Positive and negative social exchanges and cognitive aging in young-old adults: Differential associations across family, friend, and spouse domains

We examined how positive and negative social exchanges with friends, family, and spouses were related to cognitive aging in episodic and working memory, and perceptual speed. To do so, we used a large sample of cognitively intact young-old participants from the PATH Through Life Study (PATH; aged 60 to 64 years at baseline, n =… Continue reading Positive and negative social exchanges and cognitive aging in young-old adults: Differential associations across family, friend, and spouse domains

Mental work demands, retirement, and longitudinal trajectories of cognitive functioning

Age-related changes in cognitive abilities are well-documented, and a very important indicator of health, functioning, and decline in later life. However, less is known about the course of cognitive functioning before and after retirement and specifically whether job characteristics during one’s time of employment (i.e., higher vs. lower levels of mental work demands) moderate how… Continue reading Mental work demands, retirement, and longitudinal trajectories of cognitive functioning

Multilevel and systemic analyses of old age: Theoretical and empirical evidence for a fourth age

Is psychological aging best understood from an overall structural (systemic) level or in terms of specific processes and mechanisms? Our response to this question lies not in pursuing one or the other approach but in making efforts to join these different levels of theorizing and analysis. Propositions derived from an interdisciplinary integration of evolutionary and… Continue reading Multilevel and systemic analyses of old age: Theoretical and empirical evidence for a fourth age