[Occupational complexity and late-life memory and reasoning abilities].

This study examined the associations between the complexity of an individual's primary lifetime occupation and his or her late-life memory and reasoning performance, using data from 824 community-dwelling participants aged 69-72 years. The complexity of work with data, people, and things was evaluated based on the Japanese job complexity score. The associations between occupational complexity and participant's memory and reasoning abilities were examined in multiple regression analyses. An association was found between more comple work with people and higher memory performance, as well as between more complex work with data and higher reasoning performance, after having controlled for gender, school records, and education. Further, an interaction effect was observed between gender and complexity of work with data in relation to reasoning performance: work involving a high degree of complexity with data was associated with high reasoning performance in men. These findings suggest the need to consider late-life cognitive functioning within the context of adulthood experiences, specifically those related to occupation and gender.

[Experimental investigation of intergenerational interaction and older adults' generativity].

This study examined the effects of the reactions of younger adukts toward older adults on the psychological attributese and behavior of elderly. Participants were 34 older male adults aged 60-82 years. They completed a questionnaire on generativity before and after the experimental condition, and were also observed taking flyers on different topics after the experiment. They were assigned to the younger condition or the same generation condition. In both conditions, the participants were asked to talk to recipients about experiences from their youth and the wisdom they have gained. The recipients responded to the participants in either a positive or a neutral way. The results showed that generativity was promoted most when the younger recipients responded in a positive manner, whereas the neutral reactions of younger recipients led to the inhibition of generativity. Younger persons' positive reactions promoted the participants' helping behaviors, as indicated by the flyers they took. The present study shows increases in the generativity of the elderly following positive reactions from younger recipients not only on questionnaires but also in an experimental setting.

[Development of a Japanese version of the Valuation of Life (VOL) scale].

This study developed a Japanese version of the Valuation of Life (VOL) scale, to measure psychological wellbeing among older adults. In Analysis 1, we conducted a factor analysis of 13 items, and identified two factors: positive VOL and spiritual well-being. These factors had adequate degrees of internal consistency, and were related to positive mental health. In Analysis 2, we examined sociodemographic, social, and health predictors for VOL. The role of social factors was stronger than the role of health factors, and spiritual well-being was more related to moral or religious activities than positive VOL. These results suggest that predictors for VOL vary by culture. In Analysis 3, we investigated the relationship between VOL and desired years of life. Positive VOL significantly predicted more desired years of life, whereas spiritual well-being did not. Positive VOL had acceptable reliability and validity. Future research is required to investigate whether VOL predicts survival duration or end-of-life decisions.

[How generativity affects motivation for altruistic behavior toward the young generation in elderly people].

The purpose of this study was to verify a model of motivation for altruistic behavior toward the young generation in elderly people. Erikson's developmental task theory and concept of "generativity" was used as the basis of a hypothetic model. We assumed that memory about parents in childhood has a direct impact on motivation for participating in child-support, and has an indirect impact through generativity and the view of child rearing. Also, the view of child rearing has an indirect impact through generativity. Data was analyzed from questionnaires completed by 236 elderly people (M=68.35 years old, SD=7.64 years). Structural equation modeling showed that the effect of memory about parents and the view of child rearing on the motivation for participating in child-support were mediated by generativity. These results suggested that generativity is a key concept in explaining the motivation for altruistic behavior toward the young generation in elderly people.

Generativity and Interaction Between the Old and Young: The Role of Perceived Respect and Perceived Rejection.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: We examined the relationships among development of generativity, generative acts, and psychological well-being in old age and the possible mediating effects of perceived rejection and respect from younger generations. We hypothesized that generative action would not lead to well-being unless responding elders perceived respect from younger generations, and, further, that perceived respect would predict the development of generativity. DESIGN AND METHODS: In Study 1, we sampled 252 older persons to verify our hypothetical model in a cross-sectional survey. We assessed generative concern, generative action, perceived rejection from younger people, and psychological well-being. In Study 2, the same measures and a new scale to measure perceived respect from younger people were administered in a longitudinal survey. Four hundred older adults responded at 2 time points, 12 months apart. RESULTS: Path analysis showed that the effect of generative action on ill-being was mediated by perceived rejection and respect from younger generations. Perceived respect from younger generations at baseline predicted an increase in generative concern 12 months later. IMPLICATIONS: The results suggest that positive intergenerational interaction leads to generativity development and better well-being in old age.