in a new and unique training program for older adults that simultaneously restructures negative beliefs about age and learning, trains relevant strategies for learning, and trains the use of self-testing (a practical method for using monitoring to guide study) during learning. Area 2 builds on work completed or in progress indicating age-related sparing of the ability to monitor the cognitive system. The investigators focus on factors that influence both relative and absolute accuracy of monitoring, and evaluate age differences in spontaneous (uninstructed) strategy use. Area 3 directs attention to the nature of mediational strategies used during associative learning, extending work with new methods for measuring strategy self-reports developed in the last funded cycle to evaluate age differences in spontaneous (uninstructed) strategy use. Area 4 evaluates the utilization of monitoring to guide self-paced study of paired-associates, in part through the creation of new metacognitive judgements that should help to explain age differences already identified in the utilization of monitoring. Outcomes obtained from all four areas have important theoretical implications for age differences in associative learning and will also provide valuable information on how to construct training and interventions programs to help older adults optimize learning in everyday situations.