On the complexity of metacognitive judgments of memory: evidence from retrospective confidence, feeling of knowing, and older adults.

Summary: As we get older, we often worry about our memory fading, but what about our ability to judge our own memory? A new study of 240 people (aged 19–79) explored "metacognition"—our awareness of what we know. The researchers found a fascinating split: while older adults actually performed better on factual (semantic) tests, their ability to accurately judge how well they did declined compared to younger people. However, when it came to remembering specific events (episodic memory), their self-judgment remained just as sharp as that of younger adults. Additionally, the study found that the "feeling of knowing"—that tip-of-the-tongue sensation—was generally inaccurate for everyone in this online test format. This suggests that aging affects our self-awareness differently depending on whether we are recalling facts or experiences.