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Georgia State University

Gerontology Theses

Theses/Dissertations

2011

Aging

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Relationship Between Stress, Cortisol Reactivity And Memory Performance In Younger And Older Adults, Jessica L. Pruitt Dec 2011

The Relationship Between Stress, Cortisol Reactivity And Memory Performance In Younger And Older Adults, Jessica L. Pruitt

Gerontology Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine age differences in cortisol reactivity and memory performance in younger and older adults exposed to cognitive stressors. The current study utilized data from the Anxiety, Memory, and Control study (ACME) conducted at Brandeis University. Stress was measured using a subjective assessment of anxiety and cortisol was measured using a saliva sample. Memory performance was measured using both declarative and working memory tasks. The final sample consisted of 28 younger adults (M = 19.8 years, SD = 1.5) and 29 older adults (M = 71.2 years, SD = 6.6). There were …