Relationship Between Control Beliefs, Strategy Use, and Memory Performance in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Healthy Aging

• Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Vol. 68; no. 6; pp. 862 - 871
• Main Authors: HUTCHENS, Rachel L, KINSELLA, Glynda J, PARSONS, Samuel, BEN ONG, PIKE, Kerryn E, CLARE, Linda, AMES, David, SALING, Michael M, STOREY, Elsdon, MULLALY, Elizabeth, RAND, Elizabeth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cary, NC Oxford University Press 01-11-2013
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Adult. Elderly; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Aging - physiology; Aging - psychology; Amnesia - physiopathology; Amnesia - psychology; Belief & doubt; Biological and medical sciences; Cognitive Dysfunction - physiopathology; Cognitive Dysfunction - psychology; Developmental psychology; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Executive Function - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geriatrics; Gerontology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Memory; Memory - physiology; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Neuropsychological Tests; Older people; Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Self Concept; Semantics; Human; Belief; Memory disorder; Nervous system diseases; Senescence; Cognitive disorder; Healthy subject; Beliefs; Memory; Perceived control; Social cognition; Cerebral disorder; Successful aging; Central nervous system disease; Strategy; mild cognitive impairment; Amnesia; Neurological disorder; Performance; Elderly; Mild cognitive impairment
• ISSN: 1079-5014; 1758-5368
• DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbt016

Little information is available regarding the extent of strategy use and factors that affect strategy use in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). This study aimed to compare spontaneous strategy use and beliefs about the controllability of memory between aMCI and healthy older adult (HOA) samples and to explore the relationships between beliefs, strategy use, and memory performance for both groups.
The aMCI and HOA groups each composed of 60 individuals matched for age and education. The Memory Controllability Inventory was used to assess control beliefs, and the extent of semantic clustering on a list-learning task provided a measure of spontaneous strategy use.
The aMCI group endorsed lower control beliefs and demonstrated poorer semantic clustering and memory performance compared with the HOA group. Although strategy use partially mediated the control beliefs-memory performance relationship for the HOA group, this was not replicated for the aMCI group.
Despite the weak relationship between control beliefs and strategy use, and control beliefs and memory performance for the aMCI group, the strong relationship between strategy use and memory performance provides impetus for further research into factors that can be used as a means of enhancing strategy use in interventions for aMCI.