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Loneliness, Sense Of Control, And Risk Of Dementia In Healthy Older Adults: A Moderated Mediation Analysis, Hwajin Yang, Germaine Tng, Wee Qin Ng, Sujin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objectives: Despite the rising prevalence of dementia, little research has been conducted to identify modifiable psychological factors that alleviate the risk of dementia in older adults and the underlying mechanisms. Given that loneliness is, in part, concomitant with a weakened sense of control, we examined whether sense of control would mediate the relation between loneliness and dementia risk. Further, considering that working -memory capacity is a critical cognitive resource that serves as a buffer against age-related cognitive decline, we examined a second-order moderated mediational model whereby working-memory capacity moderates the relation between control beliefs and dementia risk in older adults. …

The Effect Of The Pura Vida Lifestyle On Mental Health In Costa Rica, Gabrielle Sledge

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Costa Rica’s unofficial slogan “Pura Vida” (“Pure Life”) encapsulates how its people, Ticos, live. Ticos are known as a peaceful, homogenous people but a lack of mental health research limits assessment of Tico mental health status. The purpose of this study is to evaluate Ticos’ personal experiences and opinions to understand better how Costa Rica’s “Pura Vida” culture affects Ticos’ mental health and wellness compared to the United States. A 33-question survey addressing mental health experiences and perceptions was administered to a Costa Rican sample (n = 56) and a United States sample (n = 331). Additionally, 6 interviews were …

Effects Of An Educational Intervention On Students’ Knowledge And Attitude Towards Working With Older Adults, Johnna L. Kelley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Many individuals report reservations about working with an older adult population. A potential factor that may influence this is openness to experience. Additionally, research shows that educational interventions are effective in increasing individuals’ level of knowledge on various topics including older adults and aging. This increased level of knowledge contributes to a higher level of willingness to work with an older adult population. In order to support and extend the existing literature on this topic, we examined the effect of a short-term education session on undergraduate students’ willingness to work with older adults in a variety of positions and settings. …

Exercise Shifts Hypothetical Food Choices Toward Greater Amounts And More Immediate Consumption, Karsten Koehler, Safiya E. Beckford, Elise Thayer, Alexandra R. Martin, Julie B. Boron, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Although exercise modulates appetite regulation and food intake, it remains poorly understood how exercise impacts decision-making about food. The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of an acute exercise bout on hypothetical choices related to the amount and timing of food intake. Forty-one healthy participants (22.0 ± 2.6 years; 23.7 ± 2.5 kg/m 2 , 56% female) completed 45 min of aerobic exercise and a resting control condition in randomized order. Food amount preferences and intertemporal food preferences (preference for immediate vs. delayed consumption) were assessed using electronic questionnaires with visual food cues. Compared to rest, …

A Global Collaboration To Study Intimate Partner Violence-Related Head Trauma: The Enigma Consortium Ipv Working Group, Carrie Esopenko, Jessica Meyer, Elisabeth A. Wilde, Amy D. Marshall, David F. Tate, Alexander P. Lin, Inga K. Koerte, Kimberly B. Werner, Emily L. Dennis, Ashley L. Ware, Nicola L. De Souza, Deleene S. Menefee, Kristen Dams-O’Connor, Dan J. Stein, Erin D. Bigler, Martha E. Shenton, Kathy S. Chiou, Judy L. Postmus, Kathleen Monahan, Brenda Eagan-Johnson, Paul Van Donkelaar, Tricia L. Merkley, Carmen Velez, Cooper B. Hodges, Hannah M. Lindsey, Paula Johnson, Andrei Irimia, Matthew Spruiell, Esther R. Bennett, Ashley Bridwell, Glynnis Zieman, Frank G. Hillary

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Intimate partner violence includes psychological aggression, physical violence, sexual violence, and stalking from a current or former intimate partner. Past research suggests that exposure to intimate partner violence can impact cognitive and psychological functioning, as well as neurological outcomes. These seem to be compounded in those who suffer a brain injury as a result of trauma to the head, neck or body due to physical and/or sexual violence. However, our understanding of the neurobehavioral and neurobiological effects of head trauma in this population is limited due to factors including difficulty in accessing/recruiting participants, heterogeneity of samples, and premorbid and comorbid …

Mitigating Risks And Building Resilience To Hiv/Aids: Perspectives Of Hiv-Negative, Middle-Aged And Older Men Who Have Sex With Men, Renato M. Liboro, Brandon Ranuschio, Sherry Bell, Tammy Yates, Lianne Barnes, Charles Fehr, George Da Silva, Jenna Despres, Francisco Ibañez-Carrasco, Andrew Eaton, Aruna Sedere, Trinity Puno, Paul A. Shuper, Lori E. Ross

Psychology Faculty Research

Purpose: Although ample research has been conducted on resilience to HIV/AIDS, most studies have utilized quantitative methods and focused almost exclusively on people living with HIV/AIDS. A relatively untapped source of knowledge is the perspectives of HIV-negative, middle-aged and older men who have sex with men (MSM) who have been navigating risks and building resilience to HIV/AIDS since the 1980s. Our qualitative, community-based participatory research study examined the perspectives of HIV-negative, middle-aged and older MSM on factors that helped mitigate the risks of and build resilience to HIV/AIDS. Methods: In collaboration with community-based organizations, fourteen participants were recruited for in-depth …

Handicraft Art Leisure Activities And Cognitive Reserve, Genna Mashinchi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

With increasing age, older individuals face a higher likelihood of developing dementia. The rate of cognitive decline resulting from dementia is not equivalent for all, as some patients with dementia are able to function independently longer than others, despite having similar disease burden. The cognitive reserve (CR) theory provides one explanation for the differing rate of decline. CR suggests that there are factors — most notably, educational and occupational attainment — that can protect against the cognitive decline that is a hallmark of dementia. Although the beneficial effects of these notable CR factors are clear, they may not be modifiable. …

Social Workers' Perspectives Of Depression In Baby Boomers Born Between 1946 And 1955, Karen Cohen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAs the leading-edge baby boomer (L-E boomer) cohort continues to age, demands of mental health services in treating diagnosed depression in this cohort are increasing. Licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) are the most likely social workers to provide services to L-E boomers diagnosed with depression. LCSWs were the chosen participants for this generic qualitative study to gain knowledge of their perspectives of working with L-E boomers diagnosed with depression. Grounded in generational theory, this study used a generic qualitative approach allowing for nonrestrictive measures for capturing the data. NVIVO assisted in coding the data and identification of common themes, words, …

การศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ของความซับซ้อนของงาน การมีอำนาจตัดสินใจในงาน การจัดการทรัพยากรเพื่อปรับตัวกับอายุที่เพิ่มขึ้นและความผูกพันในงานของผู้ใหญ่วัยกลางคน โดยมีการรับรู้โอกาสในการทำงานเป็นตัวแปรกำกับ, ปัทมา นามทอง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ของความซับซ้อนของงาน การมีอำนาจตัดสินใจในงาน การจัดการทรัพยากรเพื่อปรับตัวกับอายุที่เพิ่มขึ้น และความผูกพันในงานของผู้ใหญ่วัยกลางคน โดยมีการรับรู้โอกาสในการทำงานเป็นตัวแปรกำกับ ซึ่งได้ทำการศึกษาโดยเก็บข้อมูลจากกลุ่มตัวอย่างผู้ใหญ่วัยกลางคนจำนวน 200 คน ลักษณะโดยส่วนใหญ่ของกลุ่มตัวอย่างเป็นเพศหญิง (ร้อยละ 62.50) มีอายุระหว่าง 40-44 ปี (ร้อยละ 45.50) สำเร็จการศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรี (ร้อยละ 46.50) อายุงานในองค์การปัจจุบันอยู่ระหว่าง 1-10 ปี (ร้อยละ 38.50) ประเภทขององค์กรที่ทำงานเป็นภาครัฐ (ร้อยละ 70.00) และตำแหน่งงานที่ทำคือพนักงานระดับปฏิบัติ (ร้อยละ 60.00) จากนั้นนำข้อมูลจากกลุ่มตัวอย่างดังกล่าวมาวิเคราะห์ด้วยสถิติเชิงพรรณนาและสถิติเชิงอนุมานรวมทั้งการวิเคราะห์ความถดถอยเชิงพหุ (Multiple Regression Analysis) ผลการวิจัยพบว่าตัวแปรอิสระทั้ง 3 ตัวแปร ได้แก่ ความซับซ้อนของงาน การมีอำนาจตัดสินใจในงาน และการจัดการทรัพยากรเพื่อปรับตัวกับอายุที่เพิ่มขึ้นมีความสัมพันธ์ทางบวกกับความผูกพันในงาน โดยมีรายละเอียดค่าทางสถิติดังนี้ ความซับซ้อนของงาน (B = .187, p < .01) การมีอำนาจตัดสินใจในงาน (B = .348, p < .01) และการจัดการทรัพยากรเพื่อปรับตัวกับอายุที่เพิ่มขึ้น (B = .240, p < .05) มีความสัมพันธ์ทางบวกและร่วมกันอธิบายความผูกพันในงาน ซึ่งตัวแปรอิสระทุกตัวสามารถร่วมกันอธิบายความแปรปรวนของความผูกพันในงานได้ร้อยละ 31.7 ในขณะที่การรับรู้โอกาสในการทำงานไม่ได้มีบทบาทในฐานะตัวแปรกำกับของความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างตัวแปรต้นทั้ง 3 ตัวแปร ได้แก่ ความซับซ้อนของงาน (B = .014, n.s.) การมีอำนาจตัดสินใจในงาน (B = -.025, n.s.) และการจัดการทรัพยากรเพื่อปรับตัวกับอายุที่เพิ่มขึ้น (B = .104, n.s.) ที่มีความสัมพันธ์ต่อความผูกพันในงาน โดยประโยชน์จากงานวิจัยที่ได้นี้ทำให้ทราบถึงปัจจัยที่แสดงถึงทิศทางและระดับความสัมพันธ์ของความผูกพันในงานของผู้ใหญ่วัยกลางคน สำหรับการประยุกต์ใช้ในองค์กร คือ การให้ความสำคัญกับการพัฒนาบริบทต่าง ๆ ในการทำงานให้มีความสอดคล้องกับพนักงานในแต่ละช่วงวัย ทั้งในด้านลักษณะของงาน (Work Characteristics) ได้แก่ ความซับซ้อนของงาน และการมีอำนาจตัดสินใจในงาน รวมถึงกลยุทธ์การสูงวัยอย่างประสบความสำเร็จ (Successful aging strategies) ซึ่งเป็นการจัดการทรัพยากรเพื่อปรับตัวกับอายุที่เพิ่มขึ้น ในการสร้างแรงจูงใจคนทำงานวัยกลางคนในการพัฒนาการทำงานและดึงศักยภาพการทำงานของบุคคลช่วงวัยกลางคนให้สูงขึ้น ซึ่งปัจจัยที่กล่าวไปข้างต้นนั้นเป็นสิ่งที่บุคคลควรตระหนักเช่นเดียวกัน เพื่อส่งเสริมความผูกพันในงานที่สะท้อนถึงประสิทธิภาพในการทำงานและการมีสุขภาวะจิตที่ดีในการทำงาน

Predictors Of Utilization Of Care In A Community Outpatient Mental Health Sample, Matthew F. Bloom

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The term superutilizer is used to classify individuals who frequent emergency departments and inpatient medical settings for preventable reasons. The exact criteria for this term are unclear, and there is dearth of literature on how it applies to the outpatient medical setting and to mental health utilization. The purpose of this study was to identify potential client demographic and clinical variables predictive of the utilization of mental health services/resources, as measured by number of sessions attended over the course of treatment in an outpatient mental health setting. It was hypothesized there would be a predictive relationship between being female, younger, …

Subjective Social Status And Inflammation: The Role Of Culture And Anger Control, Jose C. Yong, Andree Hartanto, Jacinth Jia Xin Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: Research on subjective social status (SSS) and inflammation risk suffers from a lack of cross-cultural data as well as inconsistent findings between SSS and the biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP). The current study addressed these issues by examining possible cultural differences in the SSS-CRP link with anger control as an underlying mechanism while controlling for potential confounds such as wealth, education, and health factors. Method: Participants comprised 1,435 adults from the Biomarker Project of the MIDUS (American) and MIDJA (Japanese) studies. Participants’ SSS and tendency to control anger were assessed through surveys, and their CRP levels were measured through fasting …

The Facets Of Meaningful Experiences: An Examination Of Purpose And Coherence In Meaningful And Meaningless Events, William Tov, Weiting Ng, Soon-Hock Kang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Research on meaning has begun to assess the specific facets of meaning in life. Few studies have examined the extent to which these facets distinguish meaning at the level of individual events. In the present study, participants from Singapore and the U.S. wrote about meaningful and meaningless events and rated the extent to which they experienced purpose, coherence, positive and negative implications for self and others, positive affect, and negative affect. In both samples, meaningful and meaningless events differed most in their levels of positive affect, purpose, and positive implications for the self. When entered as predictors of overall event …

Dimensional Latent Structure Of Icd-11 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Complex Ptsd, And Adjustment Disorder: Evidence From Ghana, Kenya, And Nigeria, Ruby Charak, Ines Cano-Gonzalez, Mark Shevlin, Menachem Ben-Ezra, Thanos Karatzias, Philip Hyland

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

With the release of ICD-11 in 2018, there has been a surge in studies examining the nosology of mental disorders, including disorders associated with stress, namely, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD (CPTSD), and adjustment disorder (AjD). Few studies have examined the same in low- and middle-income countries that have disproportionate levels of exposure to trauma and stressors and are under-resourced in mental health services. The present study examined the latent factor structure of a joint model comprising PTSD, CPTSD, and AjD symptoms and their association with stressful and traumatic life events to assess the degree of distinctiveness between these …

A Systematic Review And Psychometric Evaluation Of Self-Report Measures For Hoarding Disorder, Clarissa W. Ong, Jennifer Krafft, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Background: Hoarding disorder (HD) affects approximately 2.5% of the general population, leads to significant distress and impairment, and is notoriously difficult to treat. The crux of developing effective treatments for HD is our ability to reliably and validly measure relevant constructs in HD to better understand its presentation and, subsequently, formulate appropriate interventions.

Methods: We identified measures specific to HD and evaluated their psychometric properties using rating criteria formulated by the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) group.

Results: The 17 included measures were developed to assess adult and pediatric hoarding severity, functional impairment, and maladaptive …

Help-Seeking For Mental Health Problems Among Older Adults With Chronic Disease: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behaviour, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Natalie Strobel, Paul Masterman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: Despite high risk for mental health problems, older adults with chronic diseases underutilise mental health services. This study applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understand mental health help-seeking intentions among this population and identified factors which influence help-seeking intentions.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study with a non-clinical sample of 108 older adults aged 65 years or over, living with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and/or type 2 diabetes. TPB variables (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control), intentions to seek help, and additional factors (past help-seeking behaviour, quality of life, and physical health) were assessed using standardised …

Can It Be Done? Examining Stereotype Threat With Fake Stereotypes, Jessica Hodges

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Stereotype threat refers to the risk of conforming to a stereotype regarding a group one belongs to. This threat has been heavily studied with negative stereotypes on performance-based tasks (e.g., math), and encompasses the anxiety one may feel due to being associated with the negative stereotype (Steele & Aronson, 1995). The present project sought to expand upon current literature in several ways. First, this project sought to assess whether fake stereotypes elicit stereotype threat like real stereotypes do. Second, this project examined whether fake stereotype threat works with positive stereotypes as well as negative. Third, this study examined how group …

Exploring Optimism And Purpose In Life As Mediators Of The Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Status And Common Cold Susceptibility, Stephanie Munduruca, Vivian Luong, Brooke N. Jenkins

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Americans suffer from 1 billion colds a year. Correspondingly, previous research has shown that lower socioeconomic status (SES) during childhood is associated with lower adult health, including decreased resistance to the common cold. This correlation between childhood SES and common cold susceptibility may be mediated by an individual's optimism and purpose in life. Of interest, several studies have found evidence that higher childhood SES is associated with a higher purpose of life and higher optimism. Furthermore, previous evidence has confirmed that higher optimism and higher purpose of life are linked to better …

Longitudinal Stress-Buffering Effects Of Social Integration For Late-Life Functional Health, Masa Toyama, Heather R. Fuller

Psychology Faculty Research

Stress can negatively affect multiple aspects of health, including functional health, among older adults, who are likely to face unique, age-related stressful experiences. Previous research has addressed the protective effects of social relations (i.e., social ties, social participation, and social integration) for physical and mental health outcomes, yet few studies have examined functional health. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal stress-buffering effects of social integration on late-life functional health. Using three-wave data from 399 older adults (aged older than 60 years), two-level hierarchical linear modeling analysis was conducted and the results indicated that in addition to its main effect …

Feedback And Social Comparison: The Effects Of Comparing One’S Performance To The Group, Ryan Joseph Walz

Theses and Dissertations

Although feedback has been shown to improve performance, few studies have examined the effect of feedback containing information on peer performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of feedback on individual performance and feedback containing information on peer performance. Three participants were exposed to a no-feedback baseline condition, a standard individual feedback condition, and an individual feedback condition with information on the group’s average performance. The dependent variable was the rate of correct responses on a computer-based simulated work task. Withdrawal designs were used to evaluate the effect of the two types of feedback on performance. …

Age-Related Changes In Repetition Suppression Of Neural Activity During Emotional Future Simulation, Aleea L. Devitt, Preston P. Thakral, Karl Szpunar, Donna Rose Addis, Daniel L. Schacter

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite advances in understanding the consequences of age-related episodic memory decline for future simulation, much remains unknown regarding changes in the neural underpinnings of future thinking with age. We used a repetition suppression paradigm to explore age-related changes in the neural correlates of emotional future simulation. Younger and older adults simulated positive, negative, and neutral future events either 2 or 5 times. Reductions in neural activity for events simulated 5 versus 2 times (i.e., repetition suppression) identify brain regions responsive to the specific emotion of simulated events. Critically, older adults showed greater repetition suppression than younger adults in the temporal …

Social Worker Shortages And The Rise In Competition For A Competent Child Welfare Workforce, Anita Barbee

Other QIC-WD Products

Several national studies have been conducted over the past few years (e.g. Hooyman, & Uniitzer, 2011; Lin, Lin, & Zhang, 2016) to project the number of social workers that will be needed by the year 2030. What they all point to is a huge deficit in the number of social workers (upwards of 200,000) needed to care for children, the elderly and those with addictions, mental health, and other health issues. However, those estimates may be low given that as of 2018 there was no regular gathering of comprehensive data on workforce needs in such areas as child welfare, juvenile …

Counseling Elders & Their Families: Practical Techniques For Applied Gerontology

Contemporary Southern Psychology

No abstract provided.

Elderly Offender Prison Programming In The People's Republic Of China And The United States

Contemporary Southern Psychology

Throughout the world, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of people who are classified as elderly. The reasons for this are the increased modernization of many nations due to the impact of globalization on transportation, communications, food production, and medical services. As a result of these improvements in the average quality-of-life, people are living longer. The same growth of elderly persons has been seen within prison systems around the world, as well. This article examines the impact of the graying of society in the People’s Republic of China and the United States, in general, and the correctional …

Encounters Between The Elderly And Law Enforcement: An Overview Of Mental Illness, Addictions, Victims And Criminals

Contemporary Southern Psychology

Abstract

The elderly population is growing dramatically throughout the world. Out of this growth comes an increase in the number of encounters between the aged and law enforcement. These encounters occur because of a variety of factors including mental illnesses and addictions. Furthermore, older adults may be victims as evidenced in different forms of abuse such as physical, emotional, or financial abuse. Sadly, some documentation exists that older adults are committing more crimes. Multiple reasons have been postulated for these crimes including poverty, jealousy, and boredom. All of these different situations with the aged have created an increase in the …

Well-Being Among Older Adults In Mississippi: Exploring Differences Between Metropolitan, Micropolitan, And Noncore Rural Settings, Carolyn E. Adams-Price, Joshua J. Turner, Margaret Ralston

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

It is a common belief that older adults in rural areas have high subjective well-being, despite often experiencing greater poverty and having access to fewer resources than older adults who live in urban areas, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the “rural-urban paradox.” However, research does not consistently find high well-being in rural areas, which might be due to research not distinguishing between very rural and semi-rural (or small town) settings. This study compares the subjective well-being of older adults in micropolitan and noncore counties with the well-being of older adults in metropolitan areas in Mississippi (n = 659). Preliminary …

Social Inequality And Type 2 Diabetes Management Among Older Latinx Immigrants, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha, Frauke Schnell

Psychology Faculty Publications

Being an immigrant in the contemporary U.S. is stressful. During the pandemic of 2020, these stressors are amplified for all populations. At the same time, Latinx immigrants are also disproportionately affected by the pandemic. They are more vulnerable, face greater economic challenges, and are more likely to die from the virus. In addition to these difficult realities, regardless of status, Latinx immigrants are often perceived as illegal and subjected to discriminatory treatment [1]. Type 2 diabetes is also an illness that disproportionately affects minorities and immigrant populations. In 2018, there were almost 60 million Latinos-18% of the U.S. population (more …

Parenting Challenges Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Discipline, Child Education, Technology Use, And Outdated Health Beliefs, Ludivine Brunissen, Eli Rapoport, Kate Fruitman, Andrew Adesman

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

BACKGROUND: As of 2015, approximately three million children in the United States were being raised primarily by their grandparents. This study aims to examine, in a large national sample, to what extent grandparents raising grandchildren (GRGs) have difficulty with discipline and meeting their grandchild’s educational and social needs, find computers/other technology challenging, and subscribe to outdated health beliefs.

METHODS: An anonymous online parenting questionnaire was administered to GRGs recruited through state and local grandparent support groups and elderly service agencies.

RESULTS: 733 grandparents that self-identified as the primary caregiver of one or more grandchildren met inclusion criteria. 56.5% of GRGs …

Somatics Research Bibliography: A Working Tool For Somatics And Somatic Psychology, Eleanor Criswell Hanna

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Many years ago when Somatics magazine was young, it occurred to me that it would be valuable to collect and publish research article references in Somatics magazine that were relevant to the different somatics disciplines to encourage the development of the field. There were next to no studies devoted to Somatics itself, but there were many studies devoted to the elements of somatic practices. Somatics is a multidisciplinary field. It builds on the research findings from many fields, such as anatomy, physiology, neurophysiology, psychology, dance, biomechanics, and education. The references are selected to be suggestive to the interested researcher and …

Self-Determination In Transportation: The Route To Social Inclusion For People With Disabilities, Jessica Murray

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

People with disabilities encounter many challenges with transportation but are not usually considered in research about travel behavior and well-being. Research on transportation challenges is often disability-specific even though different access needs can complement or conflict with each other. I argue that disability should be centered in the study of travel and well-being because it magnifies problems that may also frustrate people who do not currently consider themselves disabled. The goal of the dissertation was to identify how basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence apply to the context of transportation and identify ways to measure fulfillment and frustration …

Off-Topic Verbosity And Performance On A Stroop Test Among Young Adult And Older Adult Age Cohorts, Leah N. Smith

Psychology and Counseling Theses

Off-topic verbosity (OTV) has been linked with deficits in executive functioning, and specifically inhibition. OTV research has focused primarily on tangentiality, whereas in this study we focused on egocentrism, tangentiality, and quantity of speech. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between inhibition of overlearned responses using a Stroop test and OTV. Young adults (n = 61; age 18-28) and older adults (n = 75; age 60-98) completed the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function Systems (D-KEFS) Color-Word Interference Test and provided a verbal sample in which they recounted a procedural memory and an episodic memory. These samples were transcribed …