Both subjective distress and cognitive interference have been proposed as mechanisms underlying the negative effects of stress on cognition. Studies of aging have shown that distress is associated with lower cognitive performance, but none have examined the effects of cognitive interference. One hundred eleven older adults ( M age = 80) completed measures of working… Continue reading Stress-Related Cognitive Interference Predicts Cognitive Function in Old Age
Keyword: Cognition & Reasoning
Intraindividual Coupling of Daily Stress and Cognition
Most psychological theories predict associations among processes that transpire within individuals. However, these theories are often tested by examining relationships at the between-persons (BP) rather than the within-persons (WP) level. The authors examined the WP and BP relationships between daily stress and daily variability in cognitive performance. Daily stress and cognitive performance were assessed on… Continue reading Intraindividual Coupling of Daily Stress and Cognition
Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment without Dementia in the United States
Cognitive impairment without dementia is associated with increased risk for disability, increased health care costs, and progression to dementia. There are no population-based prevalence estimates of this condition in the United States. To estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment without dementia in the United States and determine longitudinal cognitive and mortality outcomes. Longitudinal study from… Continue reading Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment without Dementia in the United States
Short-term changes in plans to drink and importance of positive and negative alcohol consequences
Experienced consequences predicted short-term changes in alcohol use plans and perceptions of the importance of alcohol-related consequences. Participants were 176 traditionally aged first-year university students who completed a 10-week telephone diary study (total weeks=1735). In multi-level models, men and students who experienced more positive and negative consequences on average planned to drink more and rated… Continue reading Short-term changes in plans to drink and importance of positive and negative alcohol consequences
Latent Variable Analyses of Age Trends of Cognition in the Health and Retirement Study, 1992-2004
The present study was conducted to better describe age trends in cognition among older adults in the longitudinal Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from 1992 to 2004 (N > 17,000). The authors used contemporary latent variable models to organize this information in terms of both cross-sectional and longitudinal inferences about age and cognition. Common factor… Continue reading Latent Variable Analyses of Age Trends of Cognition in the Health and Retirement Study, 1992-2004
Washing Away Postdecisional Dissonance
After choosing between two alternatives, people perceive the chosen alternative as more attractive and the rejected alternative as less attractive. This postdecisional dissonance effect was eliminated by cleaning one's hands. Going beyond prior purification effects in the moral domain, physical cleansing seems to more generally remove past concerns, resulting in a metaphorical “clean slate” effect.… Continue reading Washing Away Postdecisional Dissonance
Aggregate changes in severe cognitive impairment among older Americans: 1993 and 1998
This study explored whether improvements in cognitive functioning occurred during the 1990s among older Americans and investigated several possible explanations for such changes. The percentage of older Americans with severe cognitive impairment declined from 6.1 % in 1993 to 3.6% in 1998. OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether improvements in cognitive functioning occurred during the 1990s… Continue reading Aggregate changes in severe cognitive impairment among older Americans: 1993 and 1998
Another look at aggregate changes in severe cognitive impairment: Further investigation into the cumulative effects of three survey design issues
A study explored whether previously reported declines in severe cognitive impairment were robust to cumulative effects of potentially confounding survey design issues. The results show that previously reported improvements in severe cognitive impairment appear to be robust to a variety of specifications. OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether previously reported declines in severe cognitive impairment were… Continue reading Another look at aggregate changes in severe cognitive impairment: Further investigation into the cumulative effects of three survey design issues
How extending your middle finger affects your perception of others: Learned movements influence concept accessibility
Body movements both express and influence how people feel and think. Conceptualizations of this bidirectional influence assume that movement-concept associations can be innate or learned, although evidence for learned associations remained ambiguous. Providing a conservative test of learned movement-concept associations, two studies investigate the influence of culture-specific body movements, which involve an arbitrary relationship between… Continue reading How extending your middle finger affects your perception of others: Learned movements influence concept accessibility