Studies suggest that age differences in false memories may be related to deficits in frontal lobe functioning (FLF; Butler, McDaniel, Dornburg, Price, & Roediger, 2004, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 11, 921). In addition, research has demonstrated that item-specific encoding can reduce false memories in younger adults (Arndt & Reder, 2003, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 28, 830). In the present study we examined whether younger and older adults who perform poorly on tests designed to assess frontal function would be less likely to benefit from item-specific encoding in a false memory paradigm. In three experiments, participants studied categorized word or picture lists. Encoding manipulations were designed to emphasize either item-specific or relational processing. Younger adults and high FLF older adults showed a reduction in false memories when item-specific processing was implemented. However, low FLF older adults showed a reduction in false memories only when relational processing was impoverished. Results suggest that frontal function directly influences the engagement in distinctive encoding processes.