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Biomedical subjects

L W Poon

Publications and source records attributed to L W Poon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Toward an understanding of cognitive functioning in geriatric depression.

This paper addresses the questions of whether depression compromises cognition in the elderly and whether discernable patterns of cognitive performances could be differentiated between patients with severe depression and those with organic dementia. Published data on geriatric depression and cognitive functioning are divided in demonstrating a depression effect. Further examination and external validation by new data show that the depression effect on discrete cognitive tasks is (1) small, and (2) sensitive to the confounding of sampling and task variables. Future research must take these factors into account. Patterns of cognitive functioning in depression and dementia are different and can be differentiated using a variety of measures. This review finds the term pseudodementia inappropriate and misleading and recommends that it be abandoned.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Personality, life events and coping in the oldest-old.

This paper compares older adults in their sixties, eighties, and 100s on personality, experience of life events, and coping. A secondary goal was to test a structural model of adaptation. Participants (165) filled out a personality inventory, life-event lists, and coping and mental health measures. Results revealed differences in personality: centenarians scored higher on dominance, suspiciousness, and imagination. While centenarians scored lower on active behavioral coping than other age groups, they used cognitive strategies when coping with health and family events. Results from the structural equation model indicated that extraversion and anxiety predicted morale and mental health.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Nutritional patterns of centenarians.

This study compares the dietary patterns of centenarians (n = 24) with elderly adults in their sixties (n = 54) and eighties (n = 47). Compared to the younger cohorts, centenarians consumed breakfast more regularly, avoided weight loss diets and large fluctuations in body weight, consumed slightly more vegetables, and relied on their doctor and family more than on the news media for nutrition information. On the other hand, centenarians were less likely to consume diets low in fat and to comply with nutritional guidelines designed to reduce the risk of chronic disease. Elderly black men consumed diets higher in sweets and fat compared to black women and white men and women. Nearly three times as many blacks expressed the desire to eat more nutritiously. High nutrition risks, particularly in blacks, were associated with lower physical and mental health and impaired activities of daily living.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Religiosity and adaptation in the oldest-old.

Previous research has yielded mixed results with respect to the relationship between religiosity and adaptation in older adults. Most studies show that religiosity is stable over the life span, but that religiosity may or may not be related to such factors as physical and mental health, life satisfaction, and coping. This study adds to earlier investigations by including centenarians among the sample. The preliminary results of this research project support earlier findings that religiosity does not change significantly as one ages, although there is a trend in the results that suggests otherwise. The results also indicate a significant relationship between religiosity and physical health but no significant relationship between religiosity and mental health and life satisfaction. Religiosity and coping are strongly related, and there is the suggestion that religious coping mechanisms might be more important in the oldest-old.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

The influences of cognitive resources on adaptation and old age.

In the Georgia Centenarian Study, cognitive resources were estimated by fluid and crystallized intelligence, acquisition and retrieval of new information, retrieval of familiar information, and problem-solving ability in community-dwelling and nondemented adults ranging from sixty to one hundred plus years of age. Five clusters of results were found: 1) cognitive performances were lower for the older cohorts; 2) when cognitive activities were dependent on everyday experiences, no age-related problem-solving decline was found; 3) physical health and mental health can significantly influence cognitive performances; 4) cognitive and personality factors can combine to account for a larger amount of adaptation variance than can be accounted for by either of the factors alone; and 5) individuals with a high level of intelligence and affect sustain their instrumental activities of daily living. Cognitive resources were an important contributor to successful adaptation for the oldest-old.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

The information-loss model: a mathematical theory of age-related cognitive slowing.

A model of cognitive slowing is proposed with the following assumption: Information is lost during processing, processing occurs in discrete steps with step duration inversely related to the amount of information currently available, and the effect of aging is to increase the proportion of information lost per step. This model correctly predicts a positively accelerated relation between latencies of older and younger adults and provides a unified account of the effects of task complexity, practice, speed-accuracy tradeoffs, and fluctuations in individual performance. Strong support for the thesis that cognitive slowing is global, and not localized in specific age-sensitive components, is provided by the fact that the model accurately predicts the latencies of older adults on the basis of those of younger adults, without regard to the nature of the task, across a latency range of nearly 2 orders of magnitude.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effects of labeling techniques on memory and comprehension of prescription information in young and old adults.

We conducted a study to determine the effects of presenting prescription information in a pictorial compared to a verbal format on comprehension and memory in young and old adults. Both comprehension and memory for drug information were studied as a function of age and presentation method. Participants received prescription instructions on actual medicine bottles in one of two formats: verbal instructions only, or verbal instructions mixed with pictorial representations. Results indicated that (a) younger adults' memory for prescription information was facilitated by the mixed instructions, but that mixed instructions appeared to hamper older adults' memory for prescription information; (b) younger adults recalled more information overall relative to older adults across both presentation conditions; and (c) older adults were less able to comprehend prescription information relative to younger adults. Results suggest that well-organized verbal prescription labels are more facilitative for the elderly and that additional efforts must be undertaken to improve the clarity of labeling on prescription drugs.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Metamemorial predictors of memory performance in young and older adults.

The relationship between aspects of knowledge about memory and immediate and delayed recall on prose and word-list tasks was examined. Ss were 100 young and 100 older adults. Vocabulary ability was screened. Memory knowledge was assessed by the Metamemory in Adulthood (MIA) scale and the Short Inventory of Memory Experiences (SIME). Capacity and change measures of the MIA correlated with most dimensions of the SIME for both age groups. The anxiety measure of the MIA correlated with SIME measures only for the young. Regression analyses showed that strategy (MIA) predicted performance only for young adults, change (MIA) predicted performance only for older adults, and capacity (MIA) predicted performance for both age groups. Metamemory variables accounted for equivalent amounts of variance in both prose and word-list tasks, although there was an indication that prediction was slightly better for prose. Future researchers need to address the apparent increase in affect-related predictors of memory performance.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Quality of instructions on prescription drug labels: effects on memory and comprehension in young and old adults.

We examined both comprehension of and memory for information on prescription labels as a function of age, memory load, and study time across three experiments with young and old adults. We found that older adults consistently manifested poorer recall of prescription information than young adults; age effects occurred even when participants received unlimited study time; and both young and old adults had substantial difficulty comprehending drug information as it is presented from a pharmacy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

A questionnaire assessment of age differences in retention of recent and remote events.

Age-related differences in memory for recently and remotely dated events have been evaluated through questionnaire assessment. Results from previous studies employing the technique differ in the analysis of retrieval of recent and remote events. In attempting to reconcile extant results from the literature, the following study employed a group of healthy males ranging in age from 26 to 69. The results showed: 1. The elderly exhibited no impairment of the ability to remember recent colloquial events. 2. The elderly's surprisingly accurate recall of remote events was not a product of selective and frequent rehearsal.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Toward applying cognitive skill training to memory problems.

Four elements of a successful program of cognitive skill training for the elderly include: (a) the use of mnemonic aids for the memorization of new information; (b) the development of motivational techniques to enhance attention to materials and maintenance of cognitive skills acquired through training; (c) the design of techniques which utilize individual differences in abilities, personality, and cognitive style to enhance individual programs of cognitive skill training; and (d) the use of appropriate medical and/or psychiatric care when necessary.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Speed of retrieval from long-term memory in relation to age, familiarity, and datedness of information.

The time required to name four groups of pictures was measured in 83 community dwelling males (18-70 years of age). One group consisted of objects used 50 to 70 years ago (unique dated exemplars), and another consisted of objects unique to contemporary times (unique contemporary exemplars). For comparison, other pictures of contemporary and dated objects commonly used in both periods were employed. There were three major findings. One, the familiarity of the pictured object is the major determinant of the time required to retrieve its name. Older subjects named the dated unique objects that were relatively more familiar to them more rapidly than did younger adults, while the reverse was true for contemporary unique objects. No age difference in the speed of naming common contemporary objects was found. Two, the overall age-related difference in naming latency was attributed to perceptual-motor aspects of the task. Three, the physical features as well as the familiarity of the object contributed to the speed of retrieval of the object's name.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Changes in alpha rhythm asymmetry during learning of verbal and visuospatial tasks.

Alpha activity in the two cortical hemispheres was examined during learning and overlearning of a verbal and a visuospatial task. Compared to a pretask baseline condition, the amount of alpha activity during the tasks was decreased. An increase in alpha activity was found from learning to overlearning in both tasks. A greater amount of alpha was found in the right hemisphere for both tasks. In addition, no difference in the degree of alpha asymmetry was found between the tasks. This was discussed in light of prior contrary findings. A significant positive correlation was found between change in learning rate and change in alpha asymmetry during the verbal task. An interpretation of this finding was offered in terms of the level of hemispheric activation reflecting the degree of task engagement.

Alpha Rhythm↗