This study examined relationships between cognitive functioning in older people and (1) levels of mental, physical and social activities, and (2) intentions regarding maintenance of cognitive functioning. Participants (N = 145) were 70-91 years of age, varied in health status and socio-economic backgrounds. Current cognitive functioning was…

Reviews problems with early survey research methods. Recent studies are examined in terms of characteristics of the stimuli and contexts, and characteristics of the perceivers employed in them. Methodological and conceptual issues in these three categories are used to organize the body of research that exists. (Author)

Reviewed research with the Twenty Questions Task aimed at investigating problem solving across the life span. Research indicates use of an efficient problem-solving strategy increases during childhood and then decreases again during the later adult years. Elderly adults' performance was facilitated when the necessity of using an efficient strategy…

Examines standards used by the elderly to evaluate their abilities in terms of social comparison and temporal comparison. Proposes that temporal comparison standards are used more often, reversing a tendency found earlier in life. Reviews social, cognitive, and physical reasons for the shift. (JAC)

Presented series of biographical passages to young and older adults to examine how semantic memory store of previously acquired knowledge affects ability to retain textual information. Older adults had difficulty in delayed, but not in immediate, recognition condition. Suggests that as older adults' episodic memory deteriorated, they could not…

What is the relationship between ethnicity and the mental health problems of the elderly in American society? This paper offers some suggestions and reviews some data that might encourage further efforts in this area. (Author)

A cross-cultural content analysis of 2,295 prime-time television ads--859 ads from the United States and 1,436 ads from South Korea--was conducted to examine the differences in the portrayal of older people between U.S. and Korean ads. In two countries, the underrepresentation of older people in ads was found in terms of proportions of the actual…

Reviews ways in which women in western nations have coped with the problems of aging during the past century and responded positively to great social and personal changes. Studies of female aging may provide insights necessary to clarify our vision of the past and the future. (JAC)

There is no accepted definition of "needs" of the elderly. Perceptions vary with age, professional role, relationships, and time. The wide range of methodologies presents problems. Research instruments are being refined. The use of index of incapacity measures offers the best data base for planning needed services. (Author/NRB)

Delineates the various dimensions of disengagement that have been suggested in the gerontological literature and tests hypotheses derived from three competing theoretical perspectives of aging: role, activity, and disengagement. None of the theoretical models successfully explained the relationships analyzed using a sample of rural elderly…

Discusses the nature and importance of social skills for the elderly, including social skills deficits and psychological disorders related to aging, in five papers presented as part of a Symposium on Social Skills at the XII International Congress of Gerontology, Hamburg, July 1981. (JAC)