CAREER: Investigating the impact of learning new skills on cognitive development and motivation for functional independence in older adulthood

学习适应不断变化的环境，特别是由于技术进步，是重要的，但还没有得到充分的研究。学习适应对老年人尤其重要，因为这使他们能够保持功能独立(即独立生活)。例如，随着医疗保健提供者转向只访问患者的在线医疗记录，学习使用新的在线门户网站将允许老年人避免需要其他人访问个人医疗记录。拟议中的针对老年人的研究利用了婴儿和儿童发展的学习理论，当时认知发展是典型的，而不是较年长的成年人，当时认知发展被认为是有限的。这项拟议的研究测试了为老年人提供信息丰富和鼓励的学习环境是否会导致学习什么，以及如何在新的情况下学习(即学习迁移)。这种学习迁移被假设为在日常生活中触发新技能学习的级联效应，以提高认知能力和保持功能独立。这项研究的更广泛影响是双重的。首先，这个项目解决了对老年学习研究的迫切需求。根据美国人口普查局的数据，到2035年，美国65岁以上的老年人将超过18岁以下的儿童。大多数基于研究的保持认知能力和功能独立性的建议主要包括没有明确将学习放在优先位置的活动(例如，体育锻炼、健康饮食)，尽管需要适应不断变化的环境。这个项目的发现可能会导致对成年后认知和功能获得的更有效的干预。第二，开展研究教育活动，对公众进行老龄研究教育。除了关于老龄化研究的公开写作、演讲和视频教程外，公共研讨会将把研究人员和服务提供商聚集在一起，以加强研究及其应用的交流。将鼓励为老年人、本科生和研究生，包括加州大学河滨分校的低收入、第一代和代表性不足的学生提供有指导的研究机会，这是一个少数民族和西班牙裔服务机构。这项拟议的研究专门测试了频繁而多样的(与频繁或多样的)技能学习在老年人中的作用。对婴儿、儿童和年轻人的研究表明，频率和变异性可能对学习有独特的和综合的贡献。在为期12周的试点干预中，老年人进行了频繁而多样的技能学习，类似于本科课程的负担，他们的认知能力(工作记忆、认知控制)提高到了与年轻30岁的中年人相似的水平。非接触性控制组没有表现出任何进展。这项拟议的研究包括一项为期两年的纵向研究，比较12周频繁和不同的技能学习条件与经常或不同的技能学习条件，并进行后续评估。分析将(1)比较认知能力、动机和学习活动对功能独立性的即时和长期影响；(2)评估个体在测验前认知能力和动机对干预结果的差异。研究教育努力将打开老年人社区和研究人员之间的交流渠道，并为本科生、研究生和老年人创造研究机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Learning to adapt to a changing environment, especially due to technological advances, is important, yet understudied. Learning to adapt is especially important for older adults, as it allows them to maintain functional independence (i.e., live independently). For example, as healthcare providers move towards only accessing patients' medical records online, learning to use new online portals would allow an older adult to avoid needing someone else to access personal medical records. The proposed studies with older adults leverage learning theories from infant and child development, when cognitive growth is typical, in contrast to older adulthood, when cognitive growth is thought to be limited. The proposed research tests whether providing older adults with an informative, rich, and encouraging learning environment leads to learning what to learn, and how to learn in new situations (i.e., transfer of learning). This transfer of learning is hypothesized to trigger a cascading effect of new skill learning in daily life to increase cognitive abilities and maintain functional independence. The broader impacts of the research are twofold. First, this project addresses an urgent need for learning research in older adulthood. According to the US Census Bureau, by 2035 there will be more older adults over age 65 than children under 18 in the US. Most research-based recommendations to maintain cognitive abilities and functional independence primarily include activities that do not prioritize learning explicitly (e.g., physical exercise, healthy diet), despite the need to adapt to a constantly changing environment. The findings from this project could lead to more effective interventions for cognitive and functional gains in adulthood. Second, research-education activities will be undertaken to educate the general public on aging research. In addition to public writing, talks, and video tutorials on aging research, a public symposium will bring together researchers and service providers to enhance communication of research and its application. Mentored research opportunities for older adults, undergraduates, and graduate students, including low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students at UC Riverside, a Minority and Hispanic Serving Institution will be made encouraged. The proposed research specifically tests the role of frequent and varied (vs. frequent or varied) skill learning in older adults. Research with infants, children, and young adults suggest that frequency and variability may have both unique and combined contributions on learning. In a 12-week pilot intervention, older adults, who engaged in frequent and varied skill learning, similar to an undergraduate course load, increased their cognitive abilities (working memory, cognitive control) to levels similar to those of middle-aged adults, 30 years younger. A no-contact control group exhibited no gains. The proposed research includes a 2-year longitudinal study comparing 12-week frequent AND varied versus frequent OR varied skill learning conditions with follow-up assessments. Analyses will (1) compare the immediate and long-term impact of cognitive abilities, motivation, and learning activities on functional independence and (2) evaluate individual differences in pre-test cognitive abilities and motivation on intervention outcomes. The research-education efforts will open communication channels between older adult communities and researchers and create research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and older adults.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.