Week 8: Cognitive Interventions - Social Engagement

Question 1

social engagement

Answer 1

conscious and active engagement in outdoor social activities leading to interacting and sharing resources with others in the community

Question 2

what benefits is social engagement associated with?

Answer 2

• increased physical activity
• less loneliness
• less perceived depression
• increased quality of life
• improved executive function
• reduced risk of dementia

Question 3

socioemotional selectivity theory

Answer 3

older adults use their social network as a buffer against negative experiences

Question 4

what is the causal mechanism underlying the cognitive benefit of social engagement?

Answer 4

unknown

Question 5

why did we see significant improvements in the Facebook group?

Answer 5

• tasks require working memory
• reading and understanding requires encoding
• replying requires manipulating
• improved visual scanning and selection processes

Question 6

the pandemic resulted in…

Answer 6

• forced isolation
• increased mental illness
• sudden death of many older adults

Question 7

how do we assess intervention success?

Answer 7

• training transfer/generalization
• training efficiency/sustainability
• impact on quality of life/functional outcomes

Question 8

Winocur et al., 2007:
social/multi-modal

primary research question?

Answer 8

does multi-modal training (memory, goal attainment, psychosocial wellbeing) improve cognitive functioning?

does strategy training improve training generalizability?

Question 9

Winocur et al., 2007:
social/multi-modal

methods?

Answer 9

• random assignment to early vs late training groups
• within-subject AND between-subject design
• 12 weeks of training/waiting
• measured at start, 12 weeks, 6 months

Question 10

Winocur et al., 2007:
social/multi-modal

results?

Answer 10

• all domains benefited (memory, goal attainment, psychosocial wellbeing)
• but early group did better than late group due to attitude difference
• benefits maintained at 6 months

Question 11

Winocur et al., 2007:
social/multi-modal

discussion?

Answer 11

• multi-modal training improves functioning in all domains

- improvements are durable and generalizable

Question 12

Winocur et al., 2007:
social/multi-modal

cautions?

Answer 12

• small sample size
• self-reported measures
• unclear what “active ingredient” was in training

Question 13

Fried et al., 2004:
social engagement

primary research question?

Answer 13

can a program that emphasizes a social approach (EC) improve social, physical, and cognitive wellbeing in older adults?

Question 14

Fried et al., 2004:
social engagement

methods?

Answer 14

• random assignment to EC or waitlist
• EC: extensive training and volunteer hours
• measured at start & 4-8 months
• measured through cognitive activities and physical measures

Question 15

Fried et al., 2004:
social engagement

results?

Answer 15

social:
- increased quality social support (not quantity)

physical:
- increased physical activity
- better walking speed, less falls

cognitive:
- no change in high-intensity cognitive activity outside program
- decrease in low-intensity cognitive activity (ex. watching TV)

Question 16

Fried et al., 2004:
social engagement

discussion?

Answer 16

• large scale intervention is feasible and desirable for older adults
• emphasized social model of health behaviours
• multi-pathway approach yields benefits in each domain

Question 17

Fried et al., 2004:
social engagement

cautions?

Answer 17

• self-report measures

- unclear what “active ingredient” was in training (3 pathways additive?)