Research has shown that animal-assisted activities have specific benefits for older adults, such as decreasing loneliness (Banks & Banks, 2002; Banks, Willoughby, & Banks, 2008; Calvert, 1989) and depression (Grubbs, Artese, Schmitt, Cormier, & Panton, 2016; Le Roux & Kemp, 2009; Moretti et al., 2010) while increasing positive…

Clinical Question: Do individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) benefit from memory strategies/supports training versus no training, based on their performance on prospective memory tasks? Method: Systematic Review. Sources: PSYCINFO®, CINAHL®, PubMed®, and ASHA® journal search. Search Terms: MCI, cognitive rehabilitation, cognitive…

The aim of this article was to review the evidence of errorless learning on learning outcomes in patients with early-stage Alzheimer's disease. A computer-aided literature search from 1999 to 2011 was carried out using MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO and PsycArticles. Keywords included…

Aging diversity in organizations creates potential challenges, particularly for knowledge management, skills update and skills obsolescence. Intergenerational learning (IGL) involves knowledge building, innovation and knowledge transfer between generations within an organization (Ropes 2011). Serious games refer to the use of computer games in…

The present review assesses the public's perceptions about cognitive health and Alzheimer's disease among adults in the United States. We searched the published literature and Internet, and contacted experts in the field to locate surveys assessing the public's perceptions about cognition. We found 10 eligible surveys and abstracted data…

Herbert Simon's work on bounded rationality has had little impact on researchers studying older adults' decision making. This omission is surprising, as human constraints on computation and memory are exacerbated in older adults. The study of older adults' decision-making processes could benefit from employing a bounded rationality perspective,…

Reviewed studies on reminiscence and life review to examine both developmentalist and interpretive approaches to interpreting such studies. Used interpretive approach, particularly Goffman's dramaturgical approach, to further understand objective of reminiscence and to see how social element emphasized by interpretive approach can be deciding…

In this review, we report on studies that have assessed the effects of exogenous and endogenous increases in stress hormones on human cognitive performance. We first describe the history of the studies on the effects of using exogenous stress hormones such as glucocorticoids as anti-inflammatory medications on human cognition and mental health.…

Research findings on cognitive capability of older adults, educational participation, and self-reflection emphasize the importance of contextual and environmental factors in understanding how older adults are learning to meet the challenges confronting them. (SK)

Reviews research on effects of interventions aimed at maintaining or improving memory function among older adults including slowing pace of learning, organizing learning materials, training in use of imagery, mnemonics, and supportive environments. Explicates the ways in which findings of laboratory research can be incorporated into educational…

Use of the oral history technique in clinical medicine supplies significant additional data that illuminate the psychological, social, and spiritual background of healthy or ailing aging patients. Describes some practical applications of oral history techniques in clinical medical practice and discusses their usefulness for gerontological…

Presented series of biographical passages to young and older adults to examine how semantic memory store of previously acquired knowledge affects ability to retain textual information. Older adults had difficulty in delayed, but not in immediate, recognition condition. Suggests that as older adults' episodic memory deteriorated, they could not…

It is paradoxical that analog tasks are used in learning and memory studies of aging when older groups are less responsive or may terminate participation when faced with what they believe are meaningless stimuli or trivial tasks. Research with meaningful prose materials is recommended. (Author/BEF)

Efficacy in working with recollection can be increased by understanding reminiscence. Informative reminiscence involves recollection for the pleasure of reliving and retelling. Evaluative reminiscence has a more favorable resolution when it ranges over the lifetime and is shared. Obsessive reminiscence may result from guilt, stress or grief.…

Text-learning strategies may help students to: (1) focus attention on key concepts; (2) organize information for storage and retrieval; and (3) integrate new information with existing, related knowledge. Since these strategies can provide learning contexts that stimulate attentional and organizational processes, their use with older adult students…