Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 6, 2025

Dual-Task Stroop Paradigm for Detecting Cognitive Deficits in High-Functioning Stroke Patients
Published on: December 16, 2022
Multifaceted Demands of Work and Cognitive Functioning: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study
Yeonjung Jane Lee1, Ernest Gonzales2, Ross Andel3,4,5
1Department of Social Work, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, USA.
Objectives:
The present study examines the associations between mental, social, and physical demands of work and cognitive functioning among older adults in the United States.
Method:
Data from 3,176 respondents in the Health and Retirement Study were analyzed using growth curve modeling (2004-2014). The study investigated differences by gender, race, ethnicity, and education.
Results:
Higher mental and social demands of work were associated with higher levels of initial cognitive functioning, but were not significantly associated with slower cognitive decline over time. Physical demands of work were negatively associated with initial cognitive functioning and were also marginally associated with a slower rate of decline in cognitive functioning going into older adulthood. In stratified analyses, results varied by sociodemographic characteristics.
Discussion:
The results partially support the environmental complexity hypothesis and the productive aging framework in that higher mental and social demands and lower physical demands relate to better cognitive functioning at baseline, with the differences appearing stable throughout older adulthood. The stratified results shed light on addressing disparities in cognitive aging and work environments.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Working Memory
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Information Processing Approach
Cognitive Dissonance

