SOCIAL COGNITION AND AGING

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This research examines aging-related changes in cognitive functioning, with the goal of understanding how different-aged adults represent information acquired in social contexts and then use this information in making decisions. It is assumed that the ability to acquire and accurately represent information from social contexts is an important predictor of adaptive functioning. Much information relating to everyday functioning (e.g., medical, financial, consumer) is transmitted through interactions with others (e.g., Physicians, financial planners, salespersons). Thus, it is important to understand the impact that aging might have on reasoning in such contexts. In this research, two broad categories of aging-related influences on social-cognitive functioning are identified. The first has to do with basic cognitive processes. It is assumed that aging is associated with a decline in such processes, as reflected in decreases in the efficiency with which older adults can control attention and operate on information in memory. It is hypothesized that such changes lead to: (a) a reduction in the ability to accurately encode information transmitted in social interchanges; and (b) an increase in biases associated with nonconscious processes that operate in such situations. The second influence has to do with motivational factors associated with aging-related changes in life circumstances. It is hypothesized that increasing age is associated with changes in cognitive goals which, in turn, influence the attention devoted to information sources and the degree of engagement in cognitive activity. In this research, adults aged from 20 to 80 will be tested in laboratory analogues of social situations to examine the impact to these two types of influences on representation and decision making. Experiments will be conducted in which specific age-related factors are isolated and manipulated in order to gauge their impact on performance. Observed age-related differences will also be examined in relation to ability, health, and other contextual factors in order to better understand potential causal mechanisms. The long-term goal is the development of a model that will describe aging effects on social cognition and provide prescriptions for dealing with potential problems