The Mediating Role of Retrieval Failures on the Effect of Age on State Curiosity

Curiosity in older adults is considered to be an important factor in healthy aging, but uncertainties remain about the mechanisms underlying curiosity in later life. For instance, research on curiosity demonstrates different age-related patterns depending on the measurement approach. Questionnaires about everyday life indicate that curiosity in older adults is often higher than in younger adults, whereas experimental studies that evoke curiosity in the moment often demonstrate higher scores in older adults compared to younger adults. One potential explanation for this opposing age difference is retrieval failures. Retrieval failures occur relatively more often in experimental settings than in everyday life. Furthermore, retrieval failures are more frequently experienced in older than in younger adults and positively predict state curiosity. In the present study, we will examine the role of retrieval failures in explaining differences in state curiosity between older and younger adults.