Individual Differences in Learning and Memory Abilities: The Influence of Self-Efficacy

Abstract

The present study examined whether individual differences in memory self-efficacy (MSE)—one’s perception and evaluation of their memory abilities—predicts learning and memory ability in a sample of healthy young adults. In three experiments, participants completed a delayed free recall task as well as measures of working memory, episodic long-term memory (LTM), and motivation. Experiment 1 measured global MSE (perceived general memory ability across various memory domains), whereas Experiments 2 and 3 measured concurrent MSE (perceived current memory ability for a specific task one is about to complete). In Experiments 1 and 3, knowledge of strategy effectiveness and use of effective encoding strategies on the delayed free recall task were also measured. Overall, results revealed global MSE was unrelated to delayed free recall accuracy (our index of learning ability). Concurrent MSE, however, was consistently associated with recall accuracy, insofar that the best performers on the delayed free recall task tended to be individuals who believed they were better capable of learning said task. Follow-up analyses revealed that the strength of this relationship between MSE and learning ability increased with task experience. Moreover, both MSE and overall learning positively correlated with working memory, broad episodic LTM abilities, motivation to perform well, and use of more effective encoding strategies. Critically, though, concurrent MSE (assessed pre-task) did not explain unique variance in learning when accounting for these additional variables. Taken altogether, the present study suggests that concurrent MSE is predictive of learning due to its associations with other meaningful third variables, most of which are cognitive in nature.