Behavioral and Social Sciences
Jeremy Hamm, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychology
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Jacqueline Mogle, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
Psychology
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina, United States
Jeremy Hamm, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychology
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Heejung Jang, PhD
Research Associate
Department of Psychology
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina, United States
Ryan McGrath, PhD
Assistant Professor
Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota, United States
Eric Cerino, PhD (he/him/his)
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychological Sciences
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Healthier cognitive aging is multifactorial, shaped in part by modifiable psychosocial and behavioral predictors. Critically, these predictors exhibit day-to-day and year-to-year fluctuations that could be harnessed to promote better cognitive functioning with age. The present studies thus address short- and long-term differences in psychosocial (perceived control, relationship quality) and behavioral factors (light physical activity, muscle strength) as predictors of normative and non-normative cognitive aging. Cerino et al. use data from the National Study of Daily Experiences to demonstrate how daily perceptions of control over daily stressors relate to episodic memory and executive functioning across age. Jang and Mogle examine the association between daily appraisals of relationship quality and subjective cognitive decline as driven by daily stressful experiences. Hamm et al. use data from the Midlife in the United States Study to investigate how changes in light physical activity across 9-years predict changes in episodic memory and executive functioning beyond more vigorous forms of activity, particularly for older adults. Finally, McGrath et al. use 12-year data from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate a multidimensional measure of maximum voluntary muscle strength as an indicator of elevated cognitive impairment risk among older adults. This symposium thus integrates new research from deeply-phenotyped samples on psychosocial and behavioral factors implicated in cognitive aging and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how healthier cognitive functioning across short (days) and long (decades) time spans is shaped by beliefs, social dynamics, and behaviors that are amenable to change across the adult lifespan.
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jeremy Hamm, PhD – North Dakota State University
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Heejung Jang, PhD – Clemson University
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ryan McGrath, PhD – North Dakota State University
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Eric S. Cerino, PhD (he/him/his) – Northern Arizona University