scholarly journals Activating Aging Stereotypes Increases Source Recollection Confusions in Older Adults: Effect at Encoding but Not Retrieval

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica T Wong ◽  
David A Gallo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Stereotype Activation ◽  
Adult Performance ◽  
Metacognitive Beliefs ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Retrieval Phase

Abstract Objectives Activating aging stereotypes can impair older adult performance on episodic memory tasks, an effect attributed to stereotype threat. Here, we report the first study comparing the effects of explicitly activating aging stereotypes at encoding versus retrieval on recollection accuracy in older adults. Method During the encoding phase, older adults made semantic judgments about words, and during the retrieval phase, they had to recollect these judgments. To manipulate stereotype activation, participants read about aging-related decline (stereotype condition) or an aging-neutral passage (control condition), either before encoding or after encoding but before retrieval. We also assessed stereotype effects on metacognitive beliefs and two secondary tasks (working memory, general knowledge) administered after the recollection task. Results Stereotype activation at encoding, but not retrieval, significantly increased recollection confusion scores compared to the control condition. Stereotype activation also increased self-reports of cognitive decline with aging, but it did not reliably impact task-related metacognitive assessments or accuracy on the secondary tasks. Discussion Explicitly activating aging stereotypes at encoding increases the likelihood of false recollection in older adults, potentially by diminishing encoding processes. Stereotype activation also influenced global metacognitive assessments, but this effect may be unrelated to the effect of stereotypes on recollection accuracy.

Tap and Swipe Activity Zones on Smartphones for Novice Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-39
Author(s):  
Paula Alexandra Silva ◽  
Roxanne Leitão ◽  
Maureen K Kerwin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
The Body ◽  
Adult Performance ◽  
Tactile Interaction ◽  
Practical Information ◽  
The Right

This article investigates tactile interaction on smartphones with adults aged 65 or older who were considered to have a novice level of skill with technology. Two experiments with two different groups of 40 Portuguese adults adds empirical evidence to the field and shows that older adult performance for tapping is best toward the center, right edge, and bottom right corner of the smartphone display. Results also show that a participant's performance of horizontal swipes is better with targets toward the bottom half of the display, while participant's performance of vertical swipes is better with targets toward the right half of the display. This article contributes to the body of research on the design of user interfaces for smartphones and mobile applications targeted at older adults, as well as providing practical information for designers and practitioners developing products that are more universally accessible.

Older Adult Performance on an Altered Version of the SSI Test

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy L. Aarts ◽  
Elizabeth M. Adams ◽  
Kathy R. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
The Other ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
Pure Tone Average ◽  
Adult Performance ◽  
Equivalent Test ◽  
Interstimulus Intervals

The Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test has been used extensively in investigations of reduced speech understanding skills in older adults. In this study the SSI test was altered by adding noise to the competing message and by administering practice lists and equivalent test lists, as well as versions of the test that have 4- and 12-s interstimulus intervals (ISIs), along with the standard 8-s ISI. The purpose was to determine the effect of these alterations on performance in a group of older adults with average pure-tone average 2 values less than 33 dB HL. Performance changed as a function of the ISI, with less rollover occurring for the 4-s ISI condition than the other 2 ISIs.

scholarly journals A database of general knowledge question performance in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 415-429
Author(s):  
Jennifer H. Coane ◽  
Sharda Umanath
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Choice Data ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Acquisition Processes

AbstractGeneral knowledge questions are used across a variety of research and clinical settings to measure cognitive processes such as metacognition, knowledge acquisition, retrieval processes, and intelligence. Existing norms only report performance in younger adults, rendering them of limited utility for cognitive aging research because of well-documented differences in semantic memory and knowledge as a function of age. Specifically, older adults typically outperform younger adults in tasks assessing retrieval of information from the knowledge base. Here we present older adult performance on 421 general knowledge questions across a range of difficulty levels. Cued recall data, including data on the phenomenology of retrieval failures, and multiple-choice data are available. These norms will allow researchers to identify questions that are not likely to be known by older adult participants to examine learning or acquisition processes, or to select questions within a range of marginal accessibility, for example. Comparisons with young adult data from prior databases confirms previous findings of greater knowledge in older adults and indicates there is preservation of knowledge from early adulthood into older adulthood.

Talk or Walk? Gait Speed over Self-Report in Association with Cognitive Speed in Healthy Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Costello ◽  
Shane J. Sizemore ◽  
Kimberly E. O’Brien ◽  
Lydia K. Manning
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Subjective Report ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Relative Value ◽  
Cognitive Speed ◽  
Age Range

Abstract. This study explores the relative value of both subjectively reported cognitive speed and gait speed in association with objectively derived cognitive speed. It also explores how these factors are affected by psychological and physical well-being. A group of 90 cognitively healthy older adults ( M = 73.38, SD = 8.06 years, range = 60–89 years) were tested in a three-task cognitive battery to determine objective cognitive speed as well as measures of gait speed, well-being, and subjective cognitive speed. Analyses indicated that gait speed was associated with objective cognitive speed to a greater degree than was subjective report, the latter being more closely related to well-being than to objective cognitive speed. These results were largely invariant across the 30-year age range of our older adult sample.

Prescription of Exercise in Older Adults, Physiotherapeutic Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Exercise Prescription

• Identify the changes related to aging that must be taken into account for the prescription of the exercise • Define the appropriate functional assessmentsforthe prescription of the exercise in the older adult • Recognize the factors that influence the adherence to exercise by older adults • Describe according to the objectives the correct exercise prescription for older adults.

scholarly journals Physical Inactivity in Older Adult Couples: A Dyadic Analysis Using Continuous In-Home Monitoring

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 412-412
Author(s):  
Chao-Yi Wu ◽  
Lyndsey Miller ◽  
Rachel Wall ◽  
Zachary Beattie ◽  
Jeffrey Kaye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Home Monitoring ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Dyadic Analysis ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Aging Research

Abstract Many older adults remain inactive despite the known positive health implications of physical activity (e.g. improved mood, reduced mortality risk). Physical inactivity is a known interdependent phenomenon in couples, but the majority of research identifies determinants of physical inactivity at the individual level. We estimated the average amount of physical inactivity for older adult couples and, using dyadic analysis, identified physical and mental health determinants thereof. Forty-eight heterosexual older adult couples (mean age=70.6, SD=6.63) from the Veterans Integrated Service Network 20 cohort of the Collaborative Aging Research using Technology (CART) initiative were included in this study. Both dyad members wore actigraph devices for a month. The average number per day of inactive periods (defined as no movement or sleep activity for ≥ 30 minutes) was estimated. Multilevel modeling revealed that, within couples, there was no difference between partners in the average number of inactive periods, but on average across couples, males had more inactive periods per day (13.4, SD=4.43) than females (12.3, SD=4.87). For males, older age was the only variable associated with more inactive periods (β=0.13, p=.013). For females, more depressive symptoms in men were associated with fewer inactive periods (β=-0.37, p=.002), and more dependence in completing their own IADLs predicted more inactive periods (β=2.80, p<.001). All models were adjusted for covariates. Viewing couples’ activity as a unit, rather than as separate individuals, provides a novel approach to identifying pathways to reduce inactivity in older adults, especially when focusing on mental health issues and decreased independence within the couple.

scholarly journals Sex Difference in Self-Reported Sexual Functioning Among Frail Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 313-313
Author(s):  
Brianne Olivieri-Mui ◽  
Sandra Shi ◽  
Ellen McCarthy ◽  
Dae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Function ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Males And Females

Abstract Frailty may differentially impact how older adult males and females perceive sexual functioning, an important part of well-being. We assessed the level of frailty (robust, pre-frail, frail) for anyone with data on 11 sexual functioning questions asked in wave 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, 2010-2011 (n=2060). Questions covered five domains: overall sexual function (OSF), sexual function anxiety (SFA), changes in sexual function (CSF), erectile/vaginal dysfunction (EVD), and masturbation. Logistic regression identified sex differences in frailty and reporting worse sexual functioning. Linear regression predicted the number of domains reported as worse. Among males (n=1057), pre-frailty meant higher odds of reporting SFA (OR 1.8 95%CI 1.2-6.6), CSF (OR 1.7 95%CI 1.1-2.7), and EVD (OR 1.5 95%CI 1.0-2.2). Among females (n=1003), there was no difference in reporting by frailty. Females were more likely to report worse OSF (Robust: OR 7.4, 95%CI 4.8-11.4; Pre-frail: OR 6.2, 95%CI 3.9-9.9; Frail: OR 3.4 95%CI 1.7-6.6), but less likely to report SFA (Robust OR .3, 95%CI .2-.5; Pre-frail OR .2, 95%CI .1-.3; Frail OR .2 95%CI .1-.3). Pre-frail and frail females reported fewer domains as worse (Pre-frail coefficient -0.21 SE 0.09, Frail -0.43 SE 0.14). As frailty worsened, males reported more domains as worse (Pre-frail 0.24 SE 0.07, Frail 0.29 SE 0.08). Self-reported sexual functioning differs by sex at all levels of frailty, and reporting by males, but not females, changes with frailty. Providers should be aware that sexual functioning is of importance to both sexes despite varying degrees of frailty.

Depressive Symptoms Among Rural “Left-Behind” Older Adults: A Test of the High Outmigration Penalty Hypothesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Song ◽  
Haowei Wang ◽  
Jeffery A Burr
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Adult Density ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Older Chinese Adults

Abstract Objectives We investigated whether there was a “high outmigration penalty” for psychological health among older adults in rural China by assessing 2 potential community stressors associated with major sociodemographic changes in the community—increased outmigration and older adult density. We also investigated whether disparities in community economic conditions moderated the association between community stressors and depressive symptoms. Methods We employed 3 waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2015), using multilevel negative binomial models to address our research questions. Results Our results supported the “high outmigration penalty” hypothesis. Older adults living in low-income rural communities may experience an aggravated mental health penalty compared to those living in high-income rural communities. Higher older adult density was also associated with more depressive symptoms but only in less wealthy communities. Community differences in economic conditions were key factors buffering the high outmigration disadvantage associated with the psychological health of older Chinese adults. Discussion Rural outmigration may have deepened existing intercommunity health disparities among older adults. Policies should be developed to address community-level factors negatively associated with the well-being of older Chinese adults living in high outmigration and less wealthy rural communities.

scholarly journals Older Adults as Citizen Scientists and Policy and Planning Voices in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 547-547
Author(s):  
Lenard Kaye ◽  
Sarah Burby
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Retirement Communities ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
University Policy ◽  
Adult Participation ◽  
Life Education ◽  
Older Citizens

Abstract The University of Maine is embarking on achieving AFU status. In addition to maximizing older adult participation in all facets of campus life (education, recreation, culture, etc.), their presence in nontraditional sectors of university activity will be emphasized. Building on the principles of community-based, participatory research, focal points of UMaine’s AFU strategy will be to ensure that age-specific, engagement mechanisms are created and maintained that ensure older citizens play an influential role in guiding and interpreting academic research and development and curricula innovation across multiple professions and disciplines. Using a state-wide, older adult research registry, and co-design, community test-beds in partnership with continuing care retirement communities, older adults will serve as citizen scientists. Other empowerment strategies for maximizing elder voice include expanding the number of departments that incorporate life span perspectives in their mission statements and expanding the number of older adult advisory bodies that inform university policy and practice.

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