Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
brief article

Maintaining a Sense of Control in the Context of Cognitive Challenge

Greater Stability in Control Beliefs Benefits Working Memory

Published Online:February 27, 2013https://doi.org/10.1024/1662-9647/a000078

Abstract

We considered the functional role of control beliefs for cognitive performance by focusing on patterns of stability across multiple trials increasing in level of difficulty. We assessed 56 adults aged 18–88 on working memory tasks. We examined stability vs. lability (intraindividual variability, IIV) in control beliefs and the relationships with anxiety, distraction, and performance. Age was positively associated with IIV in control and performance, and IIV increased with task difficulty. Those maintaining stable control beliefs had better performance and showed less anxiety and distraction. Those with lower stability and less control showed steeper declines in performance and increases in distraction. The findings suggest that stability of control beliefs may serve a protective function in the context of cognitively challenging tasks.

References

  • Bagwell, D. K., West, R. L. (2008). Assessing compliance: Active versus inactive trainees in a memory intervention. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 3, 371–382. doi 10.2147/CIA.S1413 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bielak, A. A. M., Hultsch, D. F., Levy-Ajzenkopf, J., MacDonald, S. W. S., Hunter, M. A., Strauss, E. (2007). Short-term changes in general and memory-specific control beliefs and their relationship to cognition in younger and older adults. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 65, 53–71. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bisconti, T. L., Bergeman, C. S., Boker, S. M. (2006). Social support as a predictor of variability: An examination of the adjustment trajectories of recent widows. Psychology and Aging, 21, 590–599. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Caplan, L. J., Schooler, C. (2003). The roles of fatalism, self-confidence, and intellectual resources in the disablement process in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 18, 551–561. doi 10.1037/0882-7974.18.3.551 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Eizenman, D. R., Nesselroade, J. R., Featherman, D. L., Rowe, J. W. (1997). Intraindividual variability in perceived control in an older sample: The MacArthur successful aging studies. Psychology and Aging, 12, 489–502. doi 10.1037/0882-7974.12.3.489 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Gardiner, M., Luszcz, M. A., Bryan, J. (1997). The manipulation and measurement of task-specific memory self-efficacy in younger and older adults. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 21, 209–227. doi 10.1080/016502597384839 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Gerstorf, D., Röcke, C., Lachman, M. E. (2011). Antecedent-consequent relations of perceived control to health and social support: Longitudinal evidence for between-domain associations across adulthood. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66B, 61–71. doi 10.1093/geronb/gbq077 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hertzog, C., Kramer, A. F., Wilson, R. S., Lindenberger, U. (2008). Enrichment effects on adult cognitive development. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9, 1–65. doi 10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01034.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hertzog, C., McGuire, C. L., Lineweaver, T. T. (1998). Aging, attributions, perceived control, and strategy use in a free recall task. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 5, 85–106. doi 10.1076/anec.5.2.85.601 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Hoffman, L. (2007). Multilevel models for examining individual differences in within-person variation and covariation over time. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42, 609–629. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hultsch, D. F., MacDonald, S. W. S. (2004). Intraindividual variability in performance as a theoretical window onto cognitive aging. In R. A. Dixon L. Bäckman L.-G. NilssonEds., New frontiers in cognitive aging (pp. 65–88). New York: Oxford University Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hultsch, D. F., MacDonald, S. W. S., Dixon, R. A. (2002). Variability in reaction time performance of younger and older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 57B, P101–P115. doi 10.1093/geronb/57.2.P101 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Hultsch, D. F., Strauss, E., Hunter, M. A., MacDonald, S. W. S. (2008). Intraindividual variability, cognition, and aging. In F. I. M. Craik T. A. SalthouseEds., The handbook of aging and cognition (3rd ed., pp. 491–556). New York: Psychology Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Infurna, F. J., Gerstorf, D., Ram, N., Schupp, J. (2011). Long-term antecedents and outcomes of perceived control. Psychology and Aging, 26, 559–575. doi 10.1037/a0022890 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Infurna, F. J., Gerstorf, D., Zarit, S. H. (2011). Examining dynamic links between perceived control and health: Longitudinal evidence for differential effects in midlife and old age. Developmental Psychology, 47, 9–18. doi 10.1037/a0021022 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lachman, M. E., Agrigoroaei, S. (2012). Low perceived control as a risk factor for episodic memory: The mediational role of anxiety and task interference. Memory and Cognition, 40, 287–296. doi 10.3758/s13421-011-0140-x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lachman, M. E., Andreoletti, C. (2006). Strategy use mediates the relationship between control beliefs and memory performance for middle-aged and older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 61B, P88–P94. doi 10.1093/geronb/61.2.P88 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Lachman, M. E., Andreoletti, C., Pearman, A. (2006). Memory control beliefs: How are they related to age, strategy use and memory improvement? Social Cognition, 24, 359–385. doi 10.1521/soco.2006.24.3.359 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lachman, M. E., Firth, K. M. P. (2004). The adaptive value of feeling in control during midlife. In O. G. Brim C. D. Ryff R. C. KesslerEds., How healthy are we? A national study of well-being at midlife (pp. 320–349). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Lachman, M. E., Neupert, S. D., Agrigoroaei, S. (2011). The relevance of control beliefs for health and aging. In K. W. Schaie S. L. WillisEds., Handbook of the psychology of aging (pp. 175–190). Burlington, MA: Academic Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lachman, M. E., Weaver, S. L. (1998). Sociodemographic variations in the sense of control by domain: Findings from the MacArthur studies of midlife. Psychology and Aging, 13, 553–562. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Martin, M., Schneider, R., Eicher, S., Moor, C. (2012). The Functional Quality of Life (fQOL)-Model: A new basis for quality of life-enhancing interventions in old age. The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry, 25, 33–40. doi 10.1024/1662-9647/a000053 First citation in articleLink, Google Scholar

  • Miller, L. M. S., Lachman, M. E. (1999). The sense of control and cognitive aging: Toward a model of mediational processes. In T. M. Hess F. Blanchard-FieldsEds., Social cognition and aging (pp. 17–41). New York: Academic Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Mirowsky, J., Ross, C. E. (2007). Life course trajectories of perceived control and their relationship to education. American Journal of Sociology, 112, 1339–1382. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Nesselroade, J. R., Salthouse, T. A. (2004). Methodological and theoretical implications of intraindividual variability in perceptual-motor performance. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 59B, P49–P55. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Neupert, S. D., Allaire, J. C. (2012). I think I can, I think I can: Examining the within-person coupling of control beliefs and cognition in older adults. Psychology and Aging. doi 10.1037/a0026447 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Neupert, S. D., Mroczek, D. K., Spiro, A. (2008). Neuroticism moderates the daily relation between stressors and memory failures. Psychology and Aging, 23, 287–296. doi 10.1037/0882-7974.23.2.287 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Payne, B. R., Jackson, J. J., Hill, P. L., Gao, X., Roberts, B. W., Stine-Morrow, E. A. L. (2012). Memory self-efficacy predicts responsiveness to inductive reasoning training in older adults. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 67B, 27–35. doi 10.1093/geronb/gbr073 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Pfeiffer, E. (1975). A short portable mental status questionnaire for the assessment of organic brain deficit in elderly patients. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 23, 433–441. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Raudenbush, S. W., Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Röcke, C., Li, S.-C., Smith, J. (2009). Intraindividual variability in positive and negative affect over 45 days: Do older adults fluctuate less than young adults? Psychology and Aging, 24, 863–878. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Schmidt, H., Jogia, J., Fast, K., Christodoulou, T., Haldane, M., Kumari, V., Frangou, S. (2009). No gender differences in brain activation during the N-back task: An fMRI study in healthy individuals. Human Brain Mapping, 30, 3609–3615. doi 10.1002/hbm.20783 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Schmiedek, F., Hildebrandt, A., Lövdén, M., Wilhelm, O., Lindenberger, U. (2009). Complex span versus updating tasks of working memory: The gap is not that deep. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35, 1089–1096. doi 10.1037/a0015730 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Schmiedek, F., Lövdén, M., Lindenberger, U. (2010). Hundred days of cognitive training enhance broad cognitive abilities in adulthood: Findings from the COGITO study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2, 1–10. doi 10.3389/fnagi.2010.00027 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Sliwinski, M., Buschke, H. (2004). Modeling intraindividual cognitive change in aging adults: Results from the Einstein Aging Studies. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 11, 196–211. doi 10.1080/13825580490511080 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Snodgrass, J. G., Corwin, J. (1988). Pragmatics of measuring recognition memory: Applications to dementia and amnesia. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 117, 34–50. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Stanislaw, H., Todorov, N. (1999). Calculation of signal detection theory measures. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 31, 137–149. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Surtees, P. G., Wainwright, W. J., Luben, R., Wareham, N. J., Bingham, S., Khaw, K.-T. (2010). Mastery is associated with cardiovascular disease mortality in men and women at apparently low risk. Health Psychology, 29, 412–420. doi 10.1037/a0019432 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Windsor, T. D., Anstey, K. J. (2008). A longitudinal investigation of perceived control and cognitive performance in young, midlife and older adults. Ageing, Neuropsychology and Cognition, 15, 744–763. doi 10.1080/13825580802348570 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar