Age Differences in Social Problem Solving 2

Age-related cognitive declines and decreased autobiographical specificity were hypothesized to predict poorer social problem solving ability in older, compared to younger adults. Priming autobiographical memory (ABM) was predicted to improve social problem solving performance for older adults. Subsequent to three cognitive tests, old and young participants ’ specific memories were tested using a cued recall task, followed by a social problem solving task. The order of the tasks was counterbalanced. Autobiographical specificity predicted social problem solving ability for both age groups. In addition, experimenter effects predicted ABM specificity. Neither age-related cognitive declines nor priming predicted ABM specificity or social problem solving ability