Running Head: METAMEMORY PREDICTORS Metamemory: Cognitive ability, Personality, Flexibility, Health, and demographic predictors

Cognitive ability, personality, flexibility, health, and demographic predictors of the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ) were examined in a sample of 496 elders (mean age=73.2 yrs; M=207, F=289) in the Seattle Longitudinal Study. Five hierarchical regression analyses were conducted including six primary mental abilities, flexibility, personality, health, and demographic variables as predictors of four domains of metamemory. Attitudinal flexibility, psychometric speed flexibility, self rated vision and income accounted for 26% of the variance in the General Frequency of Forgetting. Attitudinal flexibility and perceived change in vision were significant predictors for Seriousness of Forgetting (R=.12). For the Mnemonics Usage, reasoning ability, personality trait of honesty, and interest in science showed significance (R=.26).