Do Effort and Reward at Work Predict Changes in Cognitive Function? First Longitudinal Results from the...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Cognitive Psychology
• Sociology of Work

Background:

• Work characteristics like mental demands and job control may influence cognitive function.
• Existing research on psychosocial factors and long-term cognitive change is inconsistent.
• The effort-reward imbalance model offers a framework to study work's impact on cognition, incorporating reward-based learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between high effort, high reward, and low over-commitment at work and cognitive function changes.
• To examine the impact of these work factors on perceptual speed and word fluency over a six-year period (2006-2012).
• To determine if the combination of high effort and high reward has a synergistic effect on cognitive change.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 1031 employees in a large, representative study.
• Employed multivariate linear regression analyses to assess relationships.
• Measured work characteristics (effort, reward, over-commitment) in 2006 and cognitive function (perceptual speed, word fluency) in 2006 and 2012.

Main Results:

• High effort and high reward were significantly associated with positive changes in perceptual speed.
• The combined effect of high effort and high reward showed a notable association with improved perceptual speed.
• Over-commitment did not show a statistically significant association with cognitive changes.

Conclusions:

• Workplace factors, specifically the balance of effort and reward, are prospectively associated with cognitive function changes.
• Findings highlight the potential of organization-based workplace measures to mitigate cognitive decline in the aging workforce.
• Further research is needed to corroborate these findings and inform workplace interventions.