scholarly journals The interplay of subjective social status and essentialist beliefs about cognitive aging on cortisol reactivity to challenge in older adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 1256-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Weiss ◽  
Mona Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Subjective Social Status ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity

scholarly journals Subjective Social Status Predicts Late-Life Memory Trajectories through Both Mental and Physical Health Pathways

Gerontology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 466-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura B. Zahodne ◽  
A. Zarina Kraal ◽  
Afsara Zaheed ◽  
Ketlyne Sol
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Late Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Subjective Social Status ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

Background: Subjective social status (SSS) is associated with mental and physical health, independent of objective socioeconomic status (SES), but its association with late-life cognitive decline is unknown. Objective: This study characterizes the association between SSS and late-life memory trajectories in a large, nationally representative sample of older adults in the United States. Methods: Using data from 8,530 participants aged 65 years and older in the Health and Retirement Study, structural equation models tested associations between SSS, objective SES (i.e., educational attainment, occupation, income, and wealth), physical and mental health, and 6-year memory trajectories, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Independent of objective SES, lower SSS was associated with worse initial memory but not subsequent memory decline. The association between SSS and initial memory was separately mediated by chronic diseases, stroke, and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Results provide preliminary behavioral evidence for the deleterious effects of social stress on cognitive aging. These results may help inform the development of policies and interventions to reduce cognitive morbidity among older adults who perceive a low position on the social hierarchy.

scholarly journals Subjective Social Status and Functional Decline in Older Adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 693-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie Chen ◽  
Kenneth E. Covinsky ◽  
Irena Stijacic Cenzer ◽  
Nancy Adler ◽  
Brie A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Subjective Social Status

Activity Engagement in Cognitive Aging: A Review of the Evidence

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Rogalski ◽  
Muriel Quintana
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Cognitive Decline

The population of older adults is rapidly increasing, as is the number and type of products and interventions proposed to prevent or reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. Advocacy and prevention are part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA’s) scope of practice documents, and speech-language pathologists must have basic awareness of the evidence contributing to healthy cognitive aging. In this article, we provide a brief overview outlining the evidence on activity engagement and its effects on cognition in older adults. We explore the current evidence around the activities of eating and drinking with a discussion on the potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, alcohol, and coffee. We investigate the evidence on the hypothesized neuroprotective effects of social activity, the evidence on computerized cognitive training, and the emerging behavioral and neuroimaging evidence on physical activity. We conclude that actively aging using a combination of several strategies may be our best line of defense against cognitive decline.

Slow Down You’re Moving Too Fast

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Lang ◽  
Nancy Schwartz ◽  
Sharon Mayell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Media Messages ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Difference

The study reported here compared how younger and older adults processed the same set of media messages which were selected to vary on two factors, arousing content and valence. Results showed that older and younger adults had similar arousal responses but different patterns of attention and memory. Older adults paid more attention to all messages than did younger adults. However, this attention did not translate into greater memory. Older and younger adults had similar levels of memory for slow-paced messages, but younger adults outperformed older adults significantly as pacing increased, and the difference was larger for arousing compared with calm messages. The differences found are in line with predictions made based on the cognitive-aging literature.

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