Social Cognition and Aging

 描述（由申请人提供）：随着美国老年人的数量在未来50年内的增加，我们不仅要了解与功能限制相关的因素，而且还要了解与维持功能和福祉相关的因素。最近的研究表明，参与认知要求高的活动对保持认知健康是有益的。例如，有证据表明，参与社会，休闲和工作相关活动的老年人对认知资源的需求比那些不参与此类活动的人更有可能在更长的时间内保持其智力能力。考虑到这种关系和对公共卫生问题的潜在意义，重要的是要了解与在以后的生活中继续参与认知要求高的活动相关的因素。有趣的事实是，可能被期望预测参与和表现水平的个人的某些特征，如能力，并不能解释参与中的个人之间的实质性差异。在本项目中，我们研究了 与年龄有关的动机变化在决定参与要求很高的日常活动方面发挥着关键作用，参与的预期收益和成本指导着有关参与的决定。在拟议的研究中，我们假设，随着年龄的增长，与认知活动相关的身体成本（以心血管反应为指标）的正常增加会影响这种效益/成本分析，而晚年参与的减少与成本增加有关。然而，我们也提出，对任务的自我相关性的看法以及一个人对衰老的信念也可能影响对收益和成本的看法。例如，对老龄化对能力影响的负面看法可能导致个人夸大活动的感知成本，从而加剧成本对参与的影响。相反，如果一个人认为一项活动是自我相关的（例如，有益于认知健康），动机可能会受到影响，通过调整感知的好处。重要的是，自我相关性和对衰老的信念都是可以改变的，这对制定有效的干预措施具有影响。在认知老化的研究中，动机因素相对被忽视。然而，它们可能在决定晚年功能和福祉方面发挥关键作用。拟议的研究将系统地探讨：（a）与认知活动相关的成本的规范年龄差异如何影响动机和随后的活动参与，以及（B）调节这种关系的因素。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As the number of older adults in the United States increases over the next 50 years, it is imperative that we understand not only those factors that are associated with limitations in functioning, but also those that are associated with maintained functioning and well-being. Recent research suggests that engagement in cognitively demanding activities is beneficial in terms of preserving cognitive health. For example, there is evidence that older adults who engage in social, leisure, and work-related activities that place demands on cognitive resources are more likely to maintain their intellectual competence over longer periods of time than those who do not engage in such activities. Given this relationship and the potential significance for public health issues, it is important to understand the factors associated with continued participation in cognitively demanding activities later in life. Of interst is the fact that certain characteristics of the individual that might be expected to predict participation and level of performance, such as ability, do not account for substantial variance between individuals in participation. In the present project, we investigate the strong possibility that age-related changes in motivation play a critical role in determining participation in demanding everyday activities, with perceived benefits and costs of engagement guiding decisions regarding participation. In the proposed research, we hypothesize that normative increases with age in the physical costs associated with cognitive activity-as indexed by cardiovascular responses-affect this benefit/cost analysis, with reductions in participation in later life related to increased costs. We also propose, however, that perceptions of the self- relevance of the task as well as one's beliefs about aging may also influence perceptions of benefits and costs. For example, negative perceptions about the impact of aging on ability may lead an individual to exaggerate the perceived costs of activities, thereby exacerbating the impact of costs on participation. Conversely, if an individual believes an activity is self-relevan (e.g., beneficial to cognitive health), motivation may be affected through adjustments in perceived benefits. Importantly, both self-relevance and beliefs about aging are potentially modifiable, which has implications for the development of effective interventions. Motivational factors have been relatively neglected in the study of cognitive aging. They may, however, play a critical role in determining late-life functioning and well-being. The proposed research will systematically explore (a) how normative age differences in the costs associated with cognitive activity influence motivation and subsequent activity participation, and (b) the factors that moderate this relationship.