Two studies were conducted to investigate the aspect(s) of processing involved in the hypothesized speed mediation of adult age differences in memory. Both studies involved a serial memory task in which information was to be recalled either in the original order of presentation, or in a reordered sequence. Results from both studies indicated that task-specific processing durations were slower a...

We examined age differences in the effort required to perform the basic cognitive operations needed to achieve a specified objective outcome, and how hypothesized increases in effort requirements in later life are related to intrinsic motivation associated with enjoyment of and participation in effortful cognitive activities. Young (N = 59; 20-40 years) and older (N = 57; 64-85 years) adults pe...

Estimates of controlled and automatic processes hypothesized to underlie performance in a memory task and in an attention task were derived for 115 participants from 18 to 78 years of age using the process-dissociation procedure. Participants also performed speed and neuropsychological tests that were suspected to be negatively related to age. Process estimates showed good reliability (from .76...

Samples of adults across a wide age range performed a battery of 16 cognitive tests in 3 sessions within an interval of approximately 2 weeks. Estimates of within-person variability across the 3 assessments were relatively large and were equivalent in magnitude to the cross-sectional age differences expected over an interval of 15-25 years. These findings raise questions about the precision of ...

BACKGROUND driving anxiety and fear can have a marked impact on mobility and independence, although there is no data on the prevalence of this problem, and specific information about the rate of driving anxiety and fear in older adults is unknown. METHODS the present study examines the prevalence of self-reported driving anxiety and fear in a sample of 2,491 adults aged 55-72 from a longitudi...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is the evaluation of how the decline of cognitive abilities caused by aging is moderated by biologically determined personality dimensions: Neuroticism (N) and Extraversion (E). MATERIALS AND METHODS The research was conducted with the participation of 160 men in good physical health, professional drivers, aged 20-70 (Mean = 40, SD = 11). Personality trait...

AIM This study aimed to examine sex and age differences of various stepping movements in the elderly and to clarify useful stepping movements for evaluation of their dynamic balance. METHODS Two hundred and eighty-six healthy elderly subjects who could walk independently (male mean age = 71.2 +/- 7.1 years; female mean age = 71.5 +/- 6.0) performed the following stepping tests: back and forth...

OBJECTIVES To investigate age differences in working memory processing, specifically the accuracy of retrieval of items stored outside the immediate focus of attention. METHODS Younger and older adults were tested on a modified N-Back task with probes presented in an unpredictable order (implying also that some trials necessitated a switch in the focus of attention and others that did not). ...

The purpose of this project was to describe the behavior management procedures employed for child dental patients based on practitioner type (general dentist vs. pediatric dentist), age, and geographic location. A survey of practice characteristics, which included questions relating to child behavior management, was mailed once to a national random sample of 3000 dentists--2000 general dentists...

OBJECTIVES In prior research, older adults were found to be less responsive to social slights than younger adults, but the mechanisms behind such effects have remained unclear. The present study examined age differences in susceptibility to the deleterious effects of social exclusion and investigated the explanatory role of cognitive and socioemotional variables. METHOD Forty younger adults (...