Curvilinear Age Effects Research Articles

A - 09 Normative Data of Neuropsychological Tests of Attention in Older Adults from Costa Rica.

To generate normative data for the Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Target Cancellation Task for healthy older adults in Costa Rica. 563 healthy Costa Rican adults aged 59-90years (M = 67.15; SD = 7) were assessed. Each participant was administered the two attention tests as part of a more comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Multiple regression models showed a linear effect of education for TMT-A and TMT-B, as well as a linear and curvilinear effect of age for TMT-B and TMT-A, respectively. The model predictors explained between 27.4% and 30.3% of the variance. For the Target Cancellation Task scores, linear effects of education were observed for all 4 scores, as well as a linear effect of age for the TMX time and Rhombus time scores. The correct TMX score showed a curvilinear effect of age. The predictors of the model explained between 2% and 33.3% of the variance. This is the first normative data generated for the TMT and the Target Cancellation Task in older adults from Costa Rica. This normative data will be used in individuals with a variety of neurological conditions that course with attention deficits to establish the neuropsychological profile of those individuals in this area.

Grateful expectations: Cultural differences in the curvilinear association between age and gratitude

Recent research suggests that the association between age and gratitude might be curvilinear—despite gratitude ostensibly being higher in middle-age, it might be lower in older adulthood. It is unclear if this curvilinear pattern of age differences in gratitude is found in other samples and whether its manifestation depends on contextual (i.e., national/cultural) characteristics. The current study examined cultural variation in the curvilinear effect of age on gratitude in a sample of over 4.5 million participants from 88 countries. Participants from countries with lower levels of human development, a shorter-term orientation, and higher levels of indulgence reported higher levels of gratitude. Cultural moderation effects were very small, suggesting that curvilinear effects of age on gratitude may be relatively comparable across cultures.

Well-Being in Rural Appalachia: Age and Gender Patterns Across Five Indicators

Psychological studies often include indicators of physical and mental health as outcomes. However, researchers are now beginning to include a wide range of measures of well-being. The current study uses a cross-sectional community sample from rural Appalachia to examine age and gender trends in traditional outcome measures and in subjective measures of well-being, including health-related quality of life, mental health, positive self-regard, spiritual well-being, and posttraumatic growth. Analyses revealed that while health-related quality of life tends to be lower for older participants, mental health and spiritual well-being tend to be higher for older participants. Positive self-regard showed no significant effects for either age or sex. Curvilinear age effects were seen for health-related quality of life (cubic), spiritual well-being (quadratic), and posttraumatic growth (quadratic), suggesting possible turning points across the lifespan for these indicators of well-being. Significant main effects for sex were seen in health-related quality of life, mental health, and posttraumatic growth, with males reporting better physical and mental health and females reporting higher levels of posttraumatic growth. Intervention and prevention efforts might aim to promote aspects multiple aspects of well-being throughout the lifespan, particularly those aspects that are most stable across age and sex (such as a positive self-regard), and future research could expand upon these patterns to include an older population.

AGE, PERIOD, AND COHORT EFFECTS ON DEATH PENALTY ATTITUDES IN THE UNITED STATES, 1974–2014

AbstractIn this article, we further the understanding of both changes in public opinion on capital punishment in the United States and changes in the factors associated with public opinion on the death penalty. Support for the death penalty may be motivated by events happening during specific time periods, and it can vary across birth cohorts as a result of cohort‐specific socialization processes, demographic changes, and formative events that are specific to each generation. An explication of the sources of and variation in death penalty attitudes over time would benefit from the accounting for the age of the respondent, the year of the survey response, and the birth cohort of the respondent. We improve on previous research by using multiple approaches including hierarchical age–period–cohort models and data from the General Social Survey (N = 41,474) to examine changes in death penalty attitudes over time and across birth cohorts. The results showed curvilinear age effects, strong period effects, and weak cohort effects on death penalty support. The violent crime rate explained much of the variation in support for the death penalty across periods. The examination of subgroup differences suggests that support for the death penalty is becoming concentrated among Whites, Protestants, and Republicans.

How Far to Travel? A Multilevel Analysis of the Residence-to-Crime Distance

This study investigates whether individual- and area-level factors explain variation in the residence-to-crime distances (RC distance) for 10 offense types. Five years of police data from Dallas, Texas, are analyzed using multilevel models (hierarchical-linear/multi-level modeling). Residence-to-crime distances for Dallas offenders varied notably across offense types. Although several area characteristics such as residential instability and concentrated immigration were associated with the overall variance in RC distance, neither these nor the individual-level characteristics used in our models explained the offense-type variance in the RC distance. Although individual- and neighborhood-level factors did not explain substantial variation in RC distance across the various offenses, neighborhood-level factors explained a significant portion of neighborhood-level variance. Other finding included a curvilinear effect of age on RC distance. The salience of these findings and their implications for future research and offender travel theory are discussed.

To What Extent Do Age, Period, and Cohort Patterns Account for Time Trends and Social Inequalities in Smoking?

Aims: This paper evaluates nonconfounded and independent age, period, and cohort effects on time trends and social disparities in smoking behavior. Methods: Data from nine waves of the German Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) conducted between 1980 and 2009 were used. A total of N = 73,782 individuals aged 18 and older were included in the analyses. Using cross-classified random-effects models, fixed effects of age (level 1) as well as random effects of periods and cohorts (level 2) on 30-day smoking prevalence and average number of cigarettes per day were estimated. Analyses were stratified by socioeconomic status (SES). Results: Independent of SES, positive and curvilinear age effects emerged. Prevalence and amount of smoking declined sharply over time and revealed an inversion of the social gradient in 2003. This was due to a stronger decrease of smoking in the highest SES group compared to the other groups. Cohort effects were nonlinear and inconsistent. Conclusion: The emergence of increasing social disparities in smoking implies the need to specifically address the situation of low-SES groups when developing tobacco control measures.

Regression-based developmental models exemplified for Wisconsin Card Sorting Test parameters: Statistics and software for individual predictions

The prediction of an individual's score is relevant in clinical research and requires normative data and a statistical rationale. In the case of developmental research the latter is typically a set of descriptive statistics (e.g., standard scores) for a set of age groups. Here we illustrate a multiple regression approach with a set of 345 Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) data obtained from subjects aged 6 to 26 years. We modeled linear and curvilinear age effects for each of the 11 WCST variables and, based on this, determined confidence limits for the expected value (mean) and the prediction of individual scores. In these multiple regression models, which accounted for 2% to 26% of the variance, curvilinear age effects clearly dominated linear ones, suggesting the features under scrutiny to be negatively accelerated functions of age. Finally, we developed a statistics program that can be used to apply multiple regression models for individual predictions that are based on normative data with up to 7 predictor variables. We discuss the conditions of applicability of the approach, compare it with the conventional standard score approach, discuss its cognitive-developmental implications, and outline the applicability in applied research and practising.

Vegetation density of urban parks and perceived appropriateness for recreation

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that exposure to, and activities in, nature have beneficial effects on human health. Since a majority of people in many countries live in urban areas, availability and use of urban green areas is of increasing importance to public health. In the present study we measured urban residents’ (Trondheim, Norway) recreational preferences for urban park landscapes varying in vegetation density, and aimed at an identification of background variables and environmental value orientations that we hypothesised to influence such preferences. The results showed that moderately dense scenes received the highest preference ratings. Socio-demographic variables and value orientations predicted preferences for moderate to densely vegetated scenes: A curvi-linear effect of age of respondents was found, with subjects in their mid-40s expressing a higher preference for moderate to dense vegetation, compared to younger and older subjects. Preference for moderate to dense vegetation also increased as the educational levels of the respondents increased. The preference was lower among people living in apartment blocks, relative to those living in detached houses. Of attitudinal and value-related variables, interest in wildlife, and pro-ecological value orientation (measured with the NEP scale) predicted preference for urban parks with moderate and dense vegetation. The existence of preference for relatively dense vegetation in urban parks in segments of the population has consequences for the designing of urban parks in Norway.

Children’s growth and socio-economic status in Hungary

The Hungarian National Growth Study comprises data on 39,035 children and youth aged 3–18 years. We examine the relationship between 15 body measurements and nine family background variables in this data set. After multiple regression analysis which removed curvilinear age effects, family size and population size of the place of residence showed consistent associations with the body measurements. Children from larger families tended to be shorter on average, and have lower weight and skinfold thicknesses whereas children from Budapest were, on average, taller and heavier than children from elsewhere with bigger chest and calf circumferences and lower skinfold thicknesses. Paternal age, mother’s profession and birth order showed few associations with body measurements in both sexes and father’s profession did not associate significantly with any of the measurements in boys.