Alcoholics are unaware of their memory problems and overestimate their memory capacities.
Alcoholics are unaware of their memory problems and overestimate their memory capacities.
Alcoholism affects various cognitive processes, including components of memory, like episodic memory and metamemory. Metamemory is the subjective knowledge that people have of their own cognitive processing abilities, such as their monitoring and control of memory. To further investigate episodic and metamemory in alcoholics, French researchers studied 28 alcoholic patients and 28 non-alcoholic participants. Their metamemory was assessed using a feeling-of-knowing measure, which compares a person's predictions about future memory performance during a memory task and actual performance. The participants also completed a Metamemory in Adulthood questionnaire. In addition, their episodic memory and executive functioning were evaluated.
Metamemory is the knowledge that enables us to adapt to our behaviour in everyday life and to use our memory skills as efficiently as possible. For example, if someone often forgets to buy things in the supermarket, he or she can write down a shopping list. This knowledge enables people to anticipate and implement appropriate strategies when performing a memory task. Metamemory can also refer to activity during a memory task. For example, a student first studies for an exam, and then evaluates his or her level of knowledge. If confident, he or she can stop studying, but if not, they can study more or adjust their learning strategy.
It was found that regarding the feeling-of-knowing measure, alcoholic patients did not predict accurately their future memory performance. They had a tendency to overestimate their memory capacities, believing themselves capable of recognising the correct word when in fact they subsequently failed to do so. And despite their well-established episodic memory problems, the alcoholic participants mistakenly believed their memory was as effective as the non-alcoholic participants. The over-estimation by the alcoholics of their memory ability was related to low performance on tests of executive function, which could either inhibit awareness or impair ability to retrieve information. In either case, there was a disconnection between feeling of knowing and accuracy of this knowledge.
The findings show that chronic alcoholism affects both episodic memory and metamemory and that alcoholics are often unaware of their memory deficits and believe that their memory is as good as that of the healthy people. A recognition of this type of impairment could be quite useful in therapeutic and rehabilitation efforts of alcoholics.
Alcoholism affects various cognitive processes, including components of memory, like episodic memory and metamemory. Metamemory is the subjective knowledge that people have of their own cognitive processing abilities, such as their monitoring and control of memory. To further investigate episodic and metamemory in alcoholics, French researchers studied 28 alcoholic patients and 28 non-alcoholic participants. Their metamemory was assessed using a feeling-of-knowing measure, which compares a person's predictions about future memory performance during a memory task and actual performance. The participants also completed a Metamemory in Adulthood questionnaire. In addition, their episodic memory and executive functioning were evaluated.
Metamemory is the knowledge that enables us to adapt to our behaviour in everyday life and to use our memory skills as efficiently as possible. For example, if someone often forgets to buy things in the supermarket, he or she can write down a shopping list. This knowledge enables people to anticipate and implement appropriate strategies when performing a memory task. Metamemory can also refer to activity during a memory task. For example, a student first studies for an exam, and then evaluates his or her level of knowledge. If confident, he or she can stop studying, but if not, they can study more or adjust their learning strategy.
It was found that regarding the feeling-of-knowing measure, alcoholic patients did not predict accurately their future memory performance. They had a tendency to overestimate their memory capacities, believing themselves capable of recognising the correct word when in fact they subsequently failed to do so. And despite their well-established episodic memory problems, the alcoholic participants mistakenly believed their memory was as effective as the non-alcoholic participants. The over-estimation by the alcoholics of their memory ability was related to low performance on tests of executive function, which could either inhibit awareness or impair ability to retrieve information. In either case, there was a disconnection between feeling of knowing and accuracy of this knowledge.
The findings show that chronic alcoholism affects both episodic memory and metamemory and that alcoholics are often unaware of their memory deficits and believe that their memory is as good as that of the healthy people. A recognition of this type of impairment could be quite useful in therapeutic and rehabilitation efforts of alcoholics.
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