scholarly journals Age-Related Changes in Cognitive and Sensory Processing: Focus on Middle-Aged Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry E. Humes
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Purpose The purpose of this article was to examine the effects of age on (a) various psychophysical measures of threshold sensitivity and temporal processing in hearing, vision, and touch and (b) measures of cognitive processing as assessed by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Third Edition (Wechsler, 1997). Method Age group differences and correlations with age were examined, as were associations among age, sensory processing, and cognition. Results The group analyses showed significant differences on most sensory and cognitive measures such that middle-aged adults performed significantly worse than young adults and significantly better than older adults. Correlations of performance with age were also significant when analyses were restricted to just the young and middle-aged adults. Last, sensory processing, but not age, was significantly correlated with cognitive processing when analyses were restricted to just the young and middle-aged adults. Conclusion Middle-aged adults experienced declines in both sensory and cognitive processing. The declines in both the cognitive and sensory domains were such that, for most measures in each domain, the performance of middle-aged adults fell somewhere between that of young and older adults.

Further analyses of the effects of practice, dropout, sex, socio-economic advantage, and recruitment cohort differences during the University of Manchester longitudinal study of cognitive change in old age

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1859-1872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Rabbitt ◽  
Mary Lunn ◽  
Said Ibrahim ◽  
Lynn McInnes
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Economic Advantage ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Memory Tests ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽  
The University

A sample of 4,314 volunteers who, when first recruited, were aged from 41 to 93 years were quadrennially tested from 2 to 4 occasions during the next 4 to 20 years on the Cattell Culture Fair intelligence test, 2 tests of information-processing speed, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) vocabulary test, and 3 memory tests. After significant effects of practice, sex, demographics, socio-economic advantage, and recruitment cohort had been identified and considered, performance on all tests declined with age. These age-related declines accelerated for the Cattell and WAIS, 2 tests of information speed, and 2 of the memory tests. For all tests individuals’ trajectories of age-related change diverged with increasing age but, unexpectedly, were not affected by demographic factors. Practice gains from an initial experience of the cognitive tests remained undiminished as the interval before the second experience increased from 4 to 8 + years.

scholarly journals Factors Underlying Individual Differences in Speech-Recognition Threshold (SRT) in Noise Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry E. Humes
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Detection Threshold ◽  
Recognition Threshold ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence

Many older adults have difficulty understanding speech in noisy backgrounds. In this study, we examined peripheral auditory, higher-level auditory, and cognitive factors that may contribute to such difficulties. A convenience sample of 137 volunteer older adults, 90 women, and 47 men, ranging in age from 47 to 94 years (M = 69.2 and SD = 10.1 years) completed a large battery of tests. Auditory tests included measures of pure-tone threshold, clinical and psychophysical, as well as two measures of gap-detection threshold and four measures of temporal-order identification. The latter included two monaural and two dichotic listening conditions. In addition, cognition was assessed using the complete Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-3rd Edition (WAIS-III). Two monaural measures of speech-recognition threshold (SRT) in noise, the QuickSIN, and the WIN, were obtained from each ear at relatively high presentation levels of 93 or 103 dB SPL to minimize audibility concerns. Group data, both aggregate and by age decade, were evaluated initially to allow comparison to data in the literature. Next, following the application of principal-components factor analysis for data reduction, individual differences in speech-recognition-in-noise performance were examined using multiple-linear-regression analyses. Excellent fits were obtained, accounting for 60–77% of the total variance, with most accounted for by the audibility of the speech and noise stimuli and the severity of hearing loss with the balance primarily associated with cognitive function.

scholarly journals Event Centrality of Positive and Negative Autobiographical Memories in Older Adulthood

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 712-712
Author(s):  
Justina Pociunaite ◽  
Tabea Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Openness To Experience ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Middle Aged Adults ◽  
Positive Memories

Abstract Centrality of an event (CE) is a characteristic denoting how important a life experience is to one’s identity. Usually, positive memories are more central than negative ones in the community samples. Nevertheless, there is emerging evidence showing substantial individual differences in how one perceives CE. Especially regarding age, one could expect pronounced differences due to age-related changes in personal goals. In this study, we investigated how older adults differ from young and middle-aged adults. Apart from age, we tested whether personality traits such as neuroticism and openness to experience influence the CE ratings among age groups. The sample comprised of 363 German participants, age ranging from 18 to 89 (M=49.57, SD=17.087), 67.2 % of the sample were women. Using multilevel analysis, we found the CE of positive memories to be higher in all age groups. The CE of positive events significantly differed for older adults compared to younger adults but not to the middle-aged group. With respect to personality, neuroticism had an impact only on the CE of negative memories in younger and middle-aged adults. For older adults, neither neuroticism, nor openness to experience had an impact on CE ratings. This shows that while older adults significantly differ from younger adults in the CE of positive memories, other individual differences characteristics do not have an impact on the way older adults perceive memories as central to their identity.

scholarly journals COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN COUPLES AND COLLABORATIVE INVOLVEMENT IN TYPE 1 DIABETES MANAGEMENT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S259-S259
Author(s):  
Cynthia Berg ◽  
Yana Suchy ◽  
Nancy Allen ◽  
Rob Kent de Grey ◽  
MaryJane Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Type 1 Diabetes ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Medical Regimen ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽  
Lower Intelligence

Abstract Managing type 1 diabetes involves coordinating complex daily behaviors that benefit from higher cognitive function. One’s spouse’s cognitive function may also be beneficial as spouses may collaborate in daily adherence behaviors and may be especially beneficial for older adults who may be experiencing poorer cognitive function. We examined: 1) whether one’s own and one’s spouse’s cognitive function predicted lower (better) HbA1c, 2) whether collaborating with a more cognitively capable spouse was especially beneficial, and 3) whether the benefit of partners’ cognitive ability occurred through better adherence. 199 couples were recruited where one member was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for at least one year (52% females, average age 46.8 years, range 25.9-74.9, average duration of diabetes 27 years). Both patients and spouses completed the information subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Addition as a measure of general intelligence. Patients rated the collaborative involvement of their spouse in their diabetes and their adherence to their medical regimen. Multiple regressions revealed that spouse’ higher intelligence uniquely and solely predicted better HbA1c over patient’s intelligence. Collaborating with a spouse of lower intelligence was associated with higher HbA1c for older adults; collaborating with a spouse of higher intelligence was associated with somewhat lower HbA1c. Mediational analyses indicated that spouse’s intelligence was associated with higher HbA1c through better adherence behaviors. The results suggest that individuals with type 1 diabetes who have a spouse of lower cognitive function may benefit from support from others in their network to manage their diabetes.

scholarly journals Seeing the past through rose-colored glasses? Age differences in recounting a difficult memory

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 884-884
Author(s):  
Arya Jones ◽  
Stephanie Wilson ◽  
M Rosie Shrout ◽  
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Cardiovascular Responses ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Personal Memory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Abstract According to socioemotional aging theories, people better regulate their emotions in older age by reframing stressors and focusing on the positive aspects of difficult experiences. However, empirical results have been mixed. To address this gap, we examined age differences in the language use and cardiovascular reactivity of 188 adults (mean age=56, range=40-86) who relived an upsetting memory from their past. Consistent with theory, results revealed that older adults used significantly fewer negative emotion words and, among the negative emotions, marginally fewer words of anger, to describe their upsetting memory. Notably, however, there were no age differences in the expression of positive emotion or sadness. Controlling for education and cognitive function, greater expression of anger was associated with heightened systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity among older adults, not middle-aged individuals. Despite their expression of less negative emotion, older adults’ heart rate variability (HRV) dipped lower during disclosure than did middle-aged adults’. However, among those who used more positive emotion, sadness, and/or cognitive processing words, older adults no longer showed lower HRV than middle-aged participants. Overall, these results provide some evidence of positivity bias among older adults even when asked to recount a distressing personal memory, although this trend was not consistent for the expression of sadness or positive emotion. Further, cardiovascular responses appear more clearly tied to older adults’ level of engagement and emotional focus compared to their middle-aged counterparts’.

The Role of Sensory Processing in the Everyday Lives of Older Adults

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia S. Pohl ◽  
Winnie Dunn ◽  
Catana Brown
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Sensory Profile ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Age In Place ◽  
Sensory Experiences ◽  
Age Related

This study investigated whether there are age-related differences in sensory processing within daily life. Participants included 404 community-dwelling adults divided into three age groups: 19 to 34 years old (127 individuals), 35 to 64 years old (126 individuals), and 65 years and older (151 individuals). Each participant completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile. There was a difference in sensory processing between the three groups (p = .000), with the older adults noticing sensory input less than the young and middle aged adults (p = .002 for both groups). Both middle aged and older adults engaged in less sensory seeking behaviors than did young adults (p = .012 and p = .000, respectively). In an additional analysis, the older group was subdivided into four age groups (65 to 69 years, 70 to 74 years, 75 to 79 years, and 80 years and older). There was an age-related difference between the four groups (p = .000). Those 75 to 79 years old and those 80 years and older noticed sensory input less than did those younger than 70 years (p = .002 and p = .001, respectively). Those 80 years and older were also less apt to seek sensory experiences than were those younger than 70 years (p = .011). The authors propose hypotheses about the meaning of these findings and provide recommendations for the application of this knowledge to support older adults to age in place successfully.

scholarly journals The Mediating Role of Vision in the Relationship between Proprioception and Postural Control in Older Adults, as Compared to Teenagers and Younger and Middle-Aged Adults

Healthcare ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Ainhoa Nieto-Guisado ◽  
Monica Solana-Tramunt ◽  
Adrià Marco-Ahulló ◽  
Marta Sevilla-Sánchez ◽  
Cristina Cabrejas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Middle Aged Adults ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study is to analyze the mediating role of vision in the relationship between conscious lower limb proprioception (dominant knee) and bipedal postural control (with eyes open and closed) in older adults, as compared with teenagers, younger adults and middle-aged adults. Methods: The sample consisted of 119 healthy, physically active participants. Postural control was assessed using the bipedal Romberg test with participants’ eyes open and closed on a force platform. Proprioception was measured through the ability to reposition the knee at 45°, measured with the Goniometer Pro application’s goniometer. Results: The results showed an indirect relationship between proprioception and postural control with closed eyes in all age groups; however, vision did not mediate this relationship. Conclusions: Older adults outperformed only teenagers on the balance test. The group of older adults was the only one that did not display differences with regard to certain variables when the test was done with open or closed eyes. It seems that age does not influence performance on proprioception tests. These findings help us to optimize the design of training programs for older adults and suggest that physical exercise is a protective factor against age-related decline.

Age-related differences in the predictive ability of executive functions for intelligence

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Buczylowska ◽  
Monika Daseking ◽  
Franz Petermann
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Word Generation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽  
Neuropsychological Assessment Battery

Abstract. The Executive Functions Module of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) were used to investigate age-related differences in the predictability of intelligence with executive functions. The NAB subtests age and sex better predicted the WAIS-IV index scales and the Full Scale IQ in the older than in the younger age group, with total variance explained up to 75 % in 60- to 88-year-olds and up to 46 % in 18- to 59-year-olds. The NAB subtests Categories and Word Generation were most frequently included, whereas Letter Fluency was least frequently included in the best-fitting models of WAIS-IV prediction. Mazes predicted better in the younger age group, whereas Judgment predicted better in the older age group.

Neuropsychological Practice Effects in the Context of Cognitive Decline: Contributions from Learning and Task Novelty

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sommer R. Thorgusen ◽  
Yana Suchy ◽  
Gordon J. Chelune ◽  
Brian R. Baucom
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Novelty Effect ◽  
Neuropsychological Measures ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Component Processes ◽  
Wechsler Adult Intelligence ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAlthough cognitive decline is typically associated with decreasing practice effects (PEs) (presumably due to declining memory), some studies show increased PEs with declines in cognition. One explanation for these inconsistencies is that PEs reflect not only memory, but also rebounds from adapting to task novelty (i.e., novelty effect), leading to increased PEs. We examined a theoretical model of relationships among novelty effects, memory, cognitive decline, and within-session PEs. Sixty-six older adults ranging from normal to severely impaired completed measures of memory, novelty effects, and two trials each of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 4thEdition Symbol Search and Coding. Interrelationships among variables were examined using regression analyses. PEs for Symbol Search and Coding (a) were related to different proposed PE components (i.e., memory and novelty effects), such that novelty effect predicted Symbol Search PE (R2=.239, p<.001) and memory predicted Coding PE (R2=.089, p=.015), and (b) showed different patterns across stages of cognitive decline, such that the greatest cognitive decline was associated with smallest Coding PE (R2=.125, p=.004), whereas intermediate cognitive decline was associated with the greatest Symbol Search PE (R2=.097, p=.040). The relationship between cognitive decline and PE for Symbol Search was partially mediated by novelty effect among older adults with abnormal cognitive decline (model R2=.286, p<.001). These findings (a) suggest that PE is not a unitary construct, (b) offer an explanation for contradictory findings in the literature, and (c) highlight the need for a better understanding of component processes of PE across different neuropsychological measures. (JINS, 2016, 22, 453–466)

scholarly journals Multidimensionality in Developmental Conceptions Across Adulthood

GeroPsych ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maida Mustafić ◽  
Alexandra M. Freund
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Direct Assessment ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Middle Aged Adults ◽  
Gains And Losses

Two studies demonstrate the usefulness of a newly developed, direct assessment method of subjective conceptualizations of development across adulthood. Results of Study 1 (N = 234, 18–83 years) suggest that older adults anticipate stronger decline in four domains of functioning (subjective well-being, social relationships, cognition, physical functioning) than younger and middle-aged adults. Study 2 (N = 166, 20–85 years) showed that older adults’ conceptualizations show less differentiation across domains than those of younger and middle-aged adults’. Results of both studies confirm lifespan notions of multidirectionality (expectations of gains and losses) but also show age-related differences in multidimensionality of developmental conceptions (i.e., differences in expected trajectories between domains). Moreover, results provide evidence that favorable conceptions impact perceived controllability and actual subjective well-being.

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