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Barulli D, Habeck C, Stern Y. Assessing Flexibility of Solution Strategy: Strategy Shifting as a Measure of Cognitive Reserve. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:977-986. [PMID: 36869706 PMCID: PMC10214656 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This series of experiments explores whether flexibility in strategy shifting might function as an expression of cognitive reserve (CR). METHODS A reasoning task was designed using matrix reasoning stimuli that each required 1 of 2 specific solution strategies: logicoanalytic and visuospatial. It was formatted as a task-switching paradigm, assessing the ability to switch between solution strategies as measured by switch costs. Study 1 was done on Amazon Mechanical Turk and included an assessment of CR proxies. Study 2 used participants who had been studied extensively with neuropsychological assessments and structural neuroimaging. RESULTS Study 1 found that switch costs increased with aging. In addition, a relationship between switch costs and CR proxies was noted, suggesting a relationship between the flexibility of strategy shifting and CR. The results of Study 2 again indicated that age negatively affected strategy-shifting flexibility, but that individuals with higher CR as measured with standard proxies performed better. The flexibility measure accounted for additional variance in cognitive performance over that explained by cortical thickness, suggesting that it may contribute to CR. DISCUSSION Overall, the results are consistent with the idea that flexibility in strategy shifting might be 1 cognitive process that underlies cognitive reserve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Barulli
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Christian Habeck
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
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2
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Pflueger MO, Mager R, Graf M, Stieglitz RD. Encoding of everyday objects in older adults: Episodic memory assessment in virtual reality. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1100057. [PMID: 36993909 PMCID: PMC10040840 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1100057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionAge-related decline in episodic memory performance in otherwise healthy older adults is indisputably evident. Yet, it has been shown that under certain conditions episodic memory performance in healthy older adults’ barely deviates from those seen in young adults. Here we report on the quality of object encoding in an ecologically valid, virtual-reality based memory assessment in a sample of healthy older and younger adults with comparable memory performance.MethodsWe analyzed encoding by establishing both a serial and semantic clustering index and an object memory association network.ResultsAs expected, semantic clustering was superior in older adults without need for additional allocation of executive resources whereas young adults tended more to rely on serial strategies. The association networks suggested a plethora of obvious but also less obvious memory organization principles, some of which indicated converging approaches between the groups as suggested by a subgraph analysis and some of which indicated diverging approaches as suggested by the respective network interconnectivity. A higher interconnectivity was observed in the older adults’ association networks.DiscussionWe interpreted this as a consequence of superior semantic memory organization (extent to which effective semantic strategies diverged within the group). In conclusion, these results might indicate a diminished need for compensatory cognitive effort in healthy older adults when encoding and recalling everyday objects under ecologically valid conditions. Due to an enhanced and multimodal encoding model, superior crystallized abilities might be sufficient to counteract an age-related decline in various other and specific cognitive domains. This approach might potentially elucidate age-related changes in memory performance in both healthy and pathological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlon O. Pflueger
- University of Basel, Forensic Clinic of the University Psychiatric Clinics, Basel, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Marlon O. Pflueger,
| | - Ralph Mager
- University of Basel, Forensic Clinic of the University Psychiatric Clinics, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marc Graf
- University of Basel, Forensic Clinic of the University Psychiatric Clinics, Basel, Switzerland
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Sella E, Carbone E, Vincenzi M, Toffalini E, Borella E. Efficacy of memory training interventions targeting metacognition for older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging Ment Health 2022; 27:674-694. [PMID: 36218025 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2122931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This review examined the evidence about training interventions targeting metacognition in improving memory and cognitive performance, metacognitive functioning, and well-being in healthy older adults. METHODS Studies were identified in the PsycInfo, PubMed, and Scopus databases. The risk of bias was assessed using tools based on the Joanna Briggs criteria. The data were meta-analyzed using random effects models for those training targeting metacognition alone (metacognitive training) or combined with memory strategy training (strategic metacognitive training). RESULTS Out of the 3,487 articles first identified, 25 studies were eligible for our review (N = 1,768 older adults; mean age range: 64-85 years). Metacognitive training and strategic metacognitive training elicited improvements in memory (d = 0.52 [95% CI: 0.19; 0.84], and d = 0.44 [95% CI: 0.29; 0.58], respectively), metacognitive beliefs (d = 0.58 [95% CI: 0.23; 0.93], and d = 48 [95% CI: 0.28; 0.69], respectively), strategy use (d = 0.98 [95% CI: 0.46; 1.49] and 0.87 [95% CI: 0.14; 1.61], respectively), and memory self-efficacy (d = 0.08 [95% CI: -0.39; 0.56] and 0.55 [95% CI: 0.36; 0.75], respectively). Strategic metacognitive training also improved well-being (d = 0.21 [95% CI: 0.07; 0.35]). CONCLUSION Interventions targeting metacognition (alone or combined with memory strategy training) have the potential to support older adults' memory and metacognitive functioning. The methodological quality of most studies on the topic was often limited, however. Furthermore, well-designed studies needed to confirm the benefits of such interventions in older age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Sella
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Elena Carbone
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Enrico Toffalini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Erika Borella
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Arora C, Frantz C, Toglia J. Awareness of Performance on a Functional Cognitive Performance-Based Assessment Across the Adult Lifespan. Front Psychol 2021; 12:753016. [PMID: 34803834 PMCID: PMC8602564 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.753016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
As people age, their cognitive skills and ability to complete complex instrumental activities of daily living often decline in subtle ways. Older adults who are aware of these slight cognitive and functional changes spontaneously adapt and implement strategies to maximize performance. On the other hand, older adults with limited self-awareness are less likely to adjust performance or initiate compensatory strategies as they may not recognize the need to do so. This places them at higher risk of functional decline and loss of independence. Research on awareness of functional performance in healthy adults is, however, limited, and there is a paucity of assessment tools available to address questions of awareness and strategy use in functional tasks. We used the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA) - a performance-based assessment of functional cognition including measures of awareness and strategy use - to investigate differences in performance, awareness, and strategy use across the adult lifespan. The WCPA requires examinees to schedule appointments into a weekly calendar while following rules designed to increase task demands. Healthy adults (n=342) from ages 18-92 were observed for strategy use and error recognition, while a post-test interview probed participants' reported strategy use and estimation of accuracy. The discrepancy between participant estimation and actual accuracy provided a measure of online awareness of performance where a larger estimation discrepancy indicated over-estimation of performance. Performance on the WCPA declined across the adult lifespan. Older adults were less likely to use self-monitoring strategies and used less effective strategies overall. Overestimation was associated with use of fewer strategies and lower accuracy in all age groups. Importantly, twice as many older adults overestimated compared to younger adults. Furthermore, the subset of older adults who had good awareness of performance was more likely to use effective strategies, to recognize errors, and achieved accuracy on par with their younger counterparts. Our results emphasize the importance of examining self-awareness of performance and analyzing the strategies used to perform a complex functional task. This information can provide a foundation for early detection of functional decline in aging and for designing interventions to maximize functional independence in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Arora
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Natural Sciences, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, United States
| | - Carina Frantz
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Natural Sciences, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, United States
| | - Joan Toglia
- School of Health and Natural Sciences, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, United States
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5
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Hammerstein S, Poloczek S, Lösche P, Lemaire P, Büttner G. Effects of presentation modality and duration on children's strategy use: A study in computational estimation. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:1448-1463. [PMID: 34609216 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211053309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Two experiments were run to determine how presentation modality and duration influence children's arithmetic performance and strategy selection. Third and fourth graders were asked to find estimates for two-digit addition problems (e.g., 52 + 39). Children were tested in three conditions: (1) time-unlimited visual, (2) time-limited visual, or (3) time-limited auditory conditions. Moreover, we assessed children's working-memory updating and arithmetic fluency. Children were told which strategy to use on each problem to assess arithmetic performance while executing strategies, in Experiment 1, and were asked to choose the best strategy of three available strategies to assess strategy selection, in Experiment 2. Presentation modality influenced strategy execution (i.e., children were faster and more accurate in problems under visual than auditory conditions) but only in children with low updating abilities. In contrast, presentation modality had no effect on children's strategy selection. Presentation duration had an effect on both strategy execution and strategy selection with time-limited presentation leading to a decline in children's performance. Interestingly, specifically in children with low updating abilities, time-limited presentation led to poorer performance. Hence, efficient updating seemed to compensate for detrimental effects of auditory in comparison to visual and time-limited in comparison to time-unlimited presentation. These findings have important implications for determining conditions under which children execute strategies most efficiently and select the best strategy on each problem most often, as well as for understanding mechanisms underlying strategic behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Hammerstein
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Centre for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sebastian Poloczek
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Centre for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Patrick Lösche
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Centre for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Gerhard Büttner
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Centre for Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Carbone E, Meneghetti C, Borella E. Supporting route learning in older adults: the role of imagery strategy. Aging Ment Health 2021; 25:1564-1571. [PMID: 32067468 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2020.1727844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Route learning is an everyday spatial ability important to individuals' independent living, and is known to decline with age. This study aimed to investigate the benefit of using an imagery strategy to support route learning in young and older adults. METHODS Forty young adults and 40 older adults learned a path from a video. Twenty of each age group were taught to use an imagery strategy (strategy groups [SGs]), while the others received no specific instructions (control groups [CGs]). Then participants were asked to recall the order and location of landmarks they had seen along the path (landmark ordering and locating tasks). RESULTS Young adults recalled the order and location of landmarks better than older adults, and the SGs outperformed the CGs regardless of age. The Age group x Learning group interaction was only significant for the landmark locating task, with the young CG performing better than the older CG, while the older SG proved as good at recalling landmark locations as the young SG. Further, it was only among the older adults that the SG outperformed the CG. CONCLUSION These findings newly suggest that using imagery helps to sustain older adults' route learning ability, especially in spatial recall tasks demanding the active manipulation of spatial information learnt, such as locating landmarks previously encountered while navigating a path. These results are discussed within the aging and spatial cognition frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Carbone
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Meneghetti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Erika Borella
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Rashid Izullah F, Af Schulten A, Koivisto M, Nieminen V, Luimula M, HÄmÄlÄinen H. Differential interactions of age and sleep deprivation in driving and spatial perception by male drivers in a virtual reality environment. Scand J Psychol 2021; 62:787-797. [PMID: 34148239 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
We determined the effects of age and sleep deprivation on driving and spatial perception in a virtual reality environment. Twenty-two young (mean age: 22 years, range: 18-35) and 23 old (mean age: 71 years, range: 65-79) participants were tested after a normal night of sleep and a night of sleep deprivation. The participants drove a virtual car while responding to uni- and bilateral visual and auditory stimuli. Driving errors (crossing the lane borders), reaction times and accuracy to visual and auditory stimuli, performance in psychological tests, and subjective driving ability and tiredness were measured. Age had no effect on the number of driving errors, whereas sleep deprivation increased significantly especially the number of left lane border crossings. Age increased the number of stimulus detection errors, while sleep deprivation increased the number of errors particularly in the young and in the auditory modality as response omissions. Age and sleep deprivation together increased the number of response omissions in both modalities. Left side stimulus omissions suggest a bias to the right hemispace. The subjective evaluations were consistent with the objective measures. The psychological tests were more sensitive to the effects of age than to those of sleep deprivation. Driving simulation in a virtual reality setting is sensitive in detecting the effects of deteriorating factors on both driving and simultaneous spatial perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faramosh Rashid Izullah
- Department of Psychology, and Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Anna Af Schulten
- Department of Psychology, and Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Mika Koivisto
- Department of Psychology, and Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Valtteri Nieminen
- Department of Psychology, and Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Mika Luimula
- Turku Game Lab, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland
| | - Heikki HÄmÄlÄinen
- Department of Psychology, and Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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8
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Colomé À, Núñez-Peña MI. Processing of Ordinal Information in Math-Anxious Individuals. Front Psychol 2021; 12:566614. [PMID: 33967874 PMCID: PMC8096927 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.566614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate whether the ordinal judgments of high math-anxious (HMA) and low math-anxious (LMA) individuals differ. Two groups of 20 participants with extreme scores on the Shortened Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (sMARS) had to decide whether a triplet of numbers was presented in ascending order. Triplets could contain one-digit or two-digit numbers and be formed by consecutive numbers (counting condition), numbers with a constant distance of two or three (balanced) or numbers with variable distances between them (neutral). All these triplets were also presented unordered: sequence order in these trials could be broken at the second (D2) or third (D3) number. A reverse distance effect (worse performance for ordered balanced than for counting trials) of equal size was found in both anxiety groups. However, HMA participants made more judgment errors than their LMA peers when they judged one-digit counting ordered triplets. This effect was related to worse performance of HMA individuals on a symmetry span test and might be related to group differences on working memory. Importantly, HMAs were less accurate than LMA participants at rejecting unordered D2 sequences. This result is interpreted in terms of worse cognitive flexibility in HMA individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Àngels Colomé
- Section of Cognitive Processes, Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Isabel Núñez-Peña
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Section of Quantitative Psychology, Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Effects of prior-task failure on arithmetic performance: A study in young and older adults. Mem Cognit 2021; 49:1236-1246. [PMID: 33686549 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-021-01161-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Effects of prior-task failure (i.e., decreased performance on a target task following failure on a prior task) were tested in young and older adults. Young and older participants (N=120) accomplished a computational estimation task (i.e., providing the best estimates to arithmetic problems) before and after accomplishing a dot comparison task in a control or in a failure condition. Both groups decreased their performance on the target computational estimation following failure on the prior dot comparison task. Also, prior-task failure led young and older adults to select the better strategy less often and to use the easier strategy more often. Our findings show, for the first time, impaired performance after experiencing failure in both young and older adults. We discuss implications of these findings for further our understanding of effects of task transitions (i.e., prior-task success and failure) on cognitive performance.
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10
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Hertzog C, Pearman A, Lustig E, Hughes M. Fostering Self-Management of Everyday Memory in Older Adults: A New Intervention Approach. Front Psychol 2021; 11:560056. [PMID: 33488441 PMCID: PMC7817715 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.560056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditional memory strategy training interventions improve older adults' performance on tests of episodic memory, but have limited transfer to episodic memory tasks, let alone to everyday memory. We argue that an alternative approach is needed to assist older adults to compensate for age-related cognitive declines and to maintain functional capacity in their own natural ecologies. We outline a set of principles regarding how interventions can successfully train older adults to increase successful goal pursuit to reduce risks of everyday memory failures. We argue that training individuals to use metacognitive self-regulatory strategies to proactively manage formulation and pursuit of daily goals can compensate for age-related cognitive changes and increase the likelihood of goal attainment. We then describe an intervention approach that instantiates these principles in a multi-modal intervention that is unique in its three-phase approach: (1) individualized assessment of an individual's current approaches to self-regulation; (2) training memory strategies, self-management skills, and new habits of mind in a group training context; and (3) a behavioral shaping period in which individuals receive coaching and feedback on their efforts to use trained procedures to improve everyday cognition. A recently completed study conducted an initial test of the intervention, with highly encouraging results. We advocate further efforts to replicate, extend, and fine-tune this type of intervention. The ultimate goal is to be able to deliver the intervention in a way that increases its potential reach, including to subpopulations of older adults at risk for everyday cognitive impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Hertzog
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
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11
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Fanuel L, Portrat S, Dalla Bella S, Tillmann B, Plancher G. Do Temporal Regularities during Maintenance Benefit Short-term Memory in the Elderly? Inhibition Capacities Matter. Exp Aging Res 2020; 46:396-415. [PMID: 32538313 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2020.1776572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT Recent research has shown a benefit of temporally regular structure presented during the maintenance period in short-term memory for young adults. Because maintenance is impaired in aging, we investigated whether older adults can also benefit from the temporal regularities for maintenance and how their cognitive capacities might affect this potential benefit. METHODS Healthy older adults (range: 63-90 years old) had to memorize visually presented letters and maintain them in short-term memory for 6 s until recall. The six-second retention interval was either filled with an isochronous rhythmic sound sequence that provided a temporally regular structure or silent. RESULTS The effect of the isochronous rhythm on recall performance was modulated by inhibition capacities of older adults: as compared to silence, improved recall performance thanks to the rhythm emerged with increased inhibitory capacity of the participants. CONCLUSION Even though maintenance of older adults benefits less from the presence of temporal regularities than does the maintenance of younger ones, our findings provide evidence for improved maintenance in short-term memory for older adults in the presence of a temporally regular structure, probably due to enhanced attentional refreshing. It further provides perspectives for training and rehabilitation of age-related working memory deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lison Fanuel
- Université Lumiére Lyon 2, Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs , Bron, France.,CNRS, UMR5292; INSERM, U1028; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Lyon, F-69000, France.,University Lyon 1 , Villeurbanne, F-69000, France
| | - Sophie Portrat
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 , Grenoble, France
| | - Simone Dalla Bella
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Montreal , Montreal, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Canada.,University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Barbara Tillmann
- CNRS, UMR5292; INSERM, U1028; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Lyon, F-69000, France.,University Lyon 1 , Villeurbanne, F-69000, France
| | - Gaën Plancher
- Université Lumiére Lyon 2, Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs , Bron, France
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Federico F, Marotta A, Orsolini M, Casagrande M. Aging in cognitive control of social processing: evidence from the attention network test. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2020; 28:128-142. [PMID: 31939716 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2020.1715336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Aging seems to be associated with impairment of attentional network functioning. It is not known whether social information can modulate this age-related decline. We used three variants of Attention Network test to examine the age-related decline of attentional effects in response to stimuli with and without social-cognitive content. Three groups of younger, middle-aged, and older participants performed the ANT, using fish, drawings, or photographs of faces looking to the left or right as target and flanker stimuli. The results showed that both executive attention and alerting were more resistant to the age-related decline with social stimuli and that orienting attention scores showed a progressive increase with age in the presence of this kind of stimuli. These findings underline the importance of social information in modulating and contrasting the age-related decline and support the status of human faces as a special class of visual stimuli for the human attentional systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Federico
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome , Roma, Italy
| | - Andrea Marotta
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada , Granada, Spain
| | - Margherita Orsolini
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome , Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Casagrande
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome , Roma, Italy
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13
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Bouazzaoui B, Fay S, Guerrero-Sastoque L, Semaine M, Isingrini M, Taconnat L. Memory Age-based Stereotype Threat: Role of Locus of Control and Anxiety. Exp Aging Res 2019; 46:39-51. [DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2019.1693009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- B. Bouazzaoui
- Université de Tours, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Tours, France
| | - S. Fay
- Université de Tours, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Tours, France
| | - L. Guerrero-Sastoque
- Université de Tours, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Tours, France
| | - M. Semaine
- Université de Tours, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Tours, France
| | - M. Isingrini
- Université de Tours, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Tours, France
| | - L. Taconnat
- Université de Tours, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, Tours, France
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14
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Gibson EC, Barker MS, Martin AK, Robinson GA. Initiation, Inhibition and Strategy Generation Across the Healthy Adult Lifespan. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2019; 34:511-523. [PMID: 30084878 DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acy057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Executive functions are crucial for adaptive behavior in novel contexts. In healthy aging, these abilities are more sensitive to dysfunction than other cognitive abilities. The effect of aging on initiation, inhibition, and strategy use was investigated via performance on the Hayling Sentence Completion Test. METHOD The standard Hayling Test and baseline cognitive tests were administered to healthy adults (N = 344), aged 18-89 years (cross-sectional study). Bivariate Pearson's correlations, partial correlations, and regression analyses were used to assess the impact of aging on the components of the Hayling Test. RESULTS There were significant positive correlations between age and response time for both Initiation and Suppression, and the number of Suppression Errors. Further, older age was negatively associated with strategy use. These findings remained significant after controlling for demographic factors such as education and crystallized intelligence and other cognitive functions sensitive to aging such as fluid intelligence, attention, working memory and semantic and phonemic word fluency. CONCLUSIONS This study provides clarification of the effect of age on the processes of initiation, inhibition, and strategy generation across the adult lifespan. The focus and analysis of strategy on the Hayling Test provides clinicians with an additional and valuable measure of executive functioning. That is, it provides insight into how older adults may be able to compensate for decline in these processes, and thus maximize quality of life and independence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Gibson
- Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Megan S Barker
- Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Andrew K Martin
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Gail A Robinson
- Neuropsychology Research Unit, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Queensland Institute of Medical Research Berghofer, Brisbane, Australia
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15
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Wagnon CC, Wehrmann K, Klöppel S, Peter J. Incidental Learning: A Systematic Review of Its Effect on Episodic Memory Performance in Older Age. Front Aging Neurosci 2019; 11:173. [PMID: 31379557 PMCID: PMC6650531 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Episodic memory is the capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information of specific past events. Several studies have shown that the decline in episodic memory accompanies aging, but most of these studies assessed memory performance through intentional learning. In this approach, the individuals deliberately acquire knowledge. Yet, another method to evaluate episodic memory performance-receiving less attention by the research community-is incidental learning. Here, participants do not explicitly intent to learn. Incidental learning becomes increasingly important over the lifespan, since people spend less time in institutions where intentional learning is required (e.g., school, university, or at work). Yet, we know little how incidental learning impacts episodic memory performance in advanced age. Likewise, the neural mechanisms underlying incidental learning in older age remain largely unknown. Thus, the immediate goal of this review was to summarize the existing literature on how incidental learning changes with age and how neural mechanisms map onto these age-related changes. We considered behavioral as well as neuroimaging studies using incidental learning paradigms (alone or in combination with intentional learning) to assess episodic memory performance in elderly adults. We conducted a systematic literature search on the Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, and OVID SP databases and searched the reference lists of articles. The search yielded 245 studies, of which 34 concerned incidental learning and episodic memory in older adults. In sum, these studies suggest that aging particularly affects episodic memory after incidental learning for cognitively demanding tasks. Monitoring deficits in older adults might account for these findings since cognitively demanding tasks need increased attentional resources. On a neuronal level, dysregulation of the default-mode-network mirrors monitoring deficits, with an attempt to compensate through increased frontal activity. Future (neuroimaging) studies should systematically evaluate retrieval tasks with diverging cognitive load and consider the influence of attention and executive functions in more detail.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jessica Peter
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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16
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Soltanlou M, Artemenko C, Dresler T, Fallgatter AJ, Nuerk HC, Ehlis AC. Oscillatory EEG Changes During Arithmetic Learning in Children. Dev Neuropsychol 2019; 44:325-338. [PMID: 30864846 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2019.1586906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Most studies have investigated brain activation changes after the course of arithmetic learning, and the question remains whether these changes are detectable during the course of learning, i.e., before memory consolidation. Twenty-four fifth graders solved multiplication problems while ongoing electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. The arithmetic training revealed reduced errors together with a power increase in theta (4-7 Hz) but not in lower alpha (8-10 Hz) or upper alpha (10-13 Hz) bands. We conclude that increases in theta power subserved a shift from slow, procedural strategies to more efficient, automated procedural and retrieval strategies, which led to more efficient performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Soltanlou
- a Department of Psychology , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,b LEAD Graduate School & Research Network , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,c Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Christina Artemenko
- a Department of Psychology , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,b LEAD Graduate School & Research Network , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Thomas Dresler
- b LEAD Graduate School & Research Network , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,d Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University Hospital Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- b LEAD Graduate School & Research Network , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,d Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University Hospital Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,e Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Excellence Cluster , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Nuerk
- a Department of Psychology , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,b LEAD Graduate School & Research Network , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,c Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- b LEAD Graduate School & Research Network , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany.,d Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University Hospital Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
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17
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Nicholls LAB, English B. Multimodal coding and strategic approach in young and older adults’ visual working memory performance. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2019; 27:83-113. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2019.1585515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Brad English
- Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Clinical Psychology Department, Fern House, Highbury Hospital, Nottingham, UK
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18
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Wong AL, Marvel CL, Taylor JA, Krakauer JW. Can patients with cerebellar disease switch learning mechanisms to reduce their adaptation deficits? Brain 2019; 142:662-673. [PMID: 30689760 PMCID: PMC6391651 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awy334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Systematic perturbations in motor adaptation tasks are primarily countered by learning from sensory-prediction errors, with secondary contributions from other learning processes. Despite the availability of these additional processes, particularly the use of explicit re-aiming to counteract observed target errors, patients with cerebellar degeneration are surprisingly unable to compensate for their sensory-prediction error deficits by spontaneously switching to another learning mechanism. We hypothesized that if the nature of the task was changed-by allowing vision of the hand, which eliminates sensory-prediction errors-patients could be induced to preferentially adopt aiming strategies to solve visuomotor rotations. To test this, we first developed a novel visuomotor rotation paradigm that provides participants with vision of their hand in addition to the cursor, effectively setting the sensory-prediction error signal to zero. We demonstrated in younger healthy control subjects that this promotes a switch to strategic re-aiming based on target errors. We then showed that with vision of the hand, patients with cerebellar degeneration could also switch to an aiming strategy in response to visuomotor rotations, performing similarly to age-matched participants (older controls). Moreover, patients could retrieve their learned aiming solution after vision of the hand was removed (although they could not improve beyond what they retrieved), and retain it for at least 1 year. Both patients and older controls, however, exhibited impaired overall adaptation performance compared to younger healthy controls (age 18-33 years), likely due to age-related reductions in spatial and working memory. Patients also failed to generalize, i.e. they were unable to adopt analogous aiming strategies in response to novel rotations. Hence, there appears to be an inescapable obligatory dependence on sensory-prediction error-based learning-even when this system is impaired in patients with cerebellar disease. The persistence of sensory-prediction error-based learning effectively suppresses a switch to target error-based learning, which perhaps explains the unexpectedly poor performance by patients with cerebellar degeneration in visuomotor adaptation tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron L Wong
- Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA, USA
| | - Cherie L Marvel
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jordan A Taylor
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - John W Krakauer
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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19
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Frank DJ, Touron DR. The Role of Task Understanding on Younger and Older Adults' Performance. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2019; 74:264-274. [PMID: 27988483 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbw165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Age-related performance decrements have been linked to inferior strategic choices. Strategy selection models argue that accurate task representations are necessary for choosing appropriate strategies. But no studies to date have compared task representations in younger and older adults. Metacognition research suggests age-related deficits in updating and utilizing strategy knowledge, but other research suggests age-related sparing when information can be consolidated into a coherent mental model. Method Study 1 validated the use of concept mapping as a tool for measuring task representation accuracy. Study 2 measured task representations before and after a complex strategic task to test for age-related decrements in task representation formation and updating. Results Task representation accuracy and task performance were equivalent across age groups. Better task representations were related to better performance. However, task representation scores remained fairly stable over the task with minimal evidence of updating. Discussion Our findings mirror those in the mental model literature suggesting age-related sparing of strategy use when information can be integrated into a coherent mental model. Future research should manipulate the presence of a unifying context to better evaluate this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Frank
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
| | - Dayna R Touron
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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20
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Cavallini E, Bottiroli S, Dunlosky J, Ambiel E, Lux A, Hertzog C. Strategy-adaptation memory training: predictors of older adults’ training gains. OPEN PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/psych-2018-0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractOver the past decades, memory training interventions have been developed in an attempt to stabilize or enhance memory functioning in aging. Only recently has attention been paid to individual differences in training gains and consequently to predictors of such gains. The aim of the present study was to identify which specific cognitive mechanisms/processes or components of the intervention were responsible for the desired change and which individuals were more responsive to memory strategic training. Eighty-one older adults (aged 55 to 82) were involved in a four-session strategy-adaptation training based on a learner-oriented approach that has previously been found to be effective in improving memory performance in practiced and untrained tasks. Results showed that baseline performance in memory tasks predicted the gains in the practiced task. Baseline performance in memory tasks and other cognitive variables, such as working memory, processing speed, and verbal knowledge predicted transfer effects. Interestingly, we found that the magnitude of training gain on the associative memory practiced task predicted the gains in the transfer tasks, suggesting those who best implemented the targeted strategies during training realized greater transfer to other tasks. Our study shows that older adults with larger cognitive resources will benefit more from interventions focused on the generalization via active processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Cavallini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Sara Bottiroli
- Giustino Fortunato University, Benevento, 82100, Italy; IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | | | - Erika Ambiel
- Hildebrand Clinic, Brissago, CH-6614, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Lux
- C.I.S.A.S. Santhià, Santhià, 13048, Italy
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21
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Kuhlmann BG. Topical Issue on Strategy Contributions to Cognitive Aging. OPEN PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/psych-2018-0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractAlthough some cognitive decline with healthy aging appears inevitable, previous research on strategy instruction and training has repeatedly demonstrated that older adults can substantially improve their cognitive performance through effective strategies. At the same time, age-related changes in strategy repertoire, distribution, execution, and selection have also been documented and, in part, been shown to contribute to the observed age-related deficits in cognitive performance. Authored by researchers from France, Germany, Italy, and the U.S., the nine articles of this Topical Issue on Strategy Contributions to Cognitive Aging provide novel insights on age-related differences (and similarities) in strategies across a variety of cognitive domains (episodic [item, source, event] memory, metamemory, decision making, and numeracy), ranging from new insights on traditional memory-encoding strategies such as self-generation to the discovery of novel strategies involved in event memory, metamemory, and numerosity comparison. Further, a review of event segmentation training and two novel training studies demonstrate much potential for the improvement of older adults’ cognitive performance, transferring beyond the trained task—but also identify for whom cognitive strategy training may be less beneficial, necessitating a more intensive or different training approach. All in all, this Topical Issue provides a comprehensive picture of age-related changes in cognitive strategies and means to improve older adults’ strategic approach to cognitive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice G. Kuhlmann
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Schloss EO 240, 68131Mannheim, Germany
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22
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Roquet A, Lemaire P. Strategy variability in numerosity comparison task: a study in young and older adults. OPEN PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1515/psych-2018-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractWe investigated strategies used by young and older adults in dot comparison tasks to further our understanding of mechanisms underlying numerosity discrimination and age-related differences therein. The participants were shown a series of two dot collections and asked to select the largest collection. Analyses of verbal protocols collected on each trial, solution times, and percentages of errors documented the strategy repertoire and strategy distribution in young and older adults. Based on visual features of dot collections, both young and older adults used a set of 9 strategies and selected strategies on a trial-by-trial basis. The findings also documented age-related differences (i.e., strategy preferences) and similarities (e.g., number of strategies used by individuals) in strategies and performance. Strategy variability found here has important implications for understanding numerosity comparison and contrasts with previous findings suggesting that participants use a single strategy when they compare dot collections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrick Lemaire
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université, 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331MarseilleFrance
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23
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Optimizing memory strategy use in young and older adults: The role of metamemory and internal strategy use. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019; 192:73-86. [PMID: 30453098 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We explored whether experiencing differential efficacy of reading and generation for memory in an initial learning trial led younger and older adults to improve recall of read items in a subsequent learning trial, leading to a reduction of the generation effect. In the first trial, generation improved the memory performance of both young and older adults. However, in Trial 2, the generation effect remained significant for older adults only, confirming that they did not change the way they processed read items, unlike the young adults. The older adults were also less spontaneously aware that generation led to better memory performance in the first trial, and, in contrast to the young adults, awareness did not result in a reduction of the generation effect. Moreover, the age-related differences in generation effect reduction were mediated by an independent measure of self-reported internal strategy use. However, when an appropriate environmental support was provided between both trials, older adults improved read items recall at the second trial as well as younger ones, leading to an elimination of the generation advantage for both groups. Environmental support reduced the implication of internal strategy use in the generation effect reduction, suggesting that age-related differences in the implementation of effective encoding processes in Trial 2 would be the consequence of a metamemory deficit, and reduced capacity to self-initiate internal strategies.
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24
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Ganor-Stern D. Approximation processes in arithmetic in old adulthood. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200136. [PMID: 30001333 PMCID: PMC6042710 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Young and old adults estimated the results of multidigit multiplication problems relative to a reference number. Old adults were slower but slightly more accurate than young adults. They were less affected by the distance between the reference number and the exact answer than the young adults. The same strategies reported by past research–the approximated calculation strategy and the sense of magnitude strategy—were found here. The old adults showed a stronger preference toward the approximated calculation strategy than the young ones, and this probably led to the reduced effect of distance. These patterns are interpreted as reflecting two factors. The first is the extensive experience of the old adults with mental calculation, and the second is the decline in processing speed and in working memory resources with adulthood. The former is responsible for the more frequent use of the approximated calculation strategy and for the higher accuracy of the old adults, while the latter is responsible for their slower responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Ganor-Stern
- Psychology Department, Achva Academic College, Achva, Israel
- * E-mail:
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25
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Toril P, Reales JM, Mayas J, Ballesteros S. Effects of age and type of picture on visuospatial working memory assessed with a computerized jigsaw-puzzle task. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2017; 25:852-873. [PMID: 28914146 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1377680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the effect of age and color in a computerized version of the jigsaw-puzzle task. In Experiment 1, young and older adults were presented with puzzles in color and black-and-white line drawings, varying in difficulty from 4 to 9 pieces. Older adults performed the task better with the black-and-white stimuli and younger adults performed better with the color ones. In Experiment 2, new older and young adults identified the same fragmented pictures as fast and accurately as possible. The older group identified the black-and-white stimuli faster than those presented in color, while the younger adults identified both similarly. In Experiment 3A, new older and young groups performed the puzzle task with the same color pictures and their monochrome versions. In Experiment 3B, participants performed a speeded identification task with the two sets. The findings of these experiments showed that older adults have a memory not a perceptual difficulty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Toril
- a Studies on Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain.,b Department of Basic Psychology II , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain
| | - José M Reales
- a Studies on Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain.,c Department of Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain
| | - Julia Mayas
- a Studies on Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain.,b Department of Basic Psychology II , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain
| | - Soledad Ballesteros
- a Studies on Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain.,b Department of Basic Psychology II , Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , Madrid , Spain
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26
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Self-guided strategy-adaption training for older adults: Transfer effects to everyday tasks. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2017; 72:91-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2017.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 05/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Toglia J, Lahav O, Ben Ari E, Kizony R. Adult Age and Cultural Differences in Performance on the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA). Am J Occup Ther 2017; 71:7105270010p1-7105270010p8. [DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2016.020073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
OBJECTIVE. We compared performance on a cognitively demanding task, the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity, of participants in three age groups and two countries (United States and Israel).
METHOD. A sample of 375 U.S. and 433 Israeli healthy adults participated. During the activity, participants were observed for speed, accuracy, strategy use, and efficiency.
RESULTS. Accuracy scores were similar in both countries; however, Israeli participants were slower and less efficient (p < .05). The younger and middle-aged Israeli groups were more strategic and the older Israeli group followed fewer rules than the corresponding U.S. groups (p < .05). Older participants in both countries were less accurate, efficient, and strategic than younger participants (p < .05).
CONCLUSION. Limited strategy use and poor time allocation may contribute to difficulty managing cognitively demanding activities for older adults and may also be influenced by culture. Practitioners should consider these factors when screening people for occupational performance difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Toglia
- Joan Toglia, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is Dean, School of Health and Natural Sciences, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY;
| | - Orit Lahav
- Orit Lahav, PhD, OT, is Deputy Director, Occupational Therapy Department, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel
| | - Eynat Ben Ari
- Eynat Ben Ari, PhD, OTR, is Faculty, Department of Occupational Therapy, Steyer School of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel Kizony
- Rachel Kizony, PhD, OT, is Senior Lecturer, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel, and Research Occupational Therapist, Department of Occupational Therapy, Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Hinault T, Lemaire P. Aging and List-Wide Modulations of Strategy Execution:A Study in Arithmetic. Exp Aging Res 2017; 43:323-336. [DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2017.1333817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hinault
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, LPC-CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Patrick Lemaire
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, LPC-CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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Abstract
Abstract. The layperson’s view associates aging with biological and cognitive losses, which could be associated with decrements in work productivity and overall contributions to society. In turn, ecological approaches to life span development suggest that successful performance can result from an adaptive employment of an individual’s physical, cognitive, or social capital in the appropriate environment. This ecological framework suggests that one must understand the demands of particular ecologies (i.e., niches) to predict whether aging is associated with failure, maintenance, or even improvements in performance. We provide examples that illustrate the importance of an ecological approach to understanding adaptation to challenging decision tasks both in the laboratory and in the wild. Overall, we propose that there are specific strategies and niches that can help older adults thrive and that more work is needed to understand the exact characteristics that lead to good performance in old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Mata
- Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ralph Hertwig
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
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30
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Krüger M, Hinder MR, Puri R, Summers JJ. Influence of Cognitive Functioning on Age-Related Performance Declines in Visuospatial Sequence Learning. Front Psychol 2017. [PMID: 28626442 PMCID: PMC5454048 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate how age-related performance differences in a visuospatial sequence learning task relate to age-related declines in cognitive functioning. Method: Cognitive functioning of 18 younger and 18 older participants was assessed using a standardized test battery. Participants then undertook a perceptual visuospatial sequence learning task. Various relationships between sequence learning and participants’ cognitive functioning were examined through correlation and factor analysis. Results: Older participants exhibited significantly lower performance than their younger counterparts in the sequence learning task as well as in multiple cognitive functions. Factor analysis revealed two independent subsets of cognitive functions associated with performance in the sequence learning task, related to either the processing and storage of sequence information (first subset) or problem solving (second subset). Age-related declines were only found for the first subset of cognitive functions, which also explained a significant degree of the performance differences in the sequence learning task between age-groups. Discussion: The results suggest that age-related performance differences in perceptual visuospatial sequence learning can be explained by declines in the ability to process and store sequence information in older adults, while a set of cognitive functions related to problem solving mediates performance differences independent of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Krüger
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of MunichMunich, Germany.,Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, HobartTAS, Australia
| | - Mark R Hinder
- Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, HobartTAS, Australia
| | - Rohan Puri
- Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, HobartTAS, Australia
| | - Jeffery J Summers
- Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Laboratory, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, HobartTAS, Australia.,Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool, United Kingdom
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31
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Tammik V, Toomela A. Dominant structure of word meanings moderates ageing-related decline in visual figure discrimination. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2016.1272604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Valdar Tammik
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Aaro Toomela
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
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32
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Cervera-Crespo T, González-Alvarez J. Age and Semantic Inhibition Measured by the Hayling Task: A Meta-Analysis. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2017; 32:198-214. [PMID: 28365747 DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acw088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Cognitive aging is commonly associated with a decrease in executive functioning (EF). A specific component of EF, semantic inhibition, is addressed in the present study, which presents a meta-analytic review of the literature that has evaluated the performance on the Hayling Sentence Completion test in young and older groups of individuals in order to assess the magnitude of the age effect. Method A systematic search involving Web of Science, PsyINFO, PsychARTICLE, and MedLine databases and Google Scholar was performed. A total of 11 studies were included in this meta-analysis, encompassing a total of 887 participants; 440 young and 447 older adults. The effect sizes for group differences on four measures of the Hayling test, latency responses and error scores on the Automatic and Inhibition sections of the test were calculated using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software package. Results The results revealed large age effects for response latencies in both the Automatic (Hedges' g = 0.81) and Inhibitory conditions (Hedges' g = 0.98), though the latter two effect sizes did not differ from each other. In contrast, analysis of errors revealed a significant difference between the small effect seen in the Automatic condition (Hedges' g = 0.13) relative to the moderate effect seen in the Inhibition condition (Hedges' g = 0.55). Conclusions These results may be important for a better understanding of the inhibitory functioning in elderly individuals, although they should be interpreted with caution because of the limited number of studies in the literature to date.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julio González-Alvarez
- Department of Basic Psychology, Clinic, and Psychobiology, University Jaume I, Castellón, Castellon de la Plana, Spain
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Poletti C, Sleimen-Malkoun R, Decker LM, Retornaz F, Lemaire P, Temprado JJ. Strategic Variations in Fitts' Task: Comparison of Healthy Older Adults and Cognitively Impaired Patients. Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 8:334. [PMID: 28163682 PMCID: PMC5247467 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed at investigating how healthy older adults (HOA) and cognitively impaired patients (CIP) differ in a discrete Fitts' aiming task. Four levels of task difficulty were used, resulting from the simultaneous manipulation of the size of the target and its distance from home position. We found that movement times (MTs) followed Fitts' law in both HOA and CIP, with the latter being significantly slower and more affected by increased task difficulty. Moreover, correlation analyses suggest that lower information processing speed (IPS) and deficits in executive functions (EFs) are associated with decline of sensorimotor performance in Fitts' task. Analyses of strategic variations showed that HOA and CIP differed in strategy repertoire (which strategies they used), strategy distribution (i.e., how often they used each available strategy), and strategy execution (i.e., how quick they were with each available strategy). These findings further our understanding of how strategic variations used in a sensorimotor task are affected by cognitive impairment in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Poletti
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), Aix-Marseille Université, CNRSMarseille, France; Institut des Sciences du Mouvement (ISM), Aix-Marseille Université, CNRSMarseille, France
| | - Rita Sleimen-Malkoun
- Institut des Sciences du Mouvement (ISM), Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Patrick Lemaire
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (LPC), Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Temprado
- Institut des Sciences du Mouvement (ISM), Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS Marseille, France
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Si J, Li H, Sun Y, Xu Y, Sun Y. Age-Related Differences of Individuals' Arithmetic Strategy Utilization with Different Level of Math Anxiety. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1612. [PMID: 27803685 PMCID: PMC5067409 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study used the choice/no-choice method to investigate the effect of math anxiety on the strategy used in computational estimation and mental arithmetic tasks and to examine age-related differences in this regard. Fifty-seven fourth graders, 56 sixth graders, and 60 adults were randomly selected to participate in the experiment. Results showed the following: (1) High-anxious individuals were more likely to use a rounding-down strategy in the computational estimation task under the best-choice condition. Additionally, sixth-grade students and adults performed faster than fourth-grade students on the strategy execution parameter. Math anxiety affected response times (RTs) and the accuracy with which strategies were executed. (2) The execution of the partial-decomposition strategy was superior to that of the full-decomposition strategy on the mental arithmetic task. Low-math-anxious persons provided more accurate answers than did high-math-anxious participants under the no-choice condition. This difference was significant for sixth graders. With regard to the strategy selection parameter, the RTs for strategy selection varied with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiwei Si
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University Jinan, China
| | - Hongxia Li
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University Jinan, China
| | - Yan Sun
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University Jinan, China
| | - Yanli Xu
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University Jinan, China
| | - Yu Sun
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University Jinan, China
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Hinault T, Lemaire P. What does EEG tell us about arithmetic strategies? A review. Int J Psychophysiol 2016; 106:115-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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van de Vijver I, Ridderinkhof KR, Harsay H, Reneman L, Cavanagh JF, Buitenweg JIV, Cohen MX. Frontostriatal anatomical connections predict age- and difficulty-related differences in reinforcement learning. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 46:1-12. [PMID: 27460144 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Reinforcement learning (RL) is supported by a network of striatal and frontal cortical structures that are connected through white-matter fiber bundles. With age, the integrity of these white-matter connections declines. The role of structural frontostriatal connectivity in individual and age-related differences in RL is unclear, although local white-matter density and diffusivity have been linked to individual differences in RL. Here we show that frontostriatal tract counts in young human adults (aged 18-28), as assessed noninvasively with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and probabilistic tractography, positively predicted individual differences in RL when learning was difficult (70% valid feedback). In older adults (aged 63-87), in contrast, learning under both easy (90% valid feedback) and difficult conditions was predicted by tract counts in the same frontostriatal network. Furthermore, network-level analyses showed a double dissociation between the task-relevant networks in young and older adults, suggesting that older adults relied on different frontostriatal networks than young adults to obtain the same task performance. These results highlight the importance of successful information integration across striatal and frontal regions during RL, especially with variable outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene van de Vijver
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Helga Harsay
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Nieuw Unicum, Zandvoort, The Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Reneman
- Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - James F Cavanagh
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Michael X Cohen
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Aging and sequential modulations of poorer strategy effects: An EEG study in arithmetic problem solving. Brain Res 2016; 1630:144-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.10.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Looi C, Cohen Kadosh R. Brain stimulation, mathematical, and numerical training. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2016; 227:353-88. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2016.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Poletti C, Sleimen-Malkoun R, Lemaire P, Temprado JJ. Sensori-motor strategic variations and sequential effects in young and older adults performing a Fitts' task. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2016; 163:1-9. [PMID: 26587961 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Revised: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed at investigating age-related changes in strategic variations and sequential effects in discrete Fitts' aiming task. Three sequential effects were investigated, namely trial sequential difficulty effects (TSDE), strategy sequential difficulty effects (SSDE), and strategy repetition effects (SRE). After generalizing previously observed aging effects on strategic variations, our results showed that movement times were longer when performed after harder ID level than when following easier ID level (TSDE). We also observed SSDE, such that is movement times were longer when participants executed a strategy of intermediate difficulty (i.e., the progressive-deceleration strategy) after having used a more difficult strategy (i.e., the undershoot strategy) on the previous trial than after an easier strategy (i.e., the one-shot strategy). These sequential difficulty effects related to both difficulty and strategy were similar in young and older adults. In addition, we found that across two successive trials, participants tended to repeat the one-shot strategy the most often and the undershoot strategy the least often, with repetition rates of the progressive-deceleration strategy being in-between (SRE). Finally, age-related differences in strategy repetition effects varied with strategies (e.g., they were largest for the one-shot strategy). These findings have important implications for deciphering processes responsible for sequential effects in sensori-motor tasks as well as in cognitive tasks in general, and for our understanding of processes underlying sensori-motor performance in young and older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Poletti
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7290, & IUF, 13331 Marseille Cedex 03, France; Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Rita Sleimen-Malkoun
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm, INS UMR 1106, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France
| | - Patrick Lemaire
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7290, & IUF, 13331 Marseille Cedex 03, France
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Taillan J, Ardiale E, Lemaire P. Relationships between strategy switching and strategy switch costs in young and older adults: a study in arithmetic problem solving. Exp Aging Res 2015; 41:136-56. [PMID: 25724013 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2015.1001651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: This study investigated age-related differences in within-item strategy switching (i.e., revising initial strategy choices to select a better strategy while solving a given problem) and in strategy switch costs (i.e., longer latencies when participants switch strategies than when they do not switch strategy during strategy execution). METHODS In a computational estimation task, participants had to give approximate products to two-digit multiplication problems (e.g., 41×67) while rounding up (i.e., do 50×70 for 41×67) or rounding down (i.e., do 40×60 for 41×67) operands to their nearest decades. After executing a cued strategy during 1000 ms, participants had the possibility to switch to another strategy (or repeat the same strategy) in a selection condition. In an execution condition, participants were forced to repeat the same strategy or to switch to another strategy. RESULTS It was found that (1) older adults were less able than young adults to switch strategy after starting to execute a cued strategy (36.1% vs. 45.8%); (2) older adults showed larger switch costs than young adults (422 vs. 223 ms); and (3) strategy switches and strategy switch costs correlated in older adults but not in young adults. CONCLUSION These findings have important implications for our understanding of the mechanisms underlying within-item strategy switching and aging effects on these mechanisms as well as, more generally, of strategic variations during cognitive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Taillan
- a Aix-Marseille Université and CNRS , Marseille , France
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Geurten M, Chevignard M, Kerrouche B, Tiberghien A, Meulemans T. Metamemory following childhood brain injury: A consequence of executive impairment. Child Neuropsychol 2015; 23:67-82. [DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2015.1077945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Vanneste S, Baudouin A, Bouazzaoui B, Taconnat L. Age-related differences in time-based prospective memory: The role of time estimation in the clock monitoring strategy. Memory 2015; 24:812-25. [DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2015.1054837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Cavallini E, Bottiroli S, Capotosto E, De Beni R, Pavan G, Vecchi T, Borella E. Self-help memory training for healthy older adults in a residential care center: specific and transfer effects on performance and beliefs. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2015; 30:870-80. [PMID: 25388143 DOI: 10.1002/gps.4230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 09/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive flexibility has repeatedly been shown to improve after training programs in community-dwelling older adults, but few studies have focused on healthy older adults living in other settings. OBJECTIVES This study investigated the efficacy of self-help training for healthy older adults in a residential care center on memory tasks they practiced (associative and object list learning tasks) and any transfer to other tasks (grocery lists, face-name learning, figure-word pairing, word lists, and text learning). Transfer effects on everyday life (using a problem-solving task) and on participants' beliefs regarding their memory (efficacy and control) were also examined. With the aid of a manual, the training adopted a learner-oriented approach that directly encouraged learners to generalize strategic behavior to new tasks. The maintenance of any training benefits was assessed after 6 months. METHOD The study involved 34 residential care center residents (aged 70-99 years old) with no cognitive impairments who were randomly assigned to two programs: the experimental group followed the self-help training program, whereas the active control group was involved in general cognitive stimulation activities. RESULTS Training benefits emerged in the trained group for the tasks that were practiced. Transfer effects were found in memory and everyday problem-solving tasks and on memory beliefs. The effects of training were generally maintained in both practiced and unpracticed memory tasks. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate that learner-oriented self-help training enhances memory performance and memory beliefs, in the short term at least, even in residential care center residents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Cavallini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Sara Bottiroli
- Brain Connectivity Center, National Neurological Institute C. Mondino, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Rossana De Beni
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Tomaso Vecchi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Brain Connectivity Center, National Neurological Institute C. Mondino, Pavia, Italy
| | - Erika Borella
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Touron DR. Memory avoidance by older adults: When `old dogs' won't perform their `new tricks'. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015; 24:170-176. [PMID: 26085714 DOI: 10.1177/0963721414563730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Learning often involves a transition from responding based on an effortful initial strategy to using a faster and easier memory-based strategy. Older adults shift strategy more slowly compared to younger adults. I describe research establishing that age differences in strategy shift are impacted not only by declines in older adults' learning, but also by a volitional avoidance of memory retrieval. I also discuss the factors that influence older adults' memory avoidance, including age differences in understanding the available strategies' relative efficiency, accuracy, and effort, as well as age differences in the preference for a consistent strategic approach. Last, I consider the implications of memory avoidance for older adults' everyday functioning. This research demonstrates that volition and choice must be taken into account when studying cognitive performance and aging.
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Taillan J, Ardiale E, Anton JL, Nazarian B, Félician O, Lemaire P. Processes in arithmetic strategy selection: a fMRI study. Front Psychol 2015; 6:61. [PMID: 25698995 PMCID: PMC4316698 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging) study investigated neural correlates of strategy selection. Young adults performed an arithmetic task in two different conditions. In both conditions, participants had to provide estimates of two-digit multiplication problems like 54 × 78. In the choice condition, participants had to select the better of two available rounding strategies, rounding-up (RU) strategy (i.e., doing 60 × 80 = 4,800) or rounding-down (RD) strategy (i.e., doing 50 × 70 = 3,500 to estimate product of 54 × 78). In the no-choice condition, participants did not have to select strategy on each problem but were told which strategy to use; they executed RU and RD strategies each on a series of problems. Participants also had a control task (i.e., providing correct products of multiplication problems like 40 × 50). Brain activations and performance were analyzed as a function of these conditions. Participants were able to frequently choose the better strategy in the choice condition; they were also slower when they executed the difficult RU than the easier RD. Neuroimaging data showed greater brain activations in right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and angular gyrus (ANG), when selecting (relative to executing) the better strategy on each problem. Moreover, RU was associated with more parietal cortex activation than RD. These results suggest an important role of fronto-parietal network in strategy selection and have important implications for our further understanding and modeling cognitive processes underlying strategy selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Taillan
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
| | - Eléonore Ardiale
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Luc Anton
- Centre d'IRM Fonctionnelle Cérébrale de Marseille, CHU Timone, INT - UMR 7289 Marseille, France
| | - Bruno Nazarian
- Centre d'IRM Fonctionnelle Cérébrale de Marseille, CHU Timone, INT - UMR 7289 Marseille, France
| | - Olivier Félician
- Aix Marseille Université, INS UMR_S 1106, 13005 Marseille, France ; APHM, CHU Timone, Service de Neurologie et Neuropsychologie Marseille, France
| | - Patrick Lemaire
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
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Cohen Kadosh R. Modulating and enhancing cognition using brain stimulation: Science and fiction. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2014.996569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Füllgrabe C, Moore BCJ, Stone MA. Age-group differences in speech identification despite matched audiometrically normal hearing: contributions from auditory temporal processing and cognition. Front Aging Neurosci 2015; 6:347. [PMID: 25628563 PMCID: PMC4292733 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hearing loss with increasing age adversely affects the ability to understand speech, an effect that results partly from reduced audibility. The aims of this study were to establish whether aging reduces speech intelligibility for listeners with normal audiograms, and, if so, to assess the relative contributions of auditory temporal and cognitive processing. Twenty-one older normal-hearing (ONH; 60-79 years) participants with bilateral audiometric thresholds ≤ 20 dB HL at 0.125-6 kHz were matched to nine young (YNH; 18-27 years) participants in terms of mean audiograms, years of education, and performance IQ. Measures included: (1) identification of consonants in quiet and in noise that was unmodulated or modulated at 5 or 80 Hz; (2) identification of sentences in quiet and in co-located or spatially separated two-talker babble; (3) detection of modulation of the temporal envelope (TE) at frequencies 5-180 Hz; (4) monaural and binaural sensitivity to temporal fine structure (TFS); (5) various cognitive tests. Speech identification was worse for ONH than YNH participants in all types of background. This deficit was not reflected in self-ratings of hearing ability. Modulation masking release (the improvement in speech identification obtained by amplitude modulating a noise background) and spatial masking release (the benefit obtained from spatially separating masker and target speech) were not affected by age. Sensitivity to TE and TFS was lower for ONH than YNH participants, and was correlated positively with speech-in-noise (SiN) identification. Many cognitive abilities were lower for ONH than YNH participants, and generally were correlated positively with SiN identification scores. The best predictors of the intelligibility of SiN were composite measures of cognition and TFS sensitivity. These results suggest that declines in speech perception in older persons are partly caused by cognitive and perceptual changes separate from age-related changes in audiometric sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael A. Stone
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of ManchesterManchester, UK
- Central Manchester NHS Hospitals Foundation TrustManchester, UK
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Age-Related Differences in Plausibility-Checking Strategies During Arithmetic Problem Verification Tasks. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2015; 71:613-21. [DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbu178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Touron DR, Hertzog C. Accuracy and speed feedback: global and local effects on strategy use. Exp Aging Res 2015; 40:332-56. [PMID: 24785594 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2014.897150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Skill acquisition often involves a shift from an effortful algorithm-based strategy to more fluent memory-based performance. Older adults' slower strategy transitions can be ascribed to both slowed learning and metacognitive factors. Experimenters often provide feedback on response accuracy; this emphasis may either inadvertently reinforce older adults' conservatism or might highlight that retrieval is generally quite accurate. Response time (RT) feedback can lead to more rapid shift to retrieval (Hertzog, Touron, & Hines, 2007, Psychology and Aging, 22, 607-624). METHODS This study parametrically varied trial-by-trial feedback to examine whether strategy shifts in the noun-pair task in younger (M = 19) and older (M = 67) adults were influenced by type of performance feedback: none, trial accuracy, trial RT, or both accuracy and RT. RESULTS Older adults who received accuracy feedback retrieved more often, particularly on difficult rearranged trials, and participants who receive speed feedback performed the scanning strategy more quickly. Age differences were also obtained in local (trial-level) reactivity to task performance, but these were not affected by feedback. CONCLUSIONS Accuracy and speed feedback had distinct global (general) influences on task strategies and performance. In particular, it appears that the standard practice of providing trial-by-trial accuracy feedback might facilitate older adults' use of retrieval strategies in skill acquisition tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayna R Touron
- a Department of Psychology , University of North Carolina at Greensboro , Greensboro , North Carolina , USA
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