How Goals Help Older Adults Remember Important Things
Official title: Goals and Motivation to Remember Important Information in Old Age
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11109712 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how setting goals can help older adults remember important information, especially when they feel rushed or stressed.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2013 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $304,850 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG044335-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11109712 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this type of research would be older adults interested in understanding and improving their memory, particularly in situations involving stress or a need to prioritize information.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not experiencing age-related memory concerns or those with severe cognitive impairments may not directly benefit from this specific focus on selective memory strategies.
What this research studies
Many older adults worry about changes in their memory, and this project explores how focusing on what's important can help. We want to see if older adults can learn to selectively remember crucial details, even when feeling stressed or needing to quickly process a lot of information. The research also examines if older adults can effectively forget outdated information to make their memory more efficient. This includes looking at how they remember important details like a child's allergies or changes in financial plans. The goal is to understand how motivation and practice can help manage memory challenges in daily life.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new strategies and training programs to help older adults improve their ability to remember essential information and manage memory in stressful situations.
How similar studies have gone: Research into memory and aging has shown that cognitive training and strategic approaches can sometimes improve specific memory functions, suggesting a foundation for this work.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Castel, Alan D — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Castel, Alan D
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.