investigatingtheplasticityof human aging ursula m. staudinger · 2020-03-31 · ©ursula m....

©UrsulaM.Staudinger 1

ColumbiaUniversityintheCityofNewYork

UrsulaM.Staudinger

SymposiumSeriesForty-five Years of Lifespan Developmental PsychologyAPAAnnualMeeting,DenverAugust4,2016

Investigating the Plasticity ofHumanAgingUrsulaM.Staudinger

Max. Average Life Expectancy

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

Japan

SwedenIceland

Norway

AustraliaNetherlandsSwitzerland

New Zealand

1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Lifeexpe

ctan

cyinyears

Oeppen &Vaupel,Science2002;updated


Christensenetal.,2007

dependent yrs.

active yrs.

Christensenetal.,2007

dependent yrs.

active yrs.


Institutions,Economy,ValuesPeoplePhysicalEnvironment

How is this Possible?HumanDevelopmentis NotDetermined

BehaviorAttitudes,DecisionsCognition,Emotion,Motivation

FunctionStructureChemistry

Development(Years)

Organism

Person

Context

Baltes,Reese,Lipsitt,1980;Baltes,1987;Baltes,Lindenberger&Staudinger,1999,2006;Staudinger,2015:ResearchonHumanDevelopment

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Positive PlasticityTypical TrajectoryNegative Plasticity

Leve

l of F

unct

ioni

ng

Chronological Age

Interactive Nature Creates Room for Plasticity

Resources Biological

PsychologicalSocio-culturalEnvironmental

cf.Lerner,1978;Staudinger,2015:AnnualReviewof Gerontology and Geriatrics


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Positive PlasticityTypical TrajectoryNegative Plasticity

Leve

l of F

unct

ioni

ng

Chronological Age

Interactive Nature Creates Room for Plasticity

Resources Biological

PsychologicalSocio-culturalEnvironmental

Modifiability of Development

Interindividual Variability in Cumulative Constellationsè Personalized Plasticity

cf.Lerner,1978;Staudinger,2015:AnnualReviewof Gerontology and Geriatrics

Institutions,Economy,ValuesPeoplePhysicalEnvironment

Aging ScienceAMultilevelDynamicSystem

BehaviorAttitudes,DecisionsCognition,Emotion,Motivation

FunctionStructureChemistry

Development(Years)

Organism

Person

ContextHow to StudyPlasticity ?

Across Timeand CohortsAcross Countries

ExperimentalDesignsQuasiexperimentalDesigns

Staudinger,2015ResearchonHumanDevelopment


ThePlasticity of AgingAgingin2016is only asnapshot intime!Agingand old age hasbeendifferentinthe past and willyetbe differentinthefuture.

3 examples illustrate this impressing positiveplasticity:§ Increase of av.life expectancy§ Cognitive functioning inold age is modifiable§ „Old-age personality“can be changed






Mechanics: Speed for New Information

30 50 70 90Age

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

Age-Related Decline inCognitive Mechanics(as observed inprevious cohorts)

FunctionalThreshold

Baltes,Staudinger,Lindenberger,1999AnnualReviewof Psychology


DeclineofcognitivemechanicsstartslaterChronologicalAge80yrs.=70yrs.HealthAge

Increasesinintellectualfunctioningacrosscohortse.g.,Education,nutrition

Declineinthemechanicsislesspronounced„Training“interventions(taskexercise+strategy,

physicalexercise)

Three Facilitators of PositiveCognitive Plasticity


Increasesinintellectualfunctioningacrosscohortse.g.,Education,nutrition


physicalexercise)

ThreeFacilitatorsofPositiveCognitivePlasticity


PlasticityThroughCultural-HistoricalInfluences(e.g.,Nutrition,Education)

PerformanceatAge23yrs.

Seattle Longitudinal Study; Schaie, 1996

1.5SDacross50years

Spatial Reasoning

Speed

Fluency

Vocabulary

Birth Year

T Va

lues

AlsoProgressintheOldestOld(93&95yrs.)...

Christensenetal.,2013TheLancet


Skirbekk, Stonawski, Bonsang, & StaudingerIntelligence, 2013

Projectingaveragecognitivelevels(50+) inUKunderconditionsofpopulationagingifthepositivecohorttrends(Flynneffect)observedfrom2002to2008continue.


2002 2042

UK

Pop

ulat

ion

Aver

age

Imm

edia

te R

ecal

l


0.168

0.185

0.155

0.160

0.165

0.170

0.175

0.180

0.185

0.190

Males Females

num

ber o

f wor

ds

Five-yearcohortimprovementrequiredforcognitiontobeconstantuntil2042

Observed cognitive improvement by cohorts

over a five-year period


2002 2042

Popu

latio

n Av

erag

eIm

med

iate

Rec

all



IncreasesinintellectualfunctioningacrosscohortsEducation,nutrition


physicalexercise)

ThreeFacilitatorsofPositiveCognitivePlasticity

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

Speed of Information ProcessingDiff

eren

ce P

re P

ost T

rain

ing

Nordic Walking CoordinationRelaxation(*)

Voelcker-Rehage,Godde &Staudinger,2011FrontiersofNeuroscience

Physical TrainingInterventions (6,12months)Modify the Cognitive Mechanics >60yrs.?


Nordic Walking – CG & 3. – 1. MP

SFG

ACC

SFG: superior frontal gyrus, ACC: anterior cingulate cortex

Neuronal Level: More Efficient Prefrontal Processing at Higher Levels of Aerobic Fitness(Reactivation)

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

t1 t2 t3

beta

est

imat

es

Control

Walking

Coordination

*

**

Voelcker-Rehage,Godde&Staudinger,2011FrontiersinHumanNeuroscience

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

t1 t2 t3

beta

est

imat

es

Control

Walking

Coordination

**

**

Nordic Walking – CG & 3. – 1. MP

SFG

ACC

SFG: superior frontal gyrus, ACC: anterior cingulate cortex

Neuronal Level: More Efficient Prefrontal Processing at Higher Levels of Aerobic Fitness(Reactivation)

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

t1 t2 t3

beta

est

imat

es

Control

Walking

Coordination

*

**

Voelcker-Rehage,Godde&Staudinger,2011FrontiersinHumanNeuroscience

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

t1 t2 t3

beta

est

imat

es

Control

Walking

Coordination

**

**


val/val

val/metmet/met

Fitness

Particularly for val/val carriers higher motor fitness is associated with better cognitive performance

IndicationforPersonalizedPlasticityEffectivityofPhysicalInterventionDependsalsoonGeneticPredisposition

FitnessIntervention

CognitivePerformance

GeneticPredisposition(COMTGene)

Voelcker-Rehage,Jeltsch,Godde,&Staudinger,2015

Mechanics:SpeedforNewInformation

30 50 70 90Age

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

Potentialfor ChangeinTrajectoryDueto Societal and Behavioral Factors

FunctionalThreshold

Baltes,Staudinger,Lindenberger,1999AnnualReviewof Psychology


2787.75

1629.78

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

low WTM high WTMA

vera

ge R

eact

ion

Tim

e in

MS

WTM

Reaction Time

24.23

41.45

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

low WTM high WTM

No.

Cor

rect

Tria

ls in

80

sec.

WTM

No. Correct Trials

Few Changes Many ChangesWork-Related Actvities

MoreWork-TaskChangesAssociatedwithHigherLevelsofCognitiveFunctioning

Few Changes Many ChangesWork-Related Actvities

45,41

1629,78

Oltmanns,Godde,&Staudinger,2017FrontiersinPsychology

Identical Pictures

Sample: Assembly Line Workers, 16 yrs. Treatment, matched controls , N=38Controlled for: Baseline Cognition & Openness, Leisuretime Activities, Voluntariness

Caudatum

ACC

MoreWork-TaskChanges (ascomparedtofewchanges):MoreGrayMatterinRegionsRelevantforLearningandAttention

Medial-frontaler GyrusInsula

Same areas that show most age-related decline in volume

28Oltmanns,Godde,&Staudinger,2017

FrontiersinPsychology


15 25 35 45 55 65 75 YearsAge

Entry

Modified Task

ModifiedTask

NewTask Retirement + Flexible Work Schedule

Family Phase

Sabbatical

Model 1: Vertical Career

Model 2: Work-Life-Balance

Model 3: Horizontal CareerFurther Education

Staudinger & Kocka (2010). More Years, More Life

Model 4: Horizontal Career + Varied Leisure Activities

Professional Reorientation,New Tasks

New RegularLeisure Activity

15 25 35 45 55 65 75 YearsAge

Entry

Modified Task

ModifiedTask

NewTask Retirement + Flexible Work Schedule

Family Phase

Sabbatical

Model 1: Vertical Career

Model 2: Work-Life-Balance

Model 3: Horizontal CareerFurther Education

Staudinger & Kocka (2010). More Years, More Life

Model 4: Horizontal Career + Varied Leisure Activities

Professional Reorientation,New Tasks

New RegularLeisure Activity

Consequencesfor:

HumanResourceManagementLifelongLearningStrategies


14. Juni 2007 31

SummaryCognitivePlasticity§ Yes,thereisplasticityinthecognitivemechanics.§ Underlyingmechanismslessclear:

§ Compensation(e.g.,learningastrategy,motivation)

§ Physicalreactivation

§ Moresystemiclongitudinal,ideallycountrycomparative,datasetsareneeded.

§ Cognitioninvivo:Measurementchallengesyettobemastered

ThePlasticity of Aging

Agingin2016is only asnapshot intime!Agingand old age hasbeendifferentinthe past and willyetbe differentinthefuture.



IstheNegativeAgeTrendinOpennessUniversal?EuropeanSocialSurvey- 28Countries

r = -.19**N = 25,192

Reitz, Weiss & Staudinger, in preparation

Correlation ranges from -.04 (Norway) to -.33 (Cyprus)

PersonalityPlasticityinContext

Images of Aginge.g., Old people contribute

to the economy d=.07

OpennessAge

Country level

Individual level

Structural CharacteristicsLabor Force Participation d=.03Lifelong Learning Part. d=.11

Contextual Resources/Risks

Reitz, Weiss & Staudinger, in preparation


PersonalityPlasticityinLaterLifeNewTasksandPreparatoryTraining

2.42.62.8

33.23.43.63.8

4

Baseline 3 Months 15 Months

Ope

nness(max.5)

Mühlig-Versen,Bowen,&Staudinger(2012)PsychologyandAging

TrainedVolunteers

VolunteersWaitingList

InternalControl Beliefs (>Median)

3x3DaysTraining

Personalized Plasticity

SummaryPlasticity Personality

§ “Normal”personalitydevelopmentsofaroptimizessocialadjustmentandnotpersonalgrowth.

§ Hardlyanyseriousresearchoninterventionsthatmaypromotepositivepersonalitydevelopment.

§ Afirstinterventiononopennessprovedsuccessful.§ Countrycomparisonindicatemeaningfulassociationswithstructuralcharacteristics(resources).

§ Mediatingmechanismtobeconfirmed.


§ Cognitive&personalityagingis within limits modifiable.§ Firstindications for personalization.§ Plasticity„inVivo“:

Challengeit or loose it:Mentaleffortseemsimportant.§ Insightintomediatingmechanismlimited.§ Moresystemiclongitudinaldatasetsandlearningfrom

modelingcausalityoutsidethelaboratoryneeded.§ Collaborating withneighboring disciplines:

Neuroscience,genetics,physiology,demography,economics,...

investigatingtheplasticityof human aging ursula m. staudinger · 2020-03-31 · ©ursula m....

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