Based on recent research with young, depressed adults, age-related cognitive declines and decreased autobiographical specificity were hypothesized to predict poorer social problem-solving ability in older than in younger healthy adults. Priming autobiographical memory (ABM) was hypothesized to improve social problem-solving performance for older adults. Subsequent to cognitive tests, old and young participants’ specific ABMs were tested using a cued recall task, followed by a social problem-solving task. The order of the tasks was counterbalanced to test for a priming effect. Autobiographical specificity was related to cognitive ability and predicted social problem-solving ability for both age groups. However, priming of ABM did not improve social problem-solving ability for older or younger adults. This study provides support for the hypothesis that autobiographical memory serves a directive function across the life-span.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdamsC.SmithM. C.PasupathiM.VitoloL. (2002). Social context effects on story recall in older and younger women: Does the listener make a difference?.The Journals of Gerontology57B, P28–P40.
2.
AndersonN. D.CraikF. I. M.Naveh-BenjaminM. (1998). The attentional demands of encoding and retrieval in younger and older adults: 1. Evidence from divided attention costs.Psychology and Aging13, 405–423.
3.
AndersonS.ConwayM. A. (1997). Representations of autobiographical memories.Cognitive models of memory. ConwayM. A.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press215–244.
4.
AnsteyK. J.MattersB.BrownA. K.LordS. R. (2000). Normative data on neuropsychological tests for very old adults living in retirement villages and hostels.Clinical Neuropsychologist14, 309–317.
5.
AntonucciT. C. (2001). Social relations: An examination of social networks, social support, and sense of control.Handbook of the psychology of aging. (5th).. BirrenJ. E.SchaieK. W.San Diego, CA: Academic Press427–453.
6.
AreanP. A.PerriM. G.NezuA. M.ScheinR. L.ChristopherF.JosephT. X. (1993). Comparative effectiveness of social problem-solving therapy and reminiscence therapy as treatments for depression in older adults.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology61, 1003–1010.
7.
ArtisticoD.CervoneD.PezzutiL. (2003). Perceived self-efficacy and everyday problem solving among young and older adults.Psychology and Aging18, 68–79.
8.
BakerS. R. (2003). A prospective longitudinal investigation of social problem solving appraisals on adjustment to university, stress, health, and academic motivation and performance.Personality and Individual Differences35, 569–591.
9.
BaltesM. M.LangF. R. (1997). Everyday functioning and successful aging: The impact of resources.Psychology and Aging12, 433–443.
10.
BernstenD.RubinD. C. (2002). Emotionally charged autobiographical memories across the lifespan: The recall of happy, sad, traumatic, and involuntary memories.Psychology and Aging17, 636–652.
11.
BondD. S.LyleR. M.TappeM. K.SeehaferR. S.D'ZurillaT. J. (2002). Moderate aerobic exercise, tai chi, and social problem solving ability in relation to psychological stress.International Journal of Stress Management9, 329–343.
12.
BrandE. F.LakeyB.BermanS. (1995). A preventative, psychoeducational approach to increase perceived social support.American Journal of Community Psychology23, 117–135.
13.
BunceD.MacreadyA. (2005). Processing speed, executive function, and age differences in remembering and knowing.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology58A, 155–168.
14.
CameronJ.ShinJ.WilliamsD.StewartD. (2004). A brief problem-solving intervention for family caregivers to individuals with advanced cancer.Journal of Psychosomatic Research57, 137–143.
15.
CohenG. (1998). The effects of aging on autobiographical memory.Autobiographical memory: Theoretical and applied perspectives. ThompsonC.HerrmannD.BruceD.ReadJ. D.PayneD.TogliaM.Hove, UK: Psychology Press105–123.
16.
CohenS. (2004). Social relationships and health.American Psychologist59, 676–684.
17.
CraikF. I. M. (1986). A functional account of age differences in memory.Human memory and cognitive capabilities: Mechanisms and performance. KlixF.HagendorfH.North Holland, The Netherlands: Elsevier Science Publishers.
18.
D'ZurillaT. J. (1986). Problem-solving therapy: A social competence approach to clinical interventionNew York: Springer.
19.
D'ZurillaT. J.NezuA. (1980). A study of the generation-of-alternatives process in social problem solving.Cognitive Therapy and Research4, 67–72.
20.
ElliottT. R.ShewchukR. M.MillerD. M.RichardsS. J. (2001). Profiles in problem solving: Psychological well-being and distress among persons with diabetes mellitus.Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings8, 283–291.
21.
EvansJ.WilliamsJ. M. G.O'LoughlinS.HowellsK. (1992). Autobiographical memory and problem-solving strategies of parasuicide patients.Psychological Medicine22, 399–405.
22.
GoddardL.DritschelB.BurtonA. (1996). Role of autobiographical memory in social problem solving and depression.Journal of Abnormal Psychology105, 609–616.
23.
GoddardL.DritschelB.BurtonA. (1997). Social problem solving and autobiographical memory in non-clinical depression.British Journal of Clinical Psychology36, 449–451.
24.
GoddardL.DritschelB.BurtonA. (1998). Gender differences in the dual-task effects on autobiographical memory retrieval during social problem solving.British Journal of Psychology89, 611–627.
25.
GoddardL.DritschelB.BurtonA. (2001). The effects of specific retrieval instruction on social problem-solving in depression.British Journal of Clinical Psychology40, 297–308.
26.
GodshallF.ElliottT. (1997). Behavioral correlates of self-appraised problem-solving ability: Problem-solving skills and health-compromising behaviors.Journal of Applied Social Psychology27, 929–944.
27.
HeidrichS.DenneyN. (1994). Does social problem solving differ from other types of problem solving during the adult years?.Experimental Aging Research20, 105–126.
28.
HertzogC.DixonR.HultschD. F.MacDonaldS. W. S. (2003). Latent change models of adult cognition: Are changes in processing speed and working memory associated with changes in episodic memory?.Psychology and Aging18, 755–769.
29.
HoganB. E.LindenW.NajarianB. (2002). Social support interventions: Do they work?.Clinical Psychology Review22, 381–440.
30.
HymanI. E.FariesJ. M. (1992). The functions of autobiographical memory.Theoretical perspectives on autobiographical memory. ConwayM. A.RubinD. C.SpinnlerH.WagenaarW. A.Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publications207–221.
31.
KantG. L.D'ZurillaT. J.Maydeu-OlivaresA. (1997). Social problem-solving as a mediator of stress-related depression and anxiety in middle-aged and elderly community adults.Cognitive Therapy and Research21, 73–96.
32.
KrauseN. (2006). Neighborhood deterioration, social skills, and social relationships in late life.International Journal of Aging and Human Development62, 185–207.
33.
LevineB.SvobodaE.HayJ. F.WinocurG.MoscovitchM. (2002). Aging and autobiographical memory: Dissociating episodic from semantic retrieval.Psychology and Aging17, 677–689.
34.
MacleodC. M. (1991). Half a century of research on the Stroop effect: An integrative review.Psychological Bulletin109, 163–203.
35.
NewsomJ. T.NishishibaM.RookK. S.MorganD. L. (2003). The relative importance of three domains of positive and negative social exchanges: A longitudinal model with comparable measures.Psychology and Aging18, 746–754.
36.
OrtizT.Perez-SerranoJ. M.ZaglulC.CoullautR.CoullautJ.CriadoJ. (2003). Deficit of cognitive event-related potentials during a working task in patients with major depression.Actas Espanolas de Psiquiatria31, 177–181.
37.
PasupathiM.StallworthL. M.MurdochK. (1998). How what we tell becomes what we know: Listener effects on speakers’ long-term memory for events.Discourse Processes26, 1–25.
38.
PhillipsS.WilliamsM. G. (1997). Cognitive impairment, depression and the specificity of autobiographical memory in the elderly.Journal of Clinical Psychology36, 341–347.
39.
PillemerD. B. (2003a). Directive functions of autobiographical memory: The guiding power of the specific episode.Memory11, 193–202.
40.
PillemerD. B. (2003b). Gender differences in autobiographical memory styles of older adults.Memory11, 193–202.
41.
PiolinoP.DesgrangesB.BenaliK.EustacheF. (2002). Episodic and semantic remote autobiographical memory in ageing.Memory10, 239–257.
42.
PlattJ.SpivachG. (1975). Manual for the means-end problem solving test (MEPS): A measure of interpersonal problem solving skillPhiladelphia: Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital.
43.
RaesF.HermansD.WilliamsM. G.EelenP. (2006). Reduced autobiographical memory specificity and affect regulation.Cognition and Emotion20, 133–138.
44.
ReisbergD.HeuerF. (2004). Memory for emotional events.Memory and emotion. ReisbergD.HertelP.London: Oxford University Press3–41.
45.
RibyL. M.PerfectT. J.StolleryB. T. (2004). Evidence for disproportionate dual-task costs for episodic but not semantic memory.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology57A, 241–267.
46.
RubinD. C.SchulkindM. D. (1997). The distribution of autobiographical memories across the lifespan.Memory and Cognition25, 859–866.
47.
StaudingerU. M. (2001). Life reflection: A social-cognitive analysis of life review.Review of General Psychology5, 148–160.
48.
StroughJ.ChengS.SwensonL. M. (2002). Preferences for collaborative and individual everyday problem solving in later adulthood.International Journal of Behavioral Development26, 26–35.
49.
SweeneyJ. A.KmiecJ. A.KupferD. J. (2000). Neuropsychological impairments in bipolar and unipolar mood disorders on the CANTAB neurocognitive battery.Biological Psychiatry48, 674–684.
50.
TrenerryM. R.CrossonB.DeBoeJ.LeberW. R. (1989). Stroop: Neuropsychological screening test manualOdessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
51.
TulvingE. (2002). Episodic memory: From mind to brain.Annual Review of Psychology53, 1–25.
52.
WatkinsE.TeasdaleJ. D. (2001). Rumination and overgeneral memory in depression: Effects of self-focus on analytic thinking.Journal of Abnormal Psychology110, 333–357.
53.
WilliamsJ. M. G. (1996). Depression and the specificity of autobiographical memory.Remembering our past: Studies in autobiographical memory. RubinD.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press244–267.
54.
WilliamsJ. M. G. (2006). Capture and rumination, functional avoidance, and executive control (CaRFAX): Three processes that underlie overgeneral memory.Cognition and Emotion20, 548–568.
55.
ZacksR. T.HasherL.LiK. H. (2000). Human memory.The handbook of cognition and aging. CraikF. I. M.SalthouseT. A.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc293–358.
