Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Just as expected? Older adults' aging expectations are associated with subjective cognition
Nikki L Hill1, Sakshi Bhargava2, Justin Do3
1Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Objectives:
This study investigated the relationship between older adults' expectations regarding aging and subjective cognition. Specifically, we examined whether the three domains of aging expectations (physical health, mental health, and cognitive function) were associated with two aspects of subjective cognition: current subjective cognition and subjective cognitive decline (SCD).
Method:
An online survey was conducted among U.S. adults aged 65-90 (N = 581; Mage=71.4, SD ± 4.81; 51% female). Measures included the 12-item Expectations Regarding Aging scale, the 8-item PROMIS Cognitive Abilities scale (current subjective cognition), and the 12-item Everyday Cognition scale (SCD). We used generalized linear models to examine associations between overall aging expectations and its three domains with current subjective cognition ratings and SCD.
Results:
We found that more positive expectations regarding physical health, mental health, and cognitive function in aging were associated with higher ratings of current subjective cognition as well as lower SCD. The magnitude of effects across aging expectations domains were similar for both aspects of subjective cognition.
Conclusion:
Aging expectations are malleable and influence an individual's perceptions of their cognitive functioning. Modifying older adults' aging expectations could support healthier cognitive aging through increased awareness and accurate assumptions about the aging process.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
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...

