The Role of Attitude Toward Own Aging for Fluid and Crystallized Functioning: 12-Year Evidence From the ILSE Study

Jelena S Siebert, Hans-Werner Wahl and Johannes Schrö der

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2018, vol. 73, issue 5, 836-845

Abstract: Objectives Aging attitudes have been shown to affect a variety of important developmental outcomes in old age, including memory. Extending previous research, the present study examined long-term effects of attitudes toward own aging (ATOA), relying on a broader range of cognitive abilities in later life. Method Data came from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development and Aging (ILSE), with three measurement waves (1993/1994, 1997/1998, and 2005/2006) covering a 12-year interval. Drawing on the older of two available birth cohorts (1930–1932; n = 500), we analyzed the relationship between ATOA and change in fluid versus crystallized abilities based on overall and gender-specific latent change score models, while controlling for education and objective health. Results As expected, ATOA predicted change in fluid functioning—but not in crystallized performance—over 12 years. Gender-specific analyses revealed a stronger association between ATOA and decline in fluid abilities for men, even after controlling for health and education. Discussion This study adds to the understanding of long-term implications of aging attitudes for cognitive decline trajectories and shows that negative aging attitudes are a risk factor for age-vulnerable cognitive abilities, particularly among men. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of observed relationships.

Keywords: Aging; Attitude Toward Own Aging; Cognition; Fluid and crystallized abilities; Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development and Aging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

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