To investigate potential age-related differences in performance gains (compensation, optimization) and losses (failure to actualize potential) of collaboration with a familiar partner, we compared pairs of older (N= 75; 69% women) and younger (N = 75; 52% women) age homogeneous same-gender friends who interacted or worked alone to generate strategies for solving interpersonal and instrumental problems. Two indexes of strategy fluency (total and unique number of strategies) and two indexes of strategy type (content of strategy repertoires, strategy selected as most effective by older and younger adults) were examined. Strategies generated by interacting pairs were compared to nominal pair scores. Nominal pair scores indexed dyadic potential and were created by pooling the performance of two individuals who worked alone. Age differences in strategy fluency and type were largely similar to prior research based on individual problem solvers. Interacting pairs produced fewer strategies than nominal pairs but there were no differences in strategy type. For interpersonal problems, older adults were relatively more likely to actualize their dyadic potential.
Keywordscollaborative cognition; nominal pairs; everyday problem solving; friends; aging Early research on "collaborative cognition" or "interactive minds" suggested older adults benefit more from working with a partner than do younger adults (Dixon, 1992;Staudinger & Baltes, 1996) Subsequent research addressed whether collaboration serves a compensatory function by allowing older adults to offset age-related cognitive declines (Dixon & Gould, 1998;Strough & Margrett, 2002). Some investigations of compensatory collaboration compared spouses to strangers. Older heterosexual spouses usually (but not always) outperform strangers on memory tasks (Johannson, Andersson, & Rönnberg, 2000; cf., Gould, Osborn, Krein, & Mortenson, 2002). Other investigations of compensatory collaboration compared memory performance in younger spouses to older spouses (e.g., Dixon & Gould, 1998). The focus on spouses and memory performance limits the generalizability of research on collaborative cognition. A spouse may not be available due to divorce, death, marital discord or because the person never married. Research with young adults indicates collaboration between friends on memory tasks can be beneficial (Andersson & Rönnberg, 1996, 1997.Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to JoNell Strough, Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506−6040. Email may be sent to JoNell.Strough@mail.wvu.edu.. Jennifer Flinn is now at Frostburg State University, Department of Psychology. Kelly Schuller is now at the College of Charleston, Department of Psychology.
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