Research suggests that performance on cognitive tasks resembling daily challenges (i.e., everyday problem-solving tasks) may be a better indicator of functional ability in old age compared to traditional measures of cognitive ability. Findings demonstrating this link, however, have yielded mixed results. The current study examined performance on the Everyday Problems Test (EPT) and self-reported ability to perform Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) in a sample of adults over age 50. The EPT measures cognitive performance on tasks with domains consistent with IADLs (telephone use, shopping, meal preparation, housekeeping, transportation, health and finances). Although overall EPT scores and self-reported IADLs were significantly related (rs = 0.20; p < 0.05), additional analyses revealed that domain-specific EPT performance related to IADL reports within the same domain for shopping, meal preparation, housekeeping, and financial management after accounting for other variables such as age, sex, and measures of cognitive ability including total EPT score. These findings suggest that domain-specific performance on cognitive everyday problem-solving tasks may add to the predictability of specific IADLs.
Adult collaborative cognition research suggests that working with a partner is generally beneficial to performance; however, little research has investigated the relation between the interactive behaviors and collaborative outcome. The present study examined four interactive behaviors exhibited by familiar (i.e., married spouses) and unfamiliar (i.e., other-sex strangers) older adult dyads during collaborative performance on an everyday problem-solving measure. Results indicated that (a) interactive behaviors were related to partner familiarity and whether dyads first attempted the problems individually or collaboratively, (b) the nature of the interactive behaviors differed over the course of task completion, and (c) interactive behaviors were linked to performance outcome.
The various characteristics that differentiate older homeless populations (e.g., health, social support, homelessness duration, and employment) could create potential barriers to overcoming homelessness that should be considered when serving this population.
Service learning is a pedagogical technique that integrates traditional coursework with activities outside the classroom that meet the needs of the community. Gerontology-focused service learning has been incorporated into many courses that cover aging content and is believed to be beneficial to the learning process. Other research has demonstrated that service learning in general has benefits, regardless of the age of the service recipient. It is unclear whether benefits associated with gerontology-focused service learning are unique to experiences with older adults or are a product of the general benefits associated with this pedagogy. This study examined student responses to gerontology-focused service learning compared to youth-focused service learning. The results revealed that students working with older adults reported more negative expectations related to the assignment, more positive experiences interacting with the service recipients, and more reports of learning benefits attributed to service learning.
The present study examined interactive behaviors in older adults (N = 80 individuals). The main goal of the current study was to examine the process of collaboration and how the interactive process related to the collaborative outcome. Three research questions were addressed. First, did partners exhibit similar levels of interactive behavior or did collaborative behaviors vary by partner familiarity, performance order, or sex? Second, to what extent did individual variables predict interactive behaviors? Finally, how were the dyadic interactive behaviors related to the outcome of the collaboration? The proportion of interactive behaviors varied based on performance order and partner familiarity. In addressing the second specific aim of this study, it was found that performance order, partner familiarity, and partner characteristics were predictive of select interactive behaviors. The third aim of the current study suggests that performance order, partner familiarity, and partner's interactive behaviors were significant predictors of the collaborative outcome. xii LIST OF APPENDICIES
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