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Initiation, Inhibition and Strategy Generation Across the Healthy Adult Lifespan

Gibson, Emily C., Barker, Megan S., Martin, Andrew K., Robinson, Gail A. (2019) Initiation, Inhibition and Strategy Generation Across the Healthy Adult Lifespan. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 34 (4). pp. 511-523. E-ISSN 1873-5843. (doi:10.1093/arclin/acy057) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:79696)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided. (Contact us about this Publication)
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acy057

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Executive functions are crucial for adaptive behavior in novel contexts. In healthy aging, these abilities are more sensitive to dysfunction than other cognitive abilities. The effect of aging on initiation, inhibition, and strategy use was investigated via performance on the Hayling Sentence Completion Test. METHOD: The standard Hayling Test and baseline cognitive tests were administered to healthy adults (N = 344), aged 18-89 years (cross-sectional study). Bivariate Pearson's correlations, partial correlations, and regression analyses were used to assess the impact of aging on the components of the Hayling Test. RESULTS: There were significant positive correlations between age and response time for both Initiation and Suppression, and the number of Suppression Errors. Further, older age was negatively associated with strategy use. These findings remained significant after controlling for demographic factors such as education and crystallized intelligence and other cognitive functions sensitive to aging such as fluid intelligence, attention, working memory and semantic and phonemic word fluency. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides clarification of the effect of age on the processes of initiation, inhibition, and strategy generation across the adult lifespan. The focus and analysis of strategy on the Hayling Test provides clinicians with an additional and valuable measure of executive functioning. That is, it provides insight into how older adults may be able to compensate for decline in these processes, and thus maximize quality of life and independence.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1093/arclin/acy057
Uncontrolled keywords: adolescent; adult; aged; aging; attention; cognition; cross-sectional study; executive function; female; human; inhibition (psychology); intelligence; language; male; middle aged; neuropsychological test; psychology; quality of life; reaction time; semantics; short term memory; very elderly; young adult, Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Attention; Cognition; Cross-Sectional Studies; Executive Function; Female; Humans; Inhibition (Psychology); Intelligence; Language; Male; Memory, Short-Term; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Quality of Life; Reaction Time; Semantics; Young Adult
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: Andrew Martin
Date Deposited: 29 Jan 2020 14:48 UTC
Last Modified: 06 Mar 2023 11:56 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/79696 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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