Little research has examined changes in personal identity over different periods of adult development. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to target these changes through the characterization of the main dimensions in self-defining memories (SDMs; thematic content, specificity, integrative meaning, tension, contamination/redemption,…

Internalized discourses of identity impact identity development, which in turn affects how one represents themselves in relation to their identity. This embodiment of language is a form of literacy and for those with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender, language can serve to validate or invalidate identities. We use grounded theory to…

Intraindividual variability (IIV) in cognitive speed, or moment-to-moment changes in ability, is a developmental phenomenon indicative of neurological integrity that increases gradually across adulthood. Past research has shown that IIV negatively covaries with cognitive performance, in which higher IIV at one occasion is associated with poorer…

In Western cultures, life narratives are typically expected to recount the narrator's life from birth to the present. Disparate autobiographical memories need to be integrated into a more or less coherent story, which is facilitated by an overarching temporal macrostructure. The temporal macrostructure consists of elaborated beginnings that…

Erikson's (1950) model of adult psychosocial development outlines the significance of successful involvement within one's relationships, work, and community for healthy aging. He theorized that the consequences of not meeting developmental challenges included stagnation and emotional despair. Drawing on this model, the present study uses…

The objective of the study was to gain data on the prevalence, types and perceived outcomes of crisis episodes in three age decades of adult life: 20-29, 30-39 and 40-49. A further aim was to explore the relationship between crisis occurrence and empathy. A retrospective-autobiographical survey instrument and an empathy questionnaire were…

Examined age differences in memory in 12 younger and 12 older adults who kept diaries of memory failures and use of memory aids. Results suggested that older adults experience more memory failures and are more upset, but deal with this problem by increased use of memory aids. (JAC)

Attempted to better delineate nature of simple reminiscence (recall of past experiences). Used constant comparative method to analyze transcripts of older adults' reminiscences and found that the process consists of four elements: selection, immersion, withdrawal, and closure. (Author/NB)

Examined influence of cardiovascular fitness on age-related declines in cognitive performance among 13 young adults, 22 middle-aged adults, and 13 older adults. Age-related performance declines were observed for free-recall task, but no such age-dependent association was observed for frequency and location memory. Other data suggest that…

Assessed adults (N=88) on tasks operationally defining short-term memory structural limitations and process abilities. Although a number of minor chronological age-related differences were noted between monaural and dichotic word list performances, the findings indicated both structural capacity and organizational strategy deficiencies over…

Examined which memory dimensions deteriorate with increasing age and examines the construct validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) (N=1,264 males and 1,141 females at six age intervals). Visual-spatial memory tasks, remembering stories, and learning pairs of associated words proved more difficult with advanced age. (JAC)

Adults in their twenties and sixties were tested for free recall, cued recall, and recognition of words that they had studied in an intentional memory task or generated associations to in an incidental orienting task. Significant age-related declines in performance on intentional items were observed regardless of type of memory test. (Author)

Age significantly predicted performances on six memory tests which clearly defied verbal labeling. Low scores of older persons were responsible for the age effect. The progressively lower recognition scores suggested that nonverbal memory processing through all three modalities was affected adversely by age. (Author)

Self-efficacy, or a person's perception of his/her own mastery of a skill, affects subsequent task performance and predictions of future performance. To examine older adults' metamemorial knowledge with respect to predicting their performance on everyday and laboratory memory tasks, 28 adults (22 females, 6 males), aged 58 to 80 years, completed a…

No age difference was observed on the temporal task, but older adults performed worse on the spatial task. Results indicate normal aging is not associated with poor encoding or retention of all types of information, but affects retention of some information often assumed to be encoded automatically. (Author)