INTERPERSONAL ACTIVITY AND SOCIAL COGNITIVE ABILITY IN THE ELDERLY.
Item
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Title
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INTERPERSONAL ACTIVITY AND SOCIAL COGNITIVE ABILITY IN THE ELDERLY.
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Identifier
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AAI8023698
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identifier
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8023698
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Creator
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DOLEN, LENISE SCHACHNER.
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Contributor
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Dr. David J. Bearison | Dr. Edgar F. Borgatta
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Date
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1980
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Education, Educational Psychology
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Abstract
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The purpose of this investigation was to assess the relationship between levels of social interaction and social cognitive functioning in elderly persons. While traditional research in the field of cognition has been concerned with how people construct knowledge of physical relations, social cognitive abilities have to do with knowledge of people and social relations. There is increasing evidence that social knowledge has greater functional significance for the elderly than physical knowledge. There have been few studies of how the social activities of elderly people affect their ability to understand others.;A research design employing quantitative descriptors of social experience based on a self-report questionnaire and three different measures of social cognitive functioning provided the focal data of the study. The social interaction measure consisted of a series of questions regarding the magnitude and diversity of the social experience of the aging individual in interaction with the family and larger environmental network. Responses to these questions were scored so as to yield six different categories reflecting different domains of social activity. The social cognitive measures assessed the conceptualization of other persons, conceptualization of alternative solutions in interpersonal problem solving, and coordination of multiple points of view.;The study was conducted with 122 males and females ranging in age from 65-to-89 years of age. All participants were generally healthy and capable of maintaining themselves in the community. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data.;The major findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between social interaction and social cognition. The analysis also indicates that levels of participation in social interaction are more significant predictors of cognitive decline than age, and that age by itself is not a significant predictor of cognitive functioning in the elderly. The findings strongly support the hypothesis of a relationship between social experience of the individual and the maintenance of cognitive abilities. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for advancing a positive role model of aging, community planning, training programs and education of service providers of the elderly.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Educational Psychology
