ABSTRACT
Experimental psychologists are beginning to accept the challenge to develop practical memory remediation techniques for the elderly that have broad applicability in non-laboratory situations. Perhaps a needs assessment for memory performance of specific tasks should be considered an essential first step in cognitive skill training. There are some general observations with respect to cognitive-skill training for the elderly which might be mentioned. To some extent, the issues reflect differences in the respective purposes of basic and applied research. Historically, research in cognitive styles has been concerned with the manner in which stable differences in adult personality might be related to differences in characteristic ways of processing information. For the psychologists interested in memory intervention, another important question is whether individual differences in personality traits are related to differences in expressed need for participation in a memory improvement program if it were available.
