Margie E. Lachman - US grants

The sense of personal control, a central component of the self-concept, has been identified as an important correlate of psychological and physical well-being in later life. Individuals vary in the degree to which they believe they can influence outcomes and behaviors related to their own aging. This research is concerned with how these individual differences in control beliefs both affect and are affected by the aging process. The long-term aim is to enhance functioning in later life by optimizing beliefs in personal control. The present studies have four major goals: (1) to examine the multidimensional structure of personal control, (2) to examine patterns of age differences in the structure and level of control, (3) to articulate the conceptual boundaries of control by considering convergent and discriminant relations with other aspects of the self-concept, and (4) to examine the links between control beliefs and adaptive behavioral functioning. The proposed research draws primarily on theory and methods from the fields of life-span development and aging, personality, and social psychology (especially social learning theories). Cross-sectional and correlational designs are employed. The proposed multidimensional conceptualization of control includes multiple sources (personal efficacy, chance, powerful others) and levels (generalized and domain-specific). Patterns of age differences are expected to vary across dimensions of control. Control beliefs are expected to vary as a function of sex, educational level, health, and personality traits. The investigation of the links between control and behavioral functioning examines whether those with higher levels of personal efficacy and lower levels of chance and powerful others control demonstrate behaviors and attributes that are considered more adaptive for maintaining well-being in later life. An adaptive behavior checklist will be developed to assess levels of adaptive functioning in the elderly in four domains: (1) intellectual/cognitive, (2) social/interpersonal, (3) physical/health, and (4) personal growth. The findings can be applied toward the promotion of optimal functioning and well-being in later life.

Memory loss is one of the most prevalent problems associated with aging. Memory skills training programs have been effective in improving some aspects of memory functioning but the effects show limited transfer across tasks and they are short-lived. A growing body of evidence indicates that successful functioning requires not only skills, but also self-conceptions that foster effective use of these skills. The proposed research attempts to increase the generalizability of memory training across tasks and time through cognitive restructuring of self-conceptions of memory. Self-conceptions of memory include a set of beliefs concerning one's memory capabilities; the degree to which one can exercise control over one's memory; and whether aging results in irreversible memory loss. Using an experimental intervention design, young and elderly adults will be randomly assigned to memory training, cognitive restructuring, memory training with cognitive restructuring, a practice control group, or a no-contact control group. Cognitive restructuring focuses on instilling adaptive beliefs including greater perceived control and more functional attributional patterns regarding memory. The group receiving both cognitive restructuring and memory is expected to show greater transfer across memory tasks and more sustained effects than the memory training alone. This group is also expected to show the most adaptive changes in self-conceptions of memory, and these benefits are expected to be greater for the elderly than for the young. The information gained from this research will not only be useful for designing effective interventions to enhance memory functioning, but will also clarify the motivational and self-appraisal mechanisms involved in memory dysfunctions associated with aging. The long-term aim is to develop strategies for remediation and prevention of memory impairment, by addressing both memory ability and self- conception factors that govern memory performance.

cognitive behavior therapy; self concept; body physical activity; human old age (65+); injury prevention; memory; belief; psychological adaptation; health behavior; accidental falls; person with disability; health education; training; exercise; fear; behavioral /social science research tag; questionnaires; interview; videotape /videodisc; human subject;

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many middle-aged and older adults believe as they age that memory declines are inevitable and there is little that can be done. Such beliefs of low self-efficacy and limited control over memory aging are associated with poorer performance on a wide range of memory tasks, especially among older adults. The objective of this research program is to learn more about how low control beliefs operate as a risk factor for poor memory by considering the psychological and physiological pathways whereby control beliefs and performance are related. This will be accomplished by using short-term longitudinal designs to examine strategy use, anxiety, stress reactivity and arousal as mediators. Episodic and working memory along with memory control beliefs will be assessed in adults ages 25 to 85. Participants will be drawn from a representative sample of the Greater Boston area and tested in their homes. For Aim 1, we will extend past work to consider multiple indicators of anxiety, including self-reports and neuroendocrine (cortisol) and autonomic (heart rate) system responses of stress and arousal, which can have a short- term impact and long-term damage on cognitive and physical well-being. We also will examine memory- related stress in relation to age and the use of adaptive compensatory memory strategies. It is predicted that a sense of control over memory protects older adults from disruptive anxiety and rumination and promotes persistence in the face of challenging memory tasks. There is increasing evidence that variability in functioning is associated with important aging-related outcomes. For Aim 2, we will extend work on individual differences in the sense of control to examine short-term intraindividual variability in control beliefs in relation to age and intraindividual variability in stress and memory. Short-term fluctuations in control may reflect vulnerability rather than resilience in the face of memory challenges. Variability in control is expected to be positively associated with age and stress and inversely related to memory performance. In Aim 3 we expand the focus on age differences in intraindividual changes to the everyday context using a daily diary approach. It is expected that on days when adults feel more in control of their lives they will use more adaptive memory aids and strategies, experience less stress, and have fewer memory problems. Memory problems in later life can lead to anxiety and distress, but there are things that can be done to compensate. A focus on beliefs about controllability, the role of anxiety, and use of compensatory strategies for memory declines provides a useful framework for advancing our understanding of adaptive beliefs and behaviors for successful aging. Narrative: Good memory functioning is critical in everyday life (e.g., taking medications, remembering appointments) to maintain health, well-being, and independence. This research can identify modifiable beliefs and behaviors that are tied to poor memory and reduced functioning in instrumental activities for daily living. The results can be used to develop more effective interventions to reduce distress, impairment and dependence, enhance control beliefs and memory, and improve everyday functioning in later life.

The maintenanceof effectivecognitivefunctioningacross the lifespan is a crucial componentof an individual's well-beingandability to function independentlyin society.Althoughthere isa large literatureon cognitive performancein cider adulthood,there is limited nformation about cognitivefunctioning inmidlife. The proposed research will address that need by characterizing cognition across midlife and into old age on key domains that are hypothesizedto be sensitive to age effects, including verbal memory, working memory, executive function, reasoning,and speed of processing. Cognitive testing will be carried out through telephone interviews as part of the MIDUS II study. This will create a unique opportunity to examine the performance of middle-aged adults in a large-scale, nationally representative sample. In addition, the MIDUS study will provide a rich data base that will enable us to examine the relationship betweencognitive performance and a variety of biopsychosocial factors. The goal is to identify antecedents of effective cognitive function, in order to determine those factors that may serve a protective role in maintaining mental abilities, as well as those factors that serve as risk factors for exacerbating cognitive declines. We will investigate the links between cognitive performance and variables of interest, including SES, health, control beliefs, stressful life events, and menopausal status. Specifically, we predict that cumulative advantage (including high SES, good physical and mental health status, adaptive health behaviors, low stress, and a strong sense of mastery and control) will serve as a protective buffer against age decrements in cognitive performance in midlife and later life. Conversely, we expect that cumulative adversity (including low SES, chronic poor health, limited psychosocial resources) will be associated with greater vulnerability for cognitive deficits. We also will examine whether changes associated with the menopause are related to cognitive aging. A final goal is to carry out longitudinal analyses with an oversample from the Boston area, tested in 1996 on a multi-factor cognitive battery, stress reactivity measures, and control beliefs. This will provide valuable information on how changes over time in stress and psychosocial variables impact changes in cognitive performance during midlife. Understandingthe pathways to adaptive cognitive functioning in midlife may contribute to early detection and possible prevention of aging-related cognitive decline.

Project Summary: The Boston Roybal Center for Active Lifestyle Interventions (RALI Boston) Management and Administrative Core A (MAC) provides scientific direction and organizational oversight for the entire project. We will address one of the most pressing and challenging problems of our time, namely, how to motivate adults to adopt and maintain an active lifestyle. The major goal of the MAC Core A is to oversee and coordinate all components and activities of RALI Boston across the five participating universities: Brandeis University, Northeastern University, Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard Medical School/Hebrew Senior Life. The specific aims of the MAC are: 1) to coordinate and oversee all components of the RALI Boston Center; 2) to reach out to and collaborate with community organizations that serve diverse older adult populations to guide the design and conduct of pilot studies; 3) to engage in activities that create a stimulating environment and foster cohesiveness and productivity among RALI Boston investigators across institutions and promotes evidence- based translational research; and 4) to solicit feedback from external advisors and conduct ongoing evaluations of the Center to ensure we meet all of our aims. The MAC will enable RALI Boston to continue its growth as a leader in evidence-based clinical trials using the NIH Stage Model for behavioral interventions and translational research. The MAC co-leaders (Drs. Margie Lachman and Carmen Sceppa) will share responsibility for overseeing all operations and activities of the Center. They will work in conjunction with the Pilot Core B to solicit, review, implement, and evaluate pilot projects. The MAC will be responsible for maintaining the scientific integrity of our research and will engage in problem solving, communication, meetings, seminars, and evaluation of progress. The MAC responsibilities will continue to be implemented through an Executive Committee represented by the five RALI Boston collaborating institutions, as well as ad hoc subcommittees and working groups, External Scientific and Community Advisory Committees, and affiliated faculty, including pilot investigators and other faculty from the five institutions. The Executive Committee consists of the MAC Co-leaders (Lachman, Sceppa), Pilot Core Leaders (Drs. Lachman, Lewis Lipsitz and Theresa Ellis), Dr. James Lubben, and Dr. Art Kramer ? all leaders in their respective fields and senior representatives of their institutions. Most of these members have already established strong working relationships during our current funding period, as evidenced by their weekly 7 AM meetings, collaborative research activities, co-authored publications, and successful co-mentoring of junior faculty. They bring extensive multidisciplinary expertise and resources in aging, behavioral science, psychology, sociology, exercise physiology, neuroscience, and clinical trials, and share the common goal of developing and testing interventions to increase physical activity to increase the health and well-being of vulnerable populations.

The Boston Roybal Center (BRC) Management and Administrative Core A (MAC) provides scientific direction and organizational oversight for the entire project. The thematic focus that will guide the work of the BRC is the design of novel interventions to promote healthy behavior changes among middle-aged and older adults, especially among those at risk for poor health outcomes. The major goal of the MAC Core A is to oversee and coordinate all components of the BRC pilot projects and other activities across the five participating universities: Brandeis University, Northeastern University, Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard Medical School/Hebrew Senior Life. The specific aims of the MAC are: 1) Manage and coordinate all components of the BRC, 2) Collaborate with community organizations that serve underrepresented minorities and low income constituents, 3) Create an intellectual environment that fosters cohesiveness among BRC investigators across institutions and promotes evidence-based translational research, and 4) Implement ongoing evaluations of the Center to ensure we meet all our aims. The Core A responsibilities are implemented through an Executive Committee, subcommittees and working groups, an External Advisory Committee, and Center faculty, which will include all pilot investigators and affiliated faculty from the five institutions. The MAC co-Leaders will share responsibility for implementing the MAC aims. The Project PI, co-leader of the MAC, will chair the Executive Committee. MAC will work in conjunction with the Pilot Core B to solicit, review, implement, and evaluate pilot projects. It will be responsible for maintaining the scientific integrity of the work and will engage in problem solving, communication, meetings, seminars, and evaluation of progress. The MAC will insure that the BRC runs smoothly and fulfills its aims to address one of the challenging problems of our time: how to motivate adults to become more physically active, The pilot projects will provide important preliminary evidence needed to develop interventions to change and sustain healthy behaviors for improving functional health and enhancing independence and engagement.

The Pilot Core B will support one of the principal mechanisms by which the Boston Roybal Center (BRC) will achieve its overarching goal to develop and test behavior change strategies that promote healthy aging, especially for persons at high risk for poor health outcomes. The thematic focus of the BRC is on novel interventions to increase physical activity in vulnerable middle-aged and older adults. The Pilot Core will achieve this goal by supporting a group of innovative and scientifically rigorous pilot studies that will enhance our knowledge base, inform each other with new research methodologies and tools, and ultimately work collaboratively to develop the pilot data and experience necessary to conduct future full-scale clinical trials. The Pilot Core will leverage the knowledge gained by each project, incrementally enriching our conceptual model, and ultimately developing successful interventions to achieve health-promoting behavior change in at-risk populations. The specific aims of the Core are 1) To solicit, select, and support 4-6 of the most meritorious pilot studies each year that advance the BRC goals. These pilot studies will be solicited from among postdoctoral trainees, junior faculty, and established investigators of all racial and ethnic backgrounds who are working in participating BRC institutions. 2) To use the knowledge and skills gained by each pilot project to develop new research grants that test behavior change strategies to promote healthy aging in people at risk of poor health outcomes. We will also share results and plan ancillary studies by conducting monthly interactive seminars, and hosting an annual Visiting Scholar and Scientific Dinner focused on mechanisms to achieve sustainable health-promoting behavior changes. 3) To enhance the progress of pilot awardees' research projects by requiring the awardees to present their work at monthly seminars and External Advisory Committee meetings, and conducting biannual Center meetings between pilot investigators. Center faculty, and Core A and B leaders. 4) To assure the scientific integrity of our research and the safety of human subjects. The extensive research and administrative experience of the Co-Leaders and large pool of collaborating, investigators at participating institutions will help assure the Core's success. The Pilot Core will work closely with the Management and Administrative Core to make sure the BRC operates smoothly and fulfills its aims.