The effects of normal aging on humor appreciation

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 855-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prathiba Shammi ◽  
Donald T. Stuss
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Coping Mechanism ◽  
Humor Appreciation ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Frontal Lesions ◽  
Better Than

AbstractThe importance of humor in healthy aging is being recognized. We compared elderly and young participants on their comprehension and appreciation of, and reaction to, verbal and nonverbal humor tests. Cognitive processes—working memory, cognitive flexibility, verbal abstraction, and visual scanning—were studied in relation to humor. Results indicated a relative deficit in the elderly in the cognitive comprehension of humor—selecting punch lines to jokes and in a cartoon array test. Measures of cognitive function correlated with humor comprehension. In contrast to this deficit in comprehension, the elderly showed intact affective appreciation and emotional reactiveness. Because of the hypothesis of frontal lobe degeneration as a basis for changes with aging, we compared the elderly to patients with focal frontal lesions. In this comparison, the elderly were significantly better than the patients in their comprehension of humor. They also displayed intact appreciation of humor compared to patients with frontal lesions. This preliminary study suggests that preserved affective responsiveness may underlie the success in using humor as a coping mechanism in the elderly. (JINS, 2003, 9, 855–863.)

scholarly journals User Experience Evaluation of Voice Interfaces: A Preliminary Study of Games for Seniors and the Elderly

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Solano ◽  
López ◽  
Guerrero ◽  
Quesada
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Wizard Of Oz ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Positive Results

Maintaining high cognitive activity is vital for the mental health of seniors. Taking part in leisure activities is an exciting and gratifying way to accomplish this, with video games having several advantages for this use. The present study is a work in progress to develop different digital games with natural voice interfaces that can be easily and pleasantly used by older adults to stimulate their cognitive needs. A Wizard of Oz with two different games was developed to evaluate the user experience perceived when using such applications. Positive results enhance the notion that using digital games powered by natural voice interfaces may appeal to the elderly, while stimulating their cognitive processes, thus fortifying their mental health.

scholarly journals Nationally Representative Evidence on the Association Between Preschool and Executive Function Skills Throughout Elementary School

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110483
Author(s):  
Michael Little
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Preschool Attendance ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
Research And Policy ◽  
Kindergarten Class

Executive function skills are a set of cognitive processes that help individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior and have been linked to benefits in academic achievement and other learning-related outcomes. Recently, there has been interest in understanding how attending center-based preschool may relate to the development of executive function skills. This study used the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (n ~ 9,270) to examine the association between preschool attendance and executive function skills in each grade of elementary school. The results of the analysis suggest small initial associations of preschool attendance with some subdomains of executive function (working memory) but not others (cognitive flexibility). These associations are heterogenous based on preschool type (i.e., public vs. private). The longitudinal analysis revealed rapid attenuation of initially positive associations, but also some indications of so-called “sleeper effects” emerged in late elementary school for working memory. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Construct Validity of the Stroop Color-Word Test: Influence of Speed of Visual Search, Verbal Fluency, Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility, and Conflict Monitoring

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A Periáñez ◽  
Genny Lubrini ◽  
Ana García-Gutiérrez ◽  
Marcos Ríos-Lago
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Color Word ◽  
Color Naming ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms

Abstract Objective 85 years after the description of the Stroop interference effect, there is still a lack of consensus regarding the cognitive constructs underlying scores from standardized versions of the test. The present work aimed to clarify the cognitive mechanisms underlying direct (word-reading, color-naming, and color-word) and derived scores (interference, difference, ratio, and relative scores) from Golden’s standardized version of the test. Method After a comprehensive review of the literature, five cognitive processes were selected for analysis: speed of visual search, phonemic verbal fluency, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and conflict monitoring. These constructs were operationalized by scoring five cognitive tasks (WAIS-IV Digit Symbol, phonemic verbal fluency [letter A], WAIS-IV Digit Span, TMT B-A, and reaction times to the incongruent condition of a computerized Stroop task, respectively). About 83 healthy individuals (mean age = 25.2 years) participated in the study. Correlation and regression analyses were used to clarify the contribution of the five cognitive processes on the prediction of Stroop scores. Results Data analyses revealed that Stroop word-reading reflected speed of visual search. Stroop color-naming reflected working memory and speed of visual search. Stroop color-word reflected working memory, conflict monitoring, and speed of visual search. Whereas the interference score was predicted by both conflict monitoring and working memory, the ratio score (color-word divided by color-naming) was predicted by conflict monitoring alone. Conclusion The present results will help neuropsychologists to interpret altered patient scores in terms of a failure of the cognitive mechanisms detailed here, benefitting from the solid background of preceding experimental work.

Examining the Influence of Interactions Between Early Reading Skills and Executive Functioning on Second Grade Reading Achievement

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-160
Author(s):  
Emily C. Mariotti ◽  
J. Parks Fillauer ◽  
McKenzie Martin ◽  
Jennifer Bolden
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Early Reading ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Early Reading Skills ◽  
Reading Abilities

Questions still exist about the interplay between foundational literacy components and budding cognitive structures that are thought to influence advanced reading abilities. Understanding interactions between executive functions (EFs) and specific early reading skills could contribute to our understanding of later reading achievement. The present study used multilevel modeling to examine whether EFs (i.e., working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition) moderate the relation between various early reading skills in kindergarten and second grade reading achievement in a sample of 18,174 participants from the ECLS: K-2011 database. Our findings suggested that early teacher-rated reading skills are related to second grade reading abilities. Both working memory and inhibition were important moderators for reading independently in kindergarten and are associated with later reading achievement in second grade. Research implications and the importance of understanding the intersection of cognitive processes and learning in early childhood are discussed.

scholarly journals Healthy Aging and Compensation of Sentence Comprehension Auditory Deficits

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Lima Silagi ◽  
Camila Maia Rabelo ◽  
Eliane Schochat ◽  
Letícia Lessa Mansur
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Execution Time ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Functional Communication ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Young Old

Objectives. To analyze the effect of aging on sentence auditory comprehension and to study the relationship between this language skill and cognitive functions (attention, working memory, and executive functions).Methods. A total of 90 healthy subjects were divided into three groups: adults (50–59 years), young-old (60–69 years), and old-old (70–80 years). Subjects were assessed using the Revised Token Test. The measures used for performance analysis were number of correct answers (accuracy) and execution time of commands on the different subtests.Results. Regarding accuracy, groups showed similar performance on the first blocks, but the young-old and old-old performed worse than adults on blocks 9 and 10. With respect to execution time, groups differed from block 2 (i.e., the groups differed for all blocks, except for block 1), with the worst performance observed in the old-old group, followed by that of the young-old group. Therefore, the elderly required more time to attain performance similar to that of adults, showing that time measurements are more sensitive for detecting the effects of age. Sentence comprehension ability is correlated with cognitive test performance, especially for global cognition and working memory tests.Conclusions. Healthy aging is characterized by the ability to compensate for difficulties in linguistic processing, which allows the elderly to maintain functional communication.

Differential Effects of Executive Processes on Working Memory

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-249
Author(s):  
Xuezhu Ren ◽  
Tengfei Wang ◽  
Karl Schweizer ◽  
Jing Guo
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Executive Processes ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Prepotent Response ◽  
Two Measures

Abstract. Although attention control accounts for a unique portion of the variance in working memory capacity (WMC), the way in which attention control contributes to WMC has not been thoroughly specified. The current work focused on fractionating attention control into distinctly different executive processes and examined to what extent key processes of attention control including updating, shifting, and prepotent response inhibition were related to WMC and whether these relations were different. A number of 216 university students completed experimental tasks of attention control and two measures of WMC. Latent variable analyses were employed for separating and modeling each process and their effects on WMC. The results showed that both the accuracy of updating and shifting were substantially related to WMC while the link from the accuracy of inhibition to WMC was insignificant; on the other hand, only the speed of shifting had a moderate effect on WMC while neither the speed of updating nor the speed of inhibition showed significant effect on WMC. The results suggest that these key processes of attention control exhibit differential effects on individual differences in WMC. The approach that combined experimental manipulations and statistical modeling constitutes a promising way of investigating cognitive processes.

Prospective Memory Development Across the Lifespan

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sascha Zuber ◽  
Matthias Kliegel
Keyword(s):  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Present Model ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Integrative Framework

Abstract. Prospective Memory (PM; i.e., the ability to remember to perform planned tasks) represents a key proxy of healthy aging, as it relates to older adults’ everyday functioning, autonomy, and personal well-being. The current review illustrates how PM performance develops across the lifespan and how multiple cognitive and non-cognitive factors influence this trajectory. Further, a new, integrative framework is presented, detailing how those processes interplay in retrieving and executing delayed intentions. Specifically, while most previous models have focused on memory processes, the present model focuses on the role of executive functioning in PM and its development across the lifespan. Finally, a practical outlook is presented, suggesting how the current knowledge can be applied in geriatrics and geropsychology to promote healthy aging by maintaining prospective abilities in the elderly.

Time-Based Measures of Monitoring in Association With Executive Functions in Kindergarten Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 228 (4) ◽  
pp. 244-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Kälin ◽  
Claudia M. Roebers
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Metacognitive Monitoring

Abstract. Repeatedly, the notion has been put forward that metacognition (MC) and executive functions (EF) share common grounds, as both describe higher order cognitive processes and involve monitoring. However, only few studies addressed this issue empirically and so far their findings are rather inconsistent. Addressing the question whether measurement differences may in part be responsible for the mixed results, the current study included explicitly reported as well as time-based measures of metacognitive monitoring and related them to EF. A total of 202 children aged 4–6 years were assessed in terms of EF (inhibition, working memory, shifting) and monitoring. While there was no significant link between explicitly reported confidence and EF, latencies of monitoring judgments were significantly related to time- and accuracy-based measures of EF. Our findings support the association between EF and MC and the assumption that better inhibition abilities help children to engage in more thorough monitoring.

Intergenerational Education for the Psychological, Social and Educational Improvement of the Elderly

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-26
Author(s):  
Nazaret Martínez-Heredia
Keyword(s):  
Educational Level ◽  
Mixed Type ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Educational Improvement ◽  
Intergenerational Education

Introduction: Intergenerational education encourages cooperation and interaction between two or more generations through experiences, knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Objective: The main objective of our research was to know the benefits at the psychological, social and educational level of intergenerational education. Methods: This is mixed-type research establishing relationships between young and old. The sample consists of a total of 94 people, 47 young people (aged between 21 and 40 years old) and 47 older (aged between 65 and 85 years). We promote the development of a mixed methodology to know if after the implementation of an intergenerational program we have obtained benefits in the elderly participants. Results: Considering the results we can say that the benefits at the psychological, social and educational level have been very remarkable of our elders. Conclusions: We must bet on intergenerational relationships as an ideal within our daily practice achieving a healthy aging, benefiting continuity in an active social role of our elders.

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