scholarly journals Age differences in strategic reminder setting and the compensatory role of metacognition

Author(s):  
Chiara Scarampi ◽  
Sam Gilbert

Previous research has shown that older adults can have difficulty remembering to fulfil delayed intentions. In the present study, we explored whether age differences in prospective memory are affected when participants are permitted to set reminders to help them remember. Furthermore, we examined whether metacognition can influence the use of such strategies and help older adults compensate for age-related memory decline. In this pre- registered study (N = 88) we administered a computerised task requiring a sample of older (aged 65-84) and younger (aged 18-30) participants to remember delayed intentions for a brief period, manipulating the possibility of setting reminders to create an external cue. Performance of the older group was significantly poorer than the younger group. Moreover, older adults were overconfident in their memory abilities and did not fully compensate for impaired performance, even when strategic reminder-setting was permitted. These findings suggest that older adults possess limited metacognitive knowledge about their prospective memory limits and may not fully utilise cognitive offloading strategies to compensate for memory decline.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Y. Fourquet ◽  
Tara K. Patterson ◽  
Changrui Li ◽  
Alan D. Castel ◽  
Barbara J. Knowlton

Previous work has shown that memory performance in older adults is affected by activation of a stereotype of age-related memory decline. In the present experiment, we examined whether stereotype threat would affect metamemory in older adults; that is, whether under stereotype threat they make poorer judgments about what they could remember. We tested older adults (MAge = 66.18 years) on a task in which participants viewed words paired with point values and “bet” on whether they could later recall each word. If they bet on and recalled a word, they gained those points, but if they bet on and failed to recall a word, they lost those points. Thus, this task required participants to monitor how much they could remember and prioritize high value items. Participants performed this task over six lists of items either under stereotype threat about age-related memory decline or not under stereotype threat. Participants from both groups performed similarly on initial lists, but on later lists, participants under stereotype threat showed impaired performance as indicated by a lower average point score and a lower average gamma coefficient. The results suggest that a modest effect of stereotype threat on recall combined with a modest effect on metacognitive judgments to result in a performance deficit. This pattern of results may reflect an effect of stereotype threat on executive control reducing the ability to strategically use memory.


2021 ◽  
pp. 203-233
Author(s):  
Klara Rydzewska ◽  
Maciej Koscielniak ◽  
Bettina von Helversen ◽  
Grzegorz Sedek

This chapter discusses age differences in complex decision making and judgment, particularly the role of motivational factors and individual differences. Literature on the influence of age-related changes in cognition and motivation on search and performance in complex decision making is reviewed. The role of financial incentives, need for cognition, and need for cognitive closure is discussed, including the age-related influence of motivational factors on the performance of sequential decision-making tasks. Additionally, the role of feedback as a factor producing superior performance of older adults in a decision-making task is introduced. Moreover, novel research findings regarding connections between intellectual helplessness and information and communication technologies in older adults are presented. Lastly, individual differences in numeracy and intellectual helplessness in mathematics as predictors of age-related differences in performance of multiattribute tasks are described.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam C. Sander ◽  
Yana Fandakova ◽  
Markus Werkle-Bergner

Episodic memory decline is a hallmark of cognitive aging and a multifaceted phenomenon. We review studies that target age differences across different memory processing stages, i.e., from encoding to retrieval. The available evidence cumulates in the proposition that older adults form memories of lower quality than younger adults, which has negative downstream consequences for later processing stages. We argue that low memory quality in combination with age-related neural decline of key regions of the episodic memory network puts older adults in a double jeopardy situation that finally results in broader memory impairments in older compared to younger adults.


make a telephone call once a day for 5 days when they the two paradigms. Specifically, the exact motoric re-associated the activity with other routine daily events quirements of many naturally occurring intentions (so-called "conjunction" cues) than when internal or (e.g., "buy birthday present") may not be sufficiently other external cues (e.g., diaries) were used. The exact well specified at encoding (or throughout the role of daily structure in the fulfilment of delayed retention interval), to allow the representation of these intention tasks in young and older adults remains to be activities to benefit from the kind of preparatory established, however, particularly as Maylor's study did processing that we have argued supports the not include a comparison of the use and effectiveness representation of more well-defined (laboratory-based) of conjunction cues between these two age groups. It actions. Indeed, not all naturally occurring intentions is interesting to note in this regard that an attempt has involve action-based responses. Some of the activities been made to enhance older adults' prospective memory generated by participants in the prospective and performance in a laboratory setting by using tasks that retrospective fluency tasks, for example, could be are intended to mimic the richness and structure of daily classified as involving primarily verbal responses life events (e.g., Rendell & Craik, 2000). Age-related (e.g., to have a conversation with someone or to pass declines have still been obtained under these conditions, on a message), while others represent purely thought-however, perhaps because the tasks are not readily able based or cognitive tasks (e.g., "choose holiday to capture or recreate the familiarity and personal destination"). The exact role of preparatory motoric relevance of the individuals' own routines. processing in successful prospective remembering remains to be established, however, as laboratory Intention-superiority effects for naturally studies of the ISE have typically used experimenter-occurring and laboratory activities initiated retrieval, which removes the need for participants to remember to carry out the actions for The current findings reveal a clear age-associated themselves when a designated retrieval context impairment in the ability to access naturally occurring arrives. intentions in a speeded fluency task undertaken during the retention interval between intention formation and Conclusion completion. This is in contrast to the findings of Freeman and Ellis (in press-b), which demonstrated an equivalent In summary, this study revealed a clear age-related de-advantage for to-be-enacted laboratory-based actions cline in the ability to access intention representations over actions not intended for enactment in young and prior to completion, with more intended activities failing healthy older adults. We have argued elsewhere (e.g., to come to mind in the prospective fluency task for older Freeman & Ellis, in press-a) that there may be similarities adults than for young adults. There was no apparent between the advantage for to-be-enacted laboratory-age difference in the inaccessibility (or inhibition) of based actions and the advantage that is frequently already completed intentions, however, with both age observed for verbally presented action words that have groups demonstrating evidence of an intention-been enacted during encoding (the subject-performed completion effect. Despite reduced intention task effect; Cohen, 1981). More specifically, the accessibility during the retention interval, older adults intention-superiority effect for simple motor actions reported having carried out more of their intended intended for enactment after a short delay might reflect activities during the week than did young adults. the operation of covert motoric or SPT-type encoding Interestingly, this appeared to be the case primarily for or rehearsal operations aimed at preparing these actions intentions for which no specific retrieval aids had been for imminent execution. These could include operations used. One possibility is that older adults may for setting the parameters of the action schema to be compensate for impaired intention accessibility by executed in terms of its duration, direction, and force. relying more on the ongoing sequence of daily routine The absence of an age difference in the accessibility of events to support intention retrieval and execution. This laboratory-based intentions mirrors the finding of is consistent with the observation of an age-related reduced age-related declines in memory for SPTs and increase in the temporal organization of activities pro-suggests that covert motoric processing may be duced in the prospective fluency task. In line with this, undertaken relatively automatically for this type of while there was a correlation between intention acces-material. sibility and intention completion in young adults, sug-The apparent discrepancy between age differences gesting a role for the intention-superiority effect in in the ISE for naturally occurring and experimental prospective memory performance in this population, intentions might therefore reflect a fundamental there was no evidence of this relationship among older difference in the nature of the activities involved in adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 278-279
Author(s):  
Feilong Wang ◽  
Shijie Li ◽  
Kaifa Wang ◽  
Yanni Yang

Abstract Older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMCs) are at increased risk for episodic memory decline. Episodic memory decline is an important predictor of objective memory impairment (one of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease) and an often-suggested criterion of successful memory aging. Therefore, it is important to explore the determinant factors that influence episodic memory in older adults with SMCs. Roy adaptation model and preliminary evidence suggest that older adults with SMCs undergo a coping and adaptation process, a process influenced by many health-related risks and protective factors. This study aimed to explore the relationship between coping capacity and episodic memory, and the mediating role of healthy lifestyle between coping capacity and episodic memory in a sample of 309 community-dwelling older adults with SMCs. Results from the structural equation modeling showed that coping capacity directly affects episodic memory (r=0.629, p<0.001), and there is a partial mediating effect (60.5%) of healthy lifestyle among this sample of older adults with SMCs. This study demonstrates that coping capacity and adaptation positively correlate with episodic memory in older adults with SMCs, and that these correlations are mediated by healthy lifestyle. The results suggest that older adults with poor coping capacity should be assessed and monitored regularly, and clear lifestyle-related interventions initiated by healthcare providers that promote healthy lifestyles may effectively improve coping capacity and episodic memory in this population group. Note: First author: Feilong Wang, Co-first author: Shijie li, Corresponding author: Yanni Yang


GeroScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Baciu ◽  
Sonja Banjac ◽  
Elise Roger ◽  
Célise Haldin ◽  
Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti ◽  
...  

AbstractIn the absence of any neuropsychiatric condition, older adults may show declining performance in several cognitive processes and among them, in retrieving and producing words, reflected in slower responses and even reduced accuracy compared to younger adults. To overcome this difficulty, healthy older adults implement compensatory strategies, which are the focus of this paper. We provide a review of mainstream findings on deficient mechanisms and possible neurocognitive strategies used by older adults to overcome the deleterious effects of age on lexical production. Moreover, we present findings on genetic and lifestyle factors that might either be protective or risk factors of cognitive impairment in advanced age. We propose that “aging-modulating factors” (AMF) can be modified, offering prevention opportunities against aging effects. Based on our review and this proposition, we introduce an integrative neurocognitive model of mechanisms and compensatory strategies for lexical production in older adults (entitled Lexical Access and Retrieval in Aging, LARA). The main hypothesis defended in LARA is that cognitive aging evolves heterogeneously and involves complementary domain-general and domain-specific mechanisms, with substantial inter-individual variability, reflected at behavioral, cognitive, and brain levels. Furthermore, we argue that the ability to compensate for the effect of cognitive aging depends on the amount of reserve specific to each individual which is, in turn, modulated by the AMF. Our conclusion is that a variety of mechanisms and compensatory strategies coexist in the same individual to oppose the effect of age. The role of reserve is pivotal for a successful coping with age-related changes and future research should continue to explore the modulating role of AMF.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S785-S785
Author(s):  
Tze Kiu Wong ◽  
Helene H Fung

Abstract Previous studies usually found that older people are less politically engaged than younger adults, especially when considering political behavior other than voting. The current study extends the Selective Engagement hypothesis (Hess, 2014) to political engagement. 81 younger adults and 79 older adults rated 8 issues on self-relevance and their willingness to engage in political discussion, arguments and collective action on each issue. The predicted moderating effect of self-relevance was not found, but older people indeed are more willing to discuss (B = 0.07, p = 0.027) and argue with others on more self-relevant issues (B = 0.06, p = 0.031). Perceived cost of collective action was found to be a moderator, such that self-relevance was less important than other factors for high-cost actions (B = -0.016, p = 0.013). The current research sheds light on potential ways to increase older adults’ engagement in social issues.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra Leigh Seaman ◽  
Alexander P. Christensen ◽  
Katherine Senn ◽  
Jessica Cooper ◽  
Brittany Shane Cassidy

Trust is a key component of social interaction. Older adults, however, often exhibit excessive trust relative to younger adults. One explanation is that older adults may learn to trust differently than younger adults. Here, we examine how younger (N=33) and older adults (N=30) learn to trust over time. Participants completed a classic iterative trust game with three partners. Younger and older adults shared similar amounts but differed in how they shared money. Compared to younger adults, older adults invested more with untrustworthy partners and less with trustworthy partners. As a group, older adults displayed less learning than younger adults. However, computational modeling shows that this is because older adults are more likely to forget what they have learned over time. Model-based fMRI analyses revealed several age-related differences in neural processing. Younger adults showed prediction error signals in social processing areas while older adults showed over-recruitment of several cortical areas. Collectively, these findings suggest that older adults attend to and learn from social cues differently from younger adults.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sade J Abiodun ◽  
Galen McAllister ◽  
Gregory Russell Samanez-Larkin ◽  
Kendra Leigh Seaman

Facial expressions are powerful communicative social signals that motivate feelings and action in the observer. However, research on incentive motivation has overwhelmingly focused on money and points and the limited research on social incentives has been mostly focused on responses in young adulthood. Previous research on the age-related positivity effect and adult age differences in social motivation suggest that older adults might experience higher levels of positive arousal to socioemotional stimuli than younger adults. Affect ratings following dynamic emotional expressions (anger, happiness, sadness) varying in magnitude of expression showed that higher magnitude expressions elicited higher arousal and valence ratings. Older adults did not differ significantly in levels of arousal when compared to younger adults, however their ratings of emotional valence were significantly higher as the magnitude of expressions increased. The findings provide novel evidence that socioemotional incentives may be relatively more reinforcing as adults age. More generally, these dynamic socioemotional stimuli that vary in magnitude are ideal for future studies of more naturalistic affect elicitation, studies of social incentive processing, and use in incentive-driven choice tasks.


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