This study explored the relationship between scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and perceptions and interpretations of interpersonal interactions. It compared 20 elderly females and 20 young females on the dimensions of loneliness, chronic loneliness, and negativeness of interpretation. No significant age differences were found, but a highly significant relationship was obtained among loneliness, chronic loneliness, and negative interpretations of interpersonal interactions. When the time elapsed since the occurrence of loneliness was taken into consideration, the correlation became even stronger. The relationship between loneliness scores and negative interpretations held true for interactions with a family member, neighbor, and authority figure. An inverse relationship was obtained between education and loneliness and between education and negativeness of interpretation. A developmental perspective of friendship and intimacy was proposed to explain severe or chronic loneliness.
Names from one of four list conditions (elderly-relevant, young-relevant, nonmeaningful) were presented to 56 young and 56 old adults. Contrary to the findings often reported in the gerontological literature on memory, with free recall the elderly adults remembered as many names as did the young. Superior performance for the young was observed only in the young-relevant list condition. The elderly adults recalled significantly more names than did the young from the elderly- and both-relevant lists. No differences were observed for the nonmeaningful list. When asked to rate their perceived performance on the memory task, however, the older adults rated themselves lower than the young adults.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.