Aging, Functional Learning, and Inhibition.

BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: The study compared the learning performance of younger and older adults in situations differing in the number of cues that could be relied on for predicting the value of a criterion. Two hypotheses were tested: one based on the assumption that the greater the inhibition effort needed in the task, the greater the difference between younger and older participants, and the other based on the fact that the context in which inhibition occurs plays a role, and consequently that the level of difficulty of the four learning conditions can be better predicted from the number of possible sets of valid cues. METHODS: A total of 240 adults (18-90 years old) had to learn to predict the amount of drink delivered by a drink dispenser on the basis of four cues (the height of four vertical bars). The participants were randomly distributed between four experimental conditions, one valid cue, two valid cues, three valid cues, and all valid cues. The measures that were calculated for each participant under each condition included the squared mean differences between judgment and criterion as an index of performance, and cue utilizations as a test of both the learning of the strength of direct linear relationships and of inhibition. RESULTS: The results validated the hypothesis that the level of difficulty of the four learning conditions can be better predicted from the number of possible sets of valid cues. In all conditions and in each age group, cue utilizations were direct in the first block with no feedback. Older adults discounted the nonpertinent cues as well as younger adults, whereas participants aged over 76 only succeeded under the least demanding conditions. The presence of nonpertinent cues affected the learning of direct cues, even among the younger participants. CONCLUSION: This study shows that older adults' ability to detect (and use) valid cues in an environment that contains both valid and invalid cues is relatively well preserved. It also shows that the mere presence of invalid cues can affect the learning of direct cues, which constitutes a new result in functional learning. Future research conducted in cognitive aging should examine the role of invalid cues in functional learning.

Does flexible goal adjustment predict life satisfaction in older adults? A six-year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between flexible goal adjustment and life satisfaction (as an enduring component of subjective well-being) using six-year longitudinal data from a sample of older adults. METHODS: The study included 704 participants aged 63-97 years assessed four times over a six-year period. Simultaneous and lagged models were specified and estimated using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Both simultaneous and lagged coefficients indicated that a high score on flexible goal adjustment significantly predicted subsequent levels of life satisfaction. CONCLUSION: In line with successful aging theory, our findings support the view that the ability to adjust personal goals flexibly is a central resource when unattainable goals are encountered and it contributes to well-being in old age.

WITHDRAWN: The Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ): Assessment of eating behaviour in an aging French population.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

The Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ). Assessment of eating behaviour in an aging French population.

The aim of the study was to develop a French version of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) in order to provide a self-report measure for French people in the field of gerontology. A short version of the DEBQ was administered to 262 participants aged 65years and older. Single and multigroup confirmatory analyses were carried out. The fit measures for the three-factor model and the factorial invariance models with respect to age, sex and BMI status were satisfactory. Three subscales of DEBQ had satisfactory internal consistency. Regarding age, the results showed significant differences in emotional eating and restrained eating. Concerning sex, women had higher mean scores for emotional eating and restrained eating than men. Finally, the overweight older people had higher scores for emotional eating than the normal-weight participants. The short version of DEBQ should provide a useful measure for researchers and clinicians who are interested in exploring eating behaviours among the elderly.

Coping with negative life events in old age: the role of tenacious goal pursuit and flexible goal adjustment.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the relationships between negative life events and tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA), two fundamental modes of self-regulation suggested by Brandtstädter, and their effects on mental health. METHODS: TGP/FGA, negative life events and depression were assessed in 670 elderly people living in the community. Hierarchical regressions were carried out to examine the effects of the two self-regulation modes and negative life events on depression. RESULTS: Findings demonstrate the role of TGP and FGA in coping with negative life events. While both FGA and TGP were related to depression, FGA was found to have beneficial effects for the participants who had encountered negative life events. With age, people become less tenacious, but no conclusive relationship was found between flexibility and age. DISCUSSION: Our findings support the importance of both modes of coping for the mental health of older adults. In particular, the ability to adjust goals was shown to be critical as a way of preventing the development of depressive symptoms following negative life events.

Juvenile Huntington disease in an 18-month-old boy revealed by global developmental delay and reduced cerebellar volume.

Juvenile Huntington disease (JHD) is a rare clinical entity characterized by disease onset before the age of 21. JHD accounts for <10% of Huntington disease patients. Transmission of JHD is paternal in 80-90% of cases. Patients with JHD usually carry more than 60 CAG repeats within the HTT gene. We report here on a 23-month-old boy presenting with global developmental delay first noted at 18 months of age. Clinical examination showed truncal hypotonia, postural and intentional tremor, limb rigidity, and ataxia. Cerebral magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) showed reduced cerebellar volume. Six months later, his 47-year-old father was seen for a 4-year history of progressive dementia with severe behavioral disturbance and chorea. Cerebral MRI showed discrete global and caudate atrophy. DNA analysis revealed a very large and heterogeneous expansion (210-250 CAG) in the child and a 43 CAG expansion of the HTT gene in the father. This unusual case demonstrates that very early onset JHD due to large CAG expansions should be considered in cases of global developmental delay associated with reduced cerebellar volume, including cases without known HD family history.

Perspective-taking judgments among young adults, middle-aged, and elderly people.

Perspective-taking judgments among young adults, middle-aged, and elderly people were examined. In 1 condition, participants were instructed to judge the likelihood of acceptance of a painkiller as a function of 3 cues: severity of the condition, potential side effects, and level of trust in the health care provider. In the other condition, participants were instructed to judge the likelihood of purchasing pieces of clothing. Judgments were given from 2 viewpoints: the viewpoint of another person known to place no importance on one of the 3 cues, and the viewpoint of another person known to place very great importance on this cue. The hypotheses were that elderly people would not, to the same extent as young adults, be likely to discount the impact of the "no-importance" cue, and to magnify the impact of the "very important" cue. In both judgment situations, the results support these hypotheses.

Relationship between life satisfaction and physical health in older adults: a longitudinal test of cross-lagged and simultaneous effects.

OBJECTIVE: The emergence of positive psychology propelled scientific interest in the causal relationships between subjective well-being (SWB; e.g., happiness, life satisfaction [LS], positive affect) and physical health. However, it is becoming a controversial topic. Indeed, dependent on approach, LS is either considered a cause (top-down) or an effect (bottom-up). The aim of the present study was to investigate both cross-lagged and simultaneous effects between LS (as an enduring component of SWB) and physical health (as measured by self-perceived health and self-reported diseases), using 8-year longitudinal data from a sample of older adults. METHOD: The study included 899 participants aged 64 to 97 years and assessed 5 times over an 8-year period. Cross-lagged and simultaneous models were specified and estimated using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Both cross-lagged and simultaneous coefficients indicated that poor health significantly predicted subsequent levels of life dissatisfaction, but LS did not predict subsequent levels of health. CONCLUSIONS: These findings contradict, at least in our older sample, the postulates of positive psychology, and support the bottom-up approach to well-being as well as the popular adage, "As long as you've got your health."

Age and medication acceptance.

Patients' willingness to take a newly prescribed medication is an important, but little studied, part of the medication process. The authors studied the impact of patient age on the perceived importance and interaction of three factors known to influence young people: severity of their medical condition, extent of possible medication side effects, and level of trust in their physician. A convenience sample of 170 French adults aged 18 to 93 rated their likelihood of taking a medication intended to alleviate physical suffering in 27 scenarios in which three levels (low, moderate, and high) of each of the above three factors were combined in an orthogonal factorial design. Among younger participants, high trust in the physician was not considered a sufficient reason for high acceptance of a new medication; it had to be accompanied by low side effects. Among very elderly participants, high trust led to high acceptance almost irrespective of the severity of possible side effects. Among the middle aged, trust and side effects had largely independent effects. To promote patients' acceptance of newly prescribed medications, physicians need to establish trust, but not abuse its power in elderly patients.