Poster Title (Current Submission)
The effects of social support on cognitive aging
Major(s)
Sociology, Law
Mentor Name
Dr. Natalie L. Denburg
Mentor Department
Neuroscience
Abstract
We investigated the hypothesis that social support would serve as a protective factor in cognitive aging. Participants were 67 older adults (Mage=69.6+/-7.9 years; Meduc=15.7+/-2.7; 62.7% female; range=52-84 years), who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and a validated social support instrument. Two findings obtained: (1) tangible social support (TAN-SS; e.g., Someone to take you to the doctor if you need it), showed a relationship with cognition, while other aspects of social support did not; (2) TAN-SS was positively associated with executive functioning, including working memory (p<.01) and decision-making (p<.05). No significant associations between TAN-SS and other aspects of cognition were observed.
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The effects of social support on cognitive aging
We investigated the hypothesis that social support would serve as a protective factor in cognitive aging. Participants were 67 older adults (Mage=69.6+/-7.9 years; Meduc=15.7+/-2.7; 62.7% female; range=52-84 years), who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and a validated social support instrument. Two findings obtained: (1) tangible social support (TAN-SS; e.g., Someone to take you to the doctor if you need it), showed a relationship with cognition, while other aspects of social support did not; (2) TAN-SS was positively associated with executive functioning, including working memory (p<.01) and decision-making (p<.05). No significant associations between TAN-SS and other aspects of cognition were observed.