Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T14:23:04.630Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A longitudinal study of psychological changes in cognition and self in late life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Mary A. Luszcz
Mary A. Luszcz*
Affiliation:
Flinders University Of South Australia
*
Professor in School of Psychology and Centre for Ageing Studies, Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Ph: (08) 8201 2481, Fax: (08) 8201 3877, E-mail: mary.luszcz@flinders.edu.a

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The diversity and resilience characteristic of the closing phases of human development are investigated by longitudinal study of change and development in about the last 30 years of the life-span. The Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA) is a population-based psychobiosocial and behavioural study of a cohort of 1,947 adults from Adelaide over the age of 70 years. Four annual waves of data collection started in 1992. At Waves 1 and 3, an extensive personal interview covered psychological, behavioural, social, biomedical, economic, and other contextuol variables. Participants also had the opportunity to provide psychological data on cognitive and psychosocial (self) dimensions through completion of a series of objective assessments and standard paper-and-pencil inventories. Data from these two waves is used to describe and explain changes in cognitive and psychosocial domains, particularly the complexity of functioning, potential gains and losses in memory and well-being, and the interplay amongst these aspects of functioning. Once a range of noncognitive and cognitive contextual factors are taken into account, individual differences in processing and intrapersonal resources contribute significantly and substantially to functioning in each domain, and the contribution from ageing per se is minimised. Furthermore, a “limited impact” hypothesis of late life development suggests that later declines may be a byproduct of rather large decrements in some subset of a population, with the majority showing stability. Insofar as heterogeneity increases with ageing, age per se is increasingly less able to predict functioning. This work identifies some key sources of heterogeneity that may be indicative of ageing well.

Keywords

ageingcognitive functioninglife-span human developmentlongitudinalpsychological changesresiliencesense of self
Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , December 1998 , pp. 39 - 61
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 1998

References

Abeles, R. (1991). Sense of control, quality of life, and frail older people. In Birren, J.E. (Ed.), The concept and measurement of quality of life in the frail elderly (pp. 297–314). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Achenbaum, W.A., & Bengtson, V.L. (1994). Re-engaging the disengagement theory of aging: On the history and assessment of theory development in gerontology. The Gerontologist, 34, 756–757.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996). Projections of the population of Australia, States and Territories, 1995–2051 (Cat No. 3222.0). Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service (AGPS).Google Scholar
Bachman, J.G., O’Malley, P.M., & Johnson, J. (1978). Adolescence to adulthood. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.Google Scholar
Baltes, M.M., & Lang, F.R. (1997). Everyday functioning and successful aging: The impact of resources. Psychology and Aging, 12, 433–443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baltes, P.B. (1987). Theoretical propositions of life-span developmental psychology: On the dynamics between growth and decline. Developmental Psychology, 23, 611–626.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baltes, P.B., & Baltes, M.M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. In Baltes, P.B., & Baltes, M.M. (Eds.), Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral sciences (pp. 1–34). New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baltes, P.B., & Smith, J. (1997). A systemic-wholistic view of psychological functioning in very old age: Introduction to a collection of articles from the Berlin Aging Study. Psychology and Aging, 12, 395–409.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baltes, P.B., Lindenberger, U., & Staudinger, U.M. (1998). Life-span theory in developmental psychology. In Damon, W. (Series Ed.), & Lemer, R.M. (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol 1. Theoretical models of human development (5th ed., pp. 1029–1143). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Baltes, P.B., Reese, H., & Lipsett, L.P. (1980). Life-span developmental psychology. Annual Review of Psychology 31, 65–110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berg, C.A. (1996). Practical intelligence and problem solving: Searching for perspectives. In Blanchard-Fields, F., & Hess, T.M. (Eds.), Perspectives on cognitive change in adulthood and aging (pp. 323–357). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Berkman, L.F., Seeman, T.E., Albert, M., Blazer, D., Kahn, R., Mohs, R., Finch, C., Schneider, E., Cotman, C., McClearn, G., Nesselroade, J., Featheraian, D., Garmezy, N., McKhann, G., Brim, G., Prager, D., & Rowe, J. (1993). High, usual, and impaired functioning in community-dwelling older men and women: Findings from the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Aging. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 46, 1129–1140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bosworth, H.B., Schaie, K.W., & Willis, S.L. (1996). Distance to death in the Seattle longitudinal study: Cognitive, personality, and sociodemographic predictors. Paper presented at the meeting of the Cognitive Aging Conference, Atlanta, GA.Google Scholar
Bryan, J., & Luszcz, M.A. (1996). Speed of information processing as a mediator between age and free recall performance. Psychology and Aging, 11, 3–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carstensen, L.L. (1995). Evidence for a life-span theory of socioemotional selectivity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 151–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christensen, H., Mackinnon, A., Jorm, A.F., Henderson, A.S., Scott, L.R., & Korten, A.E. (1994). Age differences and interindividual variation in cognition in community-dwelling elderly. Psychology and Aging, 9, 381–390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, M.S., & Bond, M.J. (1995). The Adelaide Activities Profile: A measure of the lifestyle activities of elderly people. Aging: Clinical and Experimental Research, 7, 174–184.Google ScholarPubMed
Cole, M. (1996). Interacting minds in a life-span perspective: A cultural/historical approach to culture and cognitive development. In Baltes, P.B. & Staudinger, U.M. (Eds.), Interactive minds: Life-span perspectives on the social foundation of cognition (pp. 59–87). New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Diener, E. (1994). Assessing subjective well-being: Progress and opportunities. Social Indicators Research, 31, 103–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dudek, F.J. (1979). The continuing misinterpretation of the standard error of measurement. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 335–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duffy, M.E., & McDonald, E. (1990). Determinants of functional health of older persons. The Gerontologist, 30, 503–509.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Durham, W.H. (1991). Coevolution: Genes, culture, and human diversity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erikson, E.H. (1959). Identity and the life cycle (Psychological Issues Monograph No. 1). New York: International University Press.Google Scholar
Fillenbaum, G.G. (1988). Multidimensional functional assessment of older adults: The Duke Older Americans Resources and Services Procedures. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Folstein, M., Anthony, J.C., Parhad, R., Duffy, B., & Gruenberg, E.M. (1985). The meaning of cognitive impairment in the elderly. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 33, 228–235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folstein, M.F., Folstein, S.E., & McHugh, P.R. (1975). “Mini-Mental State”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hart, R.P., Kwentus, J.A., Wade, J.B., & Hamer, R.M. (1987). Digit symbol performance in mild dementia and depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 236–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hendricks, J. (1994). Revisiting the Kansas City Study of Adult Life: Roots of the disengagement model in social gerontology. The Gerontologist, 34, 753–755.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hugo, G., Healy, J., & Luszcz, M. (1987). Surveying the aged in Australia. Australian Journal of Ageing, 6, 14–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hultsch, D.R., Hertzog, C., & Dixon, R.A. (1990). Ability correlates of memory performance in adulthood and aging. Psychology and Aging, 5, 356–368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krause, N. (1987). Satisfaction with social support and self-rated health in older adults. The Gerontologist, 27, 301–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawton, M.P. (1975). The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale: A revision. Journal of Gerontology, 30, 85–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luszcz, M.A. (1996). Beliefs about control in later life: Implications of perceptions of health, memory and global control. Hong Kong Journal of Gerontology, 10 (Supplement), 502–506.Google Scholar
Luszcz, M.A. (1992). Predictors of memory in young-old and old-old adults. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 15, 147–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luszcz, M.A., Bryan, J., & Kent, P. (1997). Predicting memory performance of very old men and women: Contributions from age, depression, activity, cognitive ability, and perceptual speed. Psychology and Aging, 12, 340–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mack, W.J., Freed, D.M., Williams, B.W., & Henderson, V.W. (1992). Boston Naming Test: Shortened Versions for use in Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Gerontology. Psychological Sciences, 47, 154–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Markus, H.R., & Herzog, A.R. (1991). The role of the self-concept in aging. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 11, 110–143.Google Scholar
Morse, C.K. (1993). Does variability increase with age? An archival study of cognitive measures. Psychology and Aging, 8, 156–164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelson, H.E. (1982). National Adult Reading Test (NART). Berkshire, England: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
Nesselroade, J.R. (1991). Interindividual differences in intraindividual change. In Collins, H.M. & Horn, J.L. (Eds.), Best methods for the analysis of change (pp. 92–105). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Neugarten, B., Havighurst, R.J., & Tobin, S.S. (1961). The measurement of life satisfaction. Journal of Gerontology, 16, 134–143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Neugarten, B., Havighurst, R.J., & Tobin, S.S. (1968). Personality and patterns of aging. In Neugarten, B.L. (Ed.), Middle age and aging: A reader in social psychology (pp. 173–177). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Perlmutter, M. (1988). Cognitive potential throughout life. In Birren, J.E. & Bengtson, V.L. (Eds.), Emergent theories of aging (pp. 247–268). New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Radloff, L.S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Radloff, L.S., & Teri, L. (1986). Use of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale with older adults. In Brink, T.L. (Ed.), Clinical gerontology: A guide to assessment and intervention. New York: Harworth Press.Google Scholar
Ranzijn, R., Keeves, J., Luszcz, M., & Feather, N.T. (1998). The role of self-perceived usefulness and competence in the self-esteem of elderly adults: Confirmatory factor analyses of the Bachman revision of Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 53B, 96–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reid, D.W., & Ziegler, M. (1981). The Desired Control measure and adjustment among the elderly. In Lefcourt, H. (Ed.), Research with the locus of control construct (Vol 1, pp. 127–159). New York: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reitzes, D.C., Mutran, E.J., & Verrill, L.A. (1995). Activities and self-esteem: Continuing the development of activity theory. Research on Aging, 17, 260–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodin, J., & Timko, C. (1992). Sense of control, aging, and health. In Ory, M.G., Abeles, R.P. & Lipman, P.D. (Eds), Aging, health, and behavior (pp. 174–206). New York: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Rogosa, D. (1995). Myths and methods: “Myths about longitudinal research” plus supplemental questions. In Gottman, J.M. (Ed), The analysis of change (pp. 3–66). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenberg, M., Schooler, C., Schoenbach, C., & Rosenberg, F. (1995). Global self-esteem and specific self-esteem: Different concepts, different outcomes. American Sociological Review, 60, 141–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryff, C.D., & Essex, M.J. (1991). Psychological well-being in adulthood and old age: Descriptive markers and explanatory processes. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 11, 144–171.Google Scholar
Ryff, C.D., & Keyes, C.L.M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salthouse, T.A. (1996). The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition. Psychological Review, 103, 403–428.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salthouse, T.A. (1985). Speed of behavior and its implications for cognition. In Birren, J.E. & Schaie, K.W. (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (2nd ed., pp. 400–426). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.Google Scholar
Salthouse, T.A. (1991). Theoretical perspectives on cognitive aging. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Smider, N.A., Essex, M.J., & Ryff, C.D. (1996). Adaptation to community relocation: The interactive influence of psychological resources and contextual factors. Psychology and Aging 11, 362–372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stones, M.J., Kozma, A., & Hannah, T.E. (1990). The measurement of individual differences in ageing: The distinction between usual and successful aging. In Howe, M.L., Stones, M.J., & Brainerd, C.J. (Eds.), Cognitive and behavioral performance factors in atypical aging (pp. 181–218). New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thoits, P.A. (1995). Stress, coping, and social support processes: Where are we? What next? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 53–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Troyer, A.K., Graves, R.E., & Callum, C.M. (1994). Executive functioning as a mediator of the relationship between age and episodic memory in healthy aging. Aging and Cognition, 1, 45–53.Google Scholar
Valsiner, J., & Lawrence, J. (1996). Human development and culture across the life span. In Berry, J.W., Dasen, P.R., & Saraswathi, T.S. (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology: Vol. 2. Basic processes and human development (2nd ed., pp. 69–106). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
vanDoorn, C., & Kasl, S.V. (1998). Can parental longevity and self-rated life expectancy predict mortality among older persons? Results from an Australian cohort. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 53B, S28–S34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weissman, M.N., Sholomskas, D., Pottenger, M., Prusoff, B.A., & Locke, B.Z. (1977). Assessing depressive symptoms in five psychiatric populations. American Journal of Epidemiology, 106, 203–214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, R.H., & Zimmerman, D.W. (1996). Are simple gain scores obsolete? Applied Psychological Measurement, 20, 59–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar