ABSTRACT

The study of divergent thinking (DT) ability in the elderly population has experienced a renewed interest because of its proven relationship with cognitive reserve (CR). However, experimental research on DT skills in this population has often been inconsistent. One of the reasons why this may have happened is that the possible negative influence of psychological symptoms, which have been proven to be common during older age, have been frequently neglected. Thus, our study aimed at exploring the impact of psychological symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and apathy) on DT abilities in 45 healthy elderly participants (age = 74.2 ± 5.71; 33 women; educational level = 6.51 ± 2.58). The results showed that different psychological symptoms have negative effects on diverse DT indexes: apathetic symptoms correlated negatively with total DT, fluency, and flexibility indexes; depressive symptoms with originality. Moreover, educational level (i.e., a proxy of CR) seemed to have a moderating effect on the relationship between apathy and DT. Even if further studies are needed, future studies should consider the variability of psychological symptoms in the elderly population and their negative effects on different DT indexes and the possible role of CR as a moderator of this relationship. Implications are also discussed.

摘要

老年人群发散思维 (DT) 能力的研究由于其与认知储备 (CR) 的关系得到证实而重新引起人们的兴趣。然而，对这一人群的 DT 技能的实验研究往往不一致。造成这种情况的原因之一是心理症状可能产生的负面影响已被证明在老年时期很常见，但经常被忽视。因此，我们的研究旨在探讨心理症状（即抑郁、焦虑和冷漠）对 45 名健康老年参与者（年龄 = 74.2 ± 5.71；33 名女性；教育水平 = 6.51 ± 2.58）的 DT 能力的影响。结果表明，不同的心理症状对不同的DT指标有负面影响：冷漠症状与总DT、流畅度、和柔韧性指标；具有原创性的抑郁症状。此外，教育水平（即 CR 的代理）似乎对冷漠和 DT 之间的关系有调节作用。即使需要进一步研究，未来的研究也应考虑老年人群心理症状的变异性及其对不同 DT 指标的负面影响，以及 CR 作为这种关系的调节因素的可能作用。还讨论了影响。未来的研究应考虑老年人群心理症状的变异性及其对不同 DT 指标的负面影响，以及 CR 作为这种关系的调节因素的可能作用。还讨论了影响。未来的研究应考虑老年人群心理症状的变异性及其对不同 DT 指标的负面影响，以及 CR 作为这种关系的调节因素的可能作用。还讨论了影响。