Maria Chiara Fastame

Working memory components of the Corsi blocks task

A computerized version of the Corsi blocks task (Milner, 1971) was assessed for standard forward-recall order (Experiments 1 and 3) and for reversed-recall order (Experiments 2 and 3) either in a single-task or in a dual-task design combined with articulatory suppression, matrix-tapping, random-interval generation or fixed-interval generation as concurrent tasks during the encoding stage. Concurrent performance of the matrix-tapping task impaired memory performance for short as well as for longer block sequences. The random-interval generation task, which loads executive processes, impaired memory performance mainly at intermediate- and longer-sequence lengths, while fixed-interval generation, which is presumed to put no load on executive processing, did not show any effect. Articulatory suppression did not impair memory performance on forward-recall order, but it impaired memory for longer sequences in the backward-recall condition in Experiment 2, but not in Experiment 3. The results are discussed within the context of the working-memory model of Baddeley and Hitch (1974).

How is the serial order of a verbal sequence coded? Some comparisons between models

Current models of verbal short‐term memory (STM) propose various mechanisms for serial order. These include a gradient of activation over items, associations between items, and associations between items and their positions relative to the start or end of a sequence. We compared models using a variant of Hebbs procedure in which immediate serial recall of a sequence improves if the sequence is presented more than once. However, instead of repeating a complete sequence, we repeated different aspects of serial order information common to training lists and a subsequent test list. In Experiment 1, training lists repeated all the item–item pairings in the test list, with or without the position–item pairings in the test list. Substantial learning relative to a control condition was observed only when training lists repeated item–item pairs with position–item pairs, and position was defined relative to the start rather than end of a sequence. Experiment 2 attempted to analyse the basis of this learning effect further by repeating fragments of the test list during training, where fragments consisted of either isolated position–item pairings or clusters of both position–item and item–item pairings. Repetition of sequence fragments led to only weak learning effects. However, where learning was observed it was for specific position–item pairings. We conclude that positional cues play an important role in the coding of serial order in memory but that the information required to learn a sequence goes beyond position–item associations. We suggest that whereas STM for a novel sequence is based on positional cues, learning a sequence involves the development of some additional representation of the sequence as a whole.

Does Social Desirability Confound the Assessment of Self-Reported Measures of Well-Being and Metacognitive Efficiency in Young and Older Adults?

Social desirability is a multicomponent personality trait referring to the tendency of individuals to regulate their answers to establish a positive impression, avoid criticism, or satisfy a need for social approval (Johnson & Fendrich, 2002; Paulhus, 1984). This study investigated the role played by the socially desirable response style assessed with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960) on self-rated measures of affect (i.e., Center of Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale; Radloff, 1977), metacognitive efficiency (i.e., Sensitivity to Memory Questionnaire; Cornoldi & De Beni, 2003; and Cognitive Failures Questionnaire; Borella, Carretti, Cornoldi, & DeBeni, 2007), and self-perceived psychological wellness (Psychological Wellness and Aging Questionnaire; De Beni, Borella, Carretti, Marigo, & Nava, 2007) in a sample composed of young (M = 24.6 years), old (M = 69.4 years), and very old (M = 81.9 years) adults counterbalanced by gender and education (i.e., ≤ 8 years versus > 8 years). Results revealed that social desirability alone predicted measures of affect and emotional competencies and contributed to predicting personal satisfaction, general perceived wellness, and self-rated cognitive efficiency. Overall, the present outcomes suggest clinical psychologists should pay attention to the crucial interference of social desirability in assessing wellness even in late adulthood, that is, in a developmental phase thought to be mainly characterized by reduced control of physical and psychological functions.

Perceived Well-Being and Metacognitive Efficiency in Life Course A Developmental Perspective

The main purpose of current research was to investigate the impact of self-rated metacognitive measures and depressive symptoms in predicting psychological well-being in different aged healthy adults. A further goal was to explore the effect of genre and age on metacognition and depression scores. Ninety-six healthy adults were, respectively, assigned to young (i.e., 20–30 years), old (i.e., 65–74 years), very old (i.e., 75–84 years), and oldest old (i.e., >85 years) groups. Participants were administered self-referent social desirability, cognitive efficiency, subjective wellness, and psychological distress questionnaires. It was found that social desirability, depression, cognitive functioning, and metamnestic scores represent the best predictors of well-being. Moreover, a significant main effect of age and genre was found on measures of depression and metamemory. Finally, personal satisfaction, coping strategies, emotional control, and general well-being levels of the very old group did not reach critical cutoff for the Italian octogenarian population.

Psychological well-being and metacognition in the fourth age: an explorative study in an Italian oldest old sample.

Objectives: The research largely aimed at exploring the impact of marital status, cognitive efficiency, gender, physical health and sociocultural context on self-rated emotional competence, depression, memory and cognitive measures.Method: Ninety-four healthy adults aged 75–99 were recruited in the Sardinian province of Ogliastra, where a collectivistic culture prevails, and in northern Italy, which in turn is characterized by the prevalence of individualistic cultural traits. Participants were administered self-referent metacognitive efficiency, subjective wellness and depression measures.Results: Sardinian elders self-rated lower levels of depression and cognitive failures and had greater levels of emotional competence.Conclusions: Perceived psychological well-being, metacognitive efficiency and depression seem to be affected by sociocultural context.

Do self-referent metacognition and residential context predict depressive symptoms across late-life span? A developmental study in an Italian sample

Objectives: There is controversial evidence concerning the variables favoring depression in community-dwelling elderly individuals. This study mainly investigates the impact of lifestyle, residential environment, cognitive efficiency and social desirability in predicting self-assessed depressive signs in late adult span. Method: One hundred forty-nine elders were recruited in Northern Italy and Sardinia – an Italian island characterized by the longevity of people living in the inner areas. Participants were presented a battery of questionnaires assessing cognitive efficiency and self-referent measures of depression, metacognition and social desirability. Results: A hierarchical regression analysis showed that residential environment was the most effective predictor of depressive symptoms, along with gardening and spending time for hobbies. In contrast, social desirability and metacognitive scores played a minor role in predicting mental health. An analysis of variance showed that Sardinian elders showed fewer signs of depression than age-matched elders residing in Northern Italy. Conclusion: The Sardinian residential environment is a strong predictor of preserved mental health in late adulthood. In contrast, self-rated metacognitive efficiency and social desirability play a very marginal role in predicting depression among the elderly.

Does social desirability influence psychological well-being: perceived physical health and religiosity of Italian elders? A developmental approach

Objective: This study was mainly aimed at exploring the relationship between psychological well-being and lifestyle, religion, perceived physical health and social desirability of Italian elders. Methods: Four hundred and six cognitively healthy 65–99 years old participants were recruited from the Italian isle of Sardinia, where a high prevalence of centenarians is registered. Participants were presented with several tools assessing psychological well-being, lifestyle, social desirability, religiosity and subjective physical health. Results: A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the social desirability measure is the best predictor of general subjective well-being, whereas further predictors are age, perceived physical health and gardening. A significant but moderate relationship was also found between psychological well-being, subjective physical health and religiosity, while controlling for social desirability. Conclusions: Social desirability seems to contaminate the self-rating of psychological well-being in late adulthood. Moreover, from a developmental perspective, age-related factors, life style and perceived physical health are strictly related to and therefore influence the perception of life quality in the third and fourth age.

Exploring the effect of depressive symptoms and ageing on metamemory in an Italian adult sample

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of depression and age-related factors on metamemory measures in an Italian adult sample. Fifty-eight healthy participants were recruited in Northern Italy and were, respectively, assigned to the following groups: Young (20–30 years old), old (60–70 years old), and Very Old (71–84 years old). Participants were administered a battery of tests, including a word recall task, self-referent mnestic efficiency scales, general beliefs about memory, and depression measures. General beliefs about memory, self-efficacy, and beliefs about the control of personal memory were predicted by age, education, depression, and mnestic and cognitive efficiency. Finally, age-related differences were found in metamemory measures: the accuracy of mnestic control processes is thought to be lower by very old adults than by old and young individuals.

P03-06 - The role of social desirability in the assessment of mnestic and metacognitive efficiencies in adulthood: a preliminary study

Ageing is part of a continuum which is characterized by developmental and emotional changes as well as cognitive losses and gains. There is evidence that the perception of life quality in the elders is influenced by the level of efficiency of cognitive functions and personal beliefs on the senescence (e.g., De Beni, 2009). Indeed, when the early cognitive decline is negatively perceived, the late adults tend to show low self-esteem, social retirement, depression, low general life satisfaction. Overall, in geriatric studies scales designed to detect subjective psychological well-being are usually administrated ignoring the disturbing effect of several factors, such as the socially desirable responding, a construct referring to the attitude to project favorable images of themselves on questionnaires or during social interaction (e.g., Knauper et al., 2004). The present study was aimed to investigate whether social desirability is related to several measures of memory and metacognitive efficiencies. Forty-eight young (i.e., 20–30 years old) and old (i.e., 65–74 years aged) participants recruited in Ogliastra (e.g., an area in Sardinia known for the high prevalence of centenarians) were individually administrated a battery of tests including the Italian version of the Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability Scale (Saggino and Perfetti, 2003) together with a measure of subjective mnestic efficiency for daily life facts (Questionnaire on Cognitive Failures, De Beni et al., 2008) and a self-report memory beliefs questionnaire (Cornoldi and De Beni, 2003). The results show that the measurement of the perceived mnestic and metacognitive efficiencies are susceptible to socially desirable responding.

Working Memory Functions in Healthy Elderly People: The Impact of Institutionalization and Advancing Age on Mnestic Efficiency

In nonpathological elders, cognitive decline is more evident by middle age and depends on different factors, such as speed of processing, nature of the task (i.e., storing versus processing), and type of stimuli (i.e., verbal versus visual and spatial) to be recalled. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of age and environmental factors (i.e., retirement home versus ones own home) on visuo-spatial working memory functions of healthy elderly (73 to 81 years old) and very old participants (83 to 90 years old). Results showed that visuo-spatial working memory processes in the institutionalized sample were comparable with those in free-living participants. A differential age effect was more evident for mnestic tasks involving the manipulation of stimuli.