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Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
Published on: September 27, 2020
What are subjective cognitive difficulties and do they matter?
Carol Opdebeeck1, Jennifer Ann Yates2, Aleksandra Kudlicka3,4
1Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
Subjective cognitive difficulties (SCD) assessment varies, impacting dementia risk prediction. Studies show limited links between SCD and objective cognition, but stronger associations with mood and subjective age.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Subjective cognitive difficulties (SCD) are linked to increased dementia risk.
- Current SCD assessment methods show significant variation.
- This variability may affect understanding of SCD's association with cognitive decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the agreement of different SCD measures.
- To investigate associations between SCD and cognitive function, mood, subjective age, and demographics.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 206 community-dwelling adults aged 65+.
- SCD assessed using individual questions and a scaled measure.
- Objective cognitive tests (memory, attention, executive function), mood, subjective age, and demographics were recorded.
Main Results:
- Limited overlap was found between different SCD measures.
- Only 1 of 64 individuals with SCD was identified by all five measures.
- SCD showed weak associations with objective cognition but stronger links to mood and subjective age.
Conclusions:
- Discrepancies in SCD measures may explain conflicting research findings.
- Standardization of SCD assessment (domains, criteria, response structure) is recommended.
- Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the role of SCD in cognitive health and dementia risk.
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