The Role of Motivation and Anxiety on Error Awareness in Younger and Older Adults

Aging is associated with several changes in cognitive functions, as well as in motivational and affective processes, which in turn interact with cognitive functions. The present study aimed to investigate error awareness (EA), which declines with aging, in relation to motivation and anxiety. Adopting an experimental task, we firstly tested the hypothesis that EA could be enhanced through reward motivation. Secondly, we explored the relation between state and trait anxiety and EA, investigating the hypothesis of an association between EA and anxiety, and between anxiety and the potential benefit of motivation on EA. Thirty healthy younger (age range: 19–35 years; mean age 25.4 ± 5.1; 10 M) and 30 healthy older adults (age range: 61–83 years; mean age 69.7 ± 5.5; 12 M) took part in the study and performed both the classic Error Awareness Task (EAT) and one experimental task, called the Motivational EAT. In this new task, motivational incentives were delivered after aware correct responses and aware errors. For every participant, standard measures of state and trait anxiety and cognitive functions were collected. Confirming the presence of a significant age-related EA decline, results did not reveal any influence of reward motivation on EA, nor any relation between EA and anxiety. However, both younger and older adults had longer response times (RTs) and made more errors during the Motivational EAT, with the more anxious participants showing the greater RT slowing. Findings suggest that reward motivation might not be always beneficial for cognitive performance, as well as that anxiety does not relate to EA capacity. Results also recommend further investigation, as well as the assessment of EA in patients with either motivational deficits like apathy, and/or with anxiety disorders.

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Goal disengagement capacities and severity of disease across older adulthood

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025415597549 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 137-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Joelle Jobin ◽

Carsten Wrosch

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Emotional Distress ◽

Well Being ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Age Related ◽

Goal Disengagement ◽

Age Range ◽

Early Old Age

This study examined age-related associations between goal disengagement capacities, emotional distress, and disease severity across older adulthood. Given that an age-related increase in the experience of stressors might render important goals unattainable, it is expected that goal disengagement capacities would predict a decrease in the severity of experienced illness (i.e., the common cold) by preventing emotional distress (i.e., depressive symptoms), particularly so among individuals in advanced (as compared to early) old age. This hypothesis was tested in a 6-year longitudinal study of 131 older adults (age range = 64 to 90). Regression analyses showed that goal disengagement capacities buffered 6-year increases in older adults’ cold symptoms, and that this effect was significantly pronounced among older-old participants. Mediation analyses further indicated that changes in depressive symptoms exerted an indirect effect on the age-related association between goal disengagement and changes in cold symptoms. The study’s findings suggest that goal disengagement capacities become increasingly important for protecting emotional well-being and physical health as older adults advance in age.

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Neurometabolic Correlates of Reactive and Proactive Motor Inhibition in Young and Older Adults: Evidence from Multiple Regional 1H-MR Spectroscopy

Cerebral Cortex Communications ◽

10.1093/texcom/tgaa028 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Akila Weerasekera ◽

Oron Levin ◽

Amanda Clauwaert ◽

Kirstin-Friederike Heise ◽

Lize Hermans ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Proactive Inhibition ◽

Older Age ◽

Resonance Spectroscopy ◽

Reactive Inhibition ◽

Age Related ◽

The Right ◽

Age Range

Abstract Suboptimal inhibitory control is a major factor contributing to motor/cognitive deficits in older age and pathology. Here, we provide novel insights into the neurochemical biomarkers of inhibitory control in healthy young and older adults and highlight putative neurometabolic correlates of deficient inhibitory functions in normal aging. Age-related alterations in levels of glutamate–glutamine complex (Glx), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and myo-inositol (mIns) were assessed in the right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG), pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), bilateral sensorimotor cortex (SM1), bilateral striatum (STR), and occipital cortex (OCC) with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Data were collected from 30 young (age range 18–34 years) and 29 older (age range 60–74 years) adults. Associations between age-related changes in the levels of these metabolites and performance measures or reactive/proactive inhibition were examined for each age group. Glx levels in the right striatum and preSMA were associated with more efficient proactive inhibition in young adults but were not predictive for reactive inhibition performance. Higher NAA/mIns ratios in the preSMA and RIFG and lower mIns levels in the OCC were associated with better deployment of proactive and reactive inhibition in older adults. Overall, these findings suggest that altered regional concentrations of NAA and mIns constitute potential biomarkers of suboptimal inhibitory control in aging.

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A Systematic Review on the Cognitive Benefits and Neurophysiological Correlates of Exergaming in Healthy Older Adults

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm8050734 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 734 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Robert Stojan ◽

Claudia Voelcker-Rehage

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Cognitive Outcomes ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Video Gaming ◽

Physically Active ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Age Related ◽

Cognitive Benefits

Human aging is associated with structural and functional brain deteriorations and a corresponding cognitive decline. Exergaming (i.e., physically active video-gaming) has been supposed to attenuate age-related brain deteriorations and may even improve cognitive functions in healthy older adults. Effects of exergaming, however, vary largely across studies. Moreover, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms by which exergaming may affect cognitive and brain function are still poorly understood. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the effects of exergame interventions on cognitive outcomes and neurophysiological correlates in healthy older adults (>60 years). After screening 2709 studies (Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Pubmed, Scopus), we found 15 eligible studies, four of which comprised neurophysiological measures. Most studies reported within group improvements in exergamers and favorable interaction effects compared to passive controls. Fewer studies found superior effects of exergaming over physically active control groups and, if so, solely for executive functions. Regarding individual cognitive domains, results showed no consistence. Positive effects on neurophysiological outcomes were present in all respective studies. In summary, exergaming seems to be equally or slightly more effective than other physical interventions on cognitive functions in healthy older adults. Tailored interventions using well-considered exergames and intervention designs, however, may result in more distinct effects on cognitive functions.

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Machine-Learning Analysis of Voice Samples Recorded through Smartphones: The Combined Effect of Ageing and Gender

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20185022 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (18) ◽

pp. 5022

Author(s):

Francesco Asci ◽

Giovanni Costantini ◽

Pietro Di Leo ◽

Alessandro Zampogna ◽

Giovanni Ruoppolo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Older Adults ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Combined Effect ◽

Support Vector ◽

Ecological Value ◽

Age Related ◽

And Gender ◽

Age Range ◽

Learning Analysis

Background: Experimental studies using qualitative or quantitative analysis have demonstrated that the human voice progressively worsens with ageing. These studies, however, have mostly focused on specific voice features without examining their dynamic interaction. To examine the complexity of age-related changes in voice, more advanced techniques based on machine learning have been recently applied to voice recordings but only in a laboratory setting. We here recorded voice samples in a large sample of healthy subjects. To improve the ecological value of our analysis, we collected voice samples directly at home using smartphones. Methods: 138 younger adults (65 males and 73 females, age range: 15–30) and 123 older adults (47 males and 76 females, age range: 40–85) produced a sustained emission of a vowel and a sentence. The recorded voice samples underwent a machine learning analysis through a support vector machine algorithm. Results: The machine learning analysis of voice samples from both speech tasks discriminated between younger and older adults, and between males and females, with high statistical accuracy. Conclusions: By recording voice samples through smartphones in an ecological setting, we demonstrated the combined effect of age and gender on voice. Our machine learning analysis demonstrates the effect of ageing on voice.

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The efficiency of using everyday technological devices by older adults: the role of cognitive functions

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x08007629 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 309-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

KARIN SLEGERS ◽

MARTIN P. J. VAN BOXTEL ◽

JELLE JOLLES

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Speed Of Information Processing ◽

Technological Transfer ◽

Age Related ◽

Valid Test ◽

Automatic Teller Machines ◽

Age Related Cognitive Decline

ABSTRACTOlder adults experience more problems than younger people when using everyday technological devices such as personal computers, automatic teller machines and microwave ovens. Such problems may have serious consequences for the autonomy of older adults since the ability to use technology is becoming essential in everyday life. One potential cause of these difficulties is age-related decline of cognitive functions. To test the role of cognitive abilities in performing technological tasks, we designed the Technological Transfer Test (TTT). This new and ecologically valid test comprises eight technological tasks that are common in modern life (operating a CD player, a telephone, an ATM, a train-ticket vending machine, a microwave-oven, an alarm clock, a smart card charging device and a telephone voice menu). The TTT and a comprehensive battery of cognitive tests were administered to 236 healthy adults aged 64–75 years on two separate occasions. The results demonstrated that the performance time for five of the eight tasks was predicted by cognitive abilities. The exact cognitive functions affecting technological performance varied by the technological task. Among several measures and components of cognition, the speed of information processing and cognitive flexibility had the greatest predictive power. The results imply that age-related cognitive decline has a profound effect on the interaction between older adults and technological appliances.

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Age-Related Changes in Presynaptic Inhibition During Gait Initiation

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab010 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Solival Santos Filho ◽

Daniel Boari Coelho ◽

Carlos Ugrinowitsch ◽

Caroline Ribeiro de Souza ◽

Fernando Henrique Magalhães ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Presynaptic Inhibition ◽

Gait Initiation ◽

Quiet Stance ◽

Age Related ◽

Contraction Ratio ◽

Age Range ◽

Age Related Changes ◽

Presynaptic Control

Abstract Age-related changes in presynaptic inhibition (PSI) have not been observed during gait initiation, which requires anticipatory postural adjustment (APA). As APA is centrally modulated and is impaired in older compared to young adults, here we aimed to study the presynaptic control and co-contraction levels in the ankle muscles during gait initiation in older compared to young adults. Fifteen older (age range 65–80 years) and 15 young adults (age range 19–30 years) performed a gait initiation task on a force platform under 3 conditions: (i) without electrical stimulation; (ii) test Hoffman reflex (H-reflex); and (iii) conditioned H-reflex. H-reflexes were evoked on the soleus muscle when the APA amplitude exceeded 10%–20% of the average baseline mediolateral force. Participants also performed quiet stance as a control task. Results showed that both age groups presented similar PSI levels during quiet stance (p = .941), while in the gait initiation older adults presented higher PSI levels, longer duration, and lower amplitude of APA than young adults (p < .05). Older adults presented higher co-contraction ratio in both tasks than young adults (p < .05). Correlations between the PSI levels and the APA amplitude (r = −0.61, p = .008), and between the PSI levels and the co-contraction ratio during gait initiation (r = −0.64, p = .005) were found for older adults only. APA amplitude explained 49% of the variance of the PSI levels (p = .003). Our findings suggest that older compared to young adults have increased presynaptic control to compensate for the decreased supraspinal modulation on impaired APAs during gait initiation.

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Stimulus Specific to Age-Related Audio-Visual Integration in Discrimination Tasks

i-Perception ◽

10.1177/2041669520978419 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 204166952097841

Author(s):

Yanna Ren ◽

Zhihan Xu ◽

Sa Lu ◽

Tao Wang ◽

Weiping Yang

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Time Window ◽

Response Times ◽

Race Model ◽

Compensatory Mechanism ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Visual Integration ◽

Age Related ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean

Age-related audio-visual integration (AVI) has been investigated extensively; however, AVI ability is either enhanced or reduced with ageing, and this matter is still controversial because of the lack of systematic investigations. To remove possible variates, 26 older adults and 26 younger adults were recruited to conduct meaningless and semantic audio-visual discrimination tasks to assess the ageing effect of AVI systematically. The results for the mean response times showed a significantly faster response to the audio-visual (AV) target than that to the auditory (A) or visual (V) target and a significantly faster response to all targets by the younger adults than that by the older adults (A, V, and AV) in all conditions. In addition, a further comparison of the differences between the probability of audio-visual cumulative distributive functions (CDFs) and race model CDFs showed delayed AVI effects and a longer time window for AVI in older adults than that in younger adults in all conditions. The AVI effect was lower in older adults than that in younger adults during simple meaningless image discrimination (63.0 ms vs. 108.8 ms), but the findings were inverse during semantic image discrimination (310.3 ms vs. 127.2 ms). In addition, there was no significant difference between older and younger adults during semantic character discrimination (98.1 ms vs. 117.2 ms). These results suggested that AVI ability was impaired in older adults, but a compensatory mechanism was established for processing sematic audio-visual stimuli.

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Targeted Memory Reactivation during Mind-Wandering in Younger and Older Adults

10.31234/osf.io/ecx35 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Nicosia

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Response Times ◽

Recall Performance ◽

Mind Wandering ◽

Blind Spot ◽

Cued Recall ◽

Paired Associates ◽

Age Related ◽

Episodic Memories ◽

Thought Probes

Mind-wandering (MW) is a universal cognitive process that is estimated to comprise ~30% of our everyday thoughts. Despite its prevalence, the functional utility of MW remains a scientific blind spot. The present study sought to investigate whether MW serves a functional role in cognition. Specifically, we investigated whether MW contributes to memory consolidation processes, and if age differences in the ability to reactivate episodic memories during MW may contribute to age-related declines in episodic memory. Younger and older adults encoded paired associates, received targeted reactivation cues during an interval filled with a task which promotes MW, and were tested on their memory for the cued and uncued stimuli from the initial encoding task. Thought probes were presented during the retention (MW) interval to assess participants’ thought contents. Across three experiments, we compared the effect of different cue modalities (i.e., auditory, visual) on cued recall performance, and examined both correct retrieval response times as well as accuracy. Across experiments, there was evidence that stimuli that were cued during the MW task were correctly retrieved more quickly than uncued stimuli and that this effect was more robust for younger adults than older adults. Additionally, the more MW a participant reported during the retention interval, the stronger the cueing effect they produced during retrieval. The results from these experiments are interpreted within a retrieval facilitation framework wherein cues serve to reactivate the earlier traces during MW, and this reactivation benefits retrieval speed for cued items as compared to uncued items.

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Visual Perceptual Load Attenuates Age-Related Audiovisual Integration in an Audiovisual Discrimination Task

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.740221 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yanna Ren ◽

Hannan Li ◽

Yan Li ◽

Tao Wang ◽

Weiping Yang

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Discrimination Task ◽

Perceptual Load ◽

Response Times ◽

Race Model ◽

Audiovisual Integration ◽

Facilitation Effect ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Age Related ◽

Load Conditions

Previous studies confirmed that the cognitive resources are limited for each person, and perceptual load affects the detection of stimulus greatly; however, how the visual perceptual load influences audiovisual integration (AVI) is still unclear. Here, 20 older and 20 younger adults were recruited to perform an auditory/visual discrimination task under various visual perceptual-load conditions. The analysis for the response times revealed a significantly faster response to the audiovisual stimulus than to the visual stimulus or auditory stimulus (all p < 0.001), and a significantly slower response by the older adults than by the younger adults to all targets (all p ≤ 0.024). The race-model analysis revealed a higher AV facilitation effect for older (12.54%) than for younger (7.08%) adults under low visual perceptual-load conditions; however, no obvious difference was found between younger (2.92%) and older (3.06%) adults under medium visual perceptual-load conditions. Only the AV depression effect was found for both younger and older adults under high visual perceptual-load conditions. Additionally, the peak latencies of AVI were significantly delayed in older adults under all visual perceptual-load conditions. These results suggested that visual perceptual load decreased AVI (i.e., depression effects), and the AVI effect was increased but delayed for older adults.

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Fake News Detection in Aging During the Era of Infodemic

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3484 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 976-977

Author(s):

Didem Pehlivanoglu ◽

Tian Lin ◽

Kevin Chi ◽

Eliany Perez ◽

Rebecca Polk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Detection Accuracy ◽

Fake News ◽

News Content ◽

News Consumption ◽

Analytical Reasoning ◽

Age Related ◽

Consumption Frequency ◽

Age Range ◽

Analytic Reasoning

Abstract Increasing misinformation spread, including news about COVID-19, poses a threat to older adults but there is little empirical research on this population within the fake news literature. Embedded in the Changes in Integration for Social Decisions in Aging (CISDA) model, this study examined the role of (i) analytical reasoning; (ii) affect; and (iii) news consumption frequency, and their interplay with (iv) news content, in determining fake news detection in aging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Young (age range 18-35 years, M = 20.24, SD = 1.88) and older (age range 61-87 years, M = 70.51, SD = 5.88) adults were randomly assigned to view COVID or non-COVID news articles, followed by measures of analytical reasoning, affect, and news consumption frequency. Comparable across young and older adults, fake news detection accuracy was higher for news unrelated to COVID, and non-COVID fake news detection was predicted by individual differences in analytic reasoning. Examination of chronological age effects further revealed that detection of fake news among older adults aged over 70 years depended on interactions between individual CISDA components and news content. Collectively, these findings suggest that age-related susceptibility to fake news may only be apparent in later stages of older adulthood, but vulnerabilities are context dependent. Our findings advance understanding of psychological mechanisms in fake news evaluation and empirically support CISDA in its application to fake news detection in aging.

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