Social Cognition and Aging

 描述(申请人提供)：随着未来50年美国老年人数量的增加，我们不仅要了解那些与功能受限相关的因素，而且还要了解那些与维持功能和幸福感相关的因素。最近的研究表明，从保持认知健康的角度来看，从事需要认知的活动是有益的。例如，有证据表明，与不从事此类活动的老年人相比，从事社交、休闲和与工作相关的活动对认知资源产生需求的老年人更有可能在更长时间内保持其智力能力。鉴于这种关系和对公共卫生问题的潜在意义，重要的是理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。有趣的是，可以预测参与和表现水平的某些个人特征，如能力，并不能解释个人之间在参与方面的重大差异。在目前的项目中，我们调查了很强的可能性 与年龄相关的动机变化在决定参与艰苦的日常活动方面发挥着关键作用，参与的感知利益和参与成本指导着有关参与的决定。在拟议的研究中，我们假设与认知活动相关的体力成本--以心血管反应为指标--随着年龄的增长而增加，影响这种收益/成本分析，而晚年参与的减少与成本的增加有关。然而，我们也提出，对任务的自我关联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，对老龄化对能力的影响的负面看法可能会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)，动机可能会通过对感知利益的调整而受到影响。重要的是，关于衰老的自我关联性和信念都是潜在的可改变的，这对有效干预的发展具有意义。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的功能和幸福感方面发挥关键作用。这项拟议的研究将系统地探索(A)与认知活动相关的成本的标准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.