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Biomedical subjects

J R Nesselroade

Publications and source records attributed to J R Nesselroade.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Emotional experience in everyday life across the adult life span.

Age differences in emotional experience over the adult life span were explored, focusing on the frequency, intensity, complexity, and consistency of emotional experience in everyday life. One hundred eighty-four people, age 18 to 94 years, participated in an experience-sampling procedure in which emotions were recorded across a 1-week period. Age was unrelated to frequency of positive emotional experience. A curvilinear relationship best characterized negative emotional experience. Negative emotions declined in frequency until approximately age 60, at which point the decline ceased. Individual factor analyses computed for each participant revealed that age was associated with more differentiated emotional experience. In addition, periods of highly positive emotional experience were more likely to endure among older people and periods of highly negative emotional experience were less stable. Findings are interpreted within the theoretical framework of socioemotional selectivity theory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Structure and variation of mood in individuals with Parkinson's disease: a dynamic factor analysis.

Mood structure was examined among individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Twelve individuals completed a measure of positive and negative affect for 70 consecutive days. Mood structure was determined by using dynamic factor analysis (DFA) models that account for both concurrent and lagged relationships in repeated measurements. Five individuals had sufficient variability in positive and negative affect to conduct DFA on both sets of variables. Results showed the presence of 2 2-factor 1-lag models, 2 1-factor 1-lag models, and a P-technique model. There was sufficient variability in positive affect to conduct DFA on positive affect for the entire sample. Two individuals displayed 2-factor 1-lag models, 6 individuals had 1-factor 1-lag models, and 4 individuals showed P-technique models. Implications of lagged relationships are discussed from substantive and methodological perspectives.

Affect↗
PubMed1997

Intraindividual variability in perceived control in an older sample: the MacArthur successful aging studies.

Two aspects of perceived control, locus of control (LOC) and perceived competence (COM), command significant attention in personality and aging research. Mainly, these concepts are regarded as stable variables of considerable promise for predicting a range of outcomes. The authors concentrate on week-to-week within-person variability in self-reported LOC and COM. Using data collected over 7 months, the authors first demonstrates that the responses of a panel of older participants are structurally consistent with dominant conceptions of perceived control and that the responses maintain an underlying structure over the frequently repeated protocol. They next show that the within-person variation over weekly measurements is coherent information rather than "noise" and that individual differences in magnitude of week-to-week variability are a relatively stable attribute that predicts mortality status 5 years later. Implications of the findings for both methodological and substantive concerns are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

Social self-efficacy and short-term variability in social relationships: the MacArthur successful aging studies.

Dealing with others entails both stability and short-term variability of the functions and outcomes of social relationships. The authors argue that patterns of short-term intraindividual variability in social relationships and self-efficacy beliefs contribute interpretable information about social adaptation. On the basis of 23 repeated weekly measurements of a sample of 32 participants ages 56 to 88 years, the authors examined the extent to which fluctuations in perceived relational outcomes are related to fluctuations of social self-efficacy. Results showed that individuals differ systematically in respect to the extent to which they experience and display fluctuations in self-efficacy and availability of social relationships. Moreover, when individuals perceive others to be available across time, social self-efficacy beliefs are stronger and fluctuate less across time.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

The state component in self-reported worldviews and religious beliefs of older adults: the MacArthur Successful Aging Studies.

Meaningful and measurable aspects of short-term intraindividual variability have been established in what are conceptualized to be relatively stable interindividual differences dimensions. Illustrative are anxiety and other temperament traits as well as certain kinds of cognitive abilities. Reclamation of "signal" from the "noise" of intraindividual variability has rested heavily on research designs that involve frequently repeated observations. We extended this line of research to other trait-like domains by examining biweekly self-reports of world views and religious beliefs of a sample of elderly participants. The results indicated that not only is there occasion-to-occasion variability in the self-reports but the structure of these fluctuations is consistent over time and bears considerable resemblance to structures reported from cross-sectional data.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Selection and related threats to group comparisons: an example comparing factorial structures of higher and lower ability groups of adult twins.

Is it possible to construct valid explanations of behavioral phenomena from differences found among naturally existing groups? Many of psychology's cherished findings in such domains as intellectual performance and temperament rest on differences of this kind. A venerable and rich literature on selection and selection effects both reminds us that naturally existing groups might or might not derive from a common parent population and warns that valid decisions between these alternatives are often jeopardized by the very methods on which those decisions rest. We examine these matters within the context of intellectual performance, illustrate key points with an analysis of data, and examine the implications for current research on differences in ability levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Genetic and environmental effects on openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness: an adoption/twin study.

Previous research has indicated that extraversion and neuroticism are substantially affected both by genotype and environment. This study assesses genetic and environmental influences on the other three components of the five-factor model of personality: Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. An abbreviated version of the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) was administered to 82 pairs of identical twins and 171 pairs of fraternal twins reared apart and 132 pairs of identical twins and 167 pairs of fraternal twins reared together. Estimates of genetic and environmental effects for Openness and Conscientiousness were similar to those found in other studies of personality: Genetic influence was substantial and there was little evidence of shared rearing environment. Results for Agreeableness were different: Genetic influence accounted for only 12% of the variance and shared rearing environment accounted for 21% of the variance. Few significant gender or age differences for genetic and environmental parameters were found in model-fitting analyses.

Adoption↗
PubMed1992

Importance of shared genes and shared environments for symptoms of depression in older adults.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale was administered to 68 identical and 161 fraternal twin pairs reared apart and 114 identical and 138 fraternal pairs reared together to ascertain relative genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in self-reported depressive symptoms. Intraclass correlations and model fitting indicated that genetic influences explained 16% of the variance in total depression scores and 19% for the Psychomotor Retardation and Somatic Complaints subscale, but heritability was minimal for the Depressed Mood and Well-Being subscales. Influence of family rearing context played a substantial role in explaining twin similarity, whereas unique life experiences accounted for the greatest proportion of variance. Significant age group differences were observed, with heritability greater in twins of 60 years of age or older than in twins under 60, especially for Psychomotor Retardation.

Adoption↗
PubMed1992

The structure of variation in affect among depressed and nondepressed elders.

The intraindividual variability of self-ratings of 10 affects was studied in 69 older residents of a long-term care facility. Each person rated his or her affective state over 30 days. P-technique factor analysis was applied to each subject's ratings. In general, the expected two-factor structure showing one positive and one negative factor emerged from both traditional R-analysis and from "chain P-analysis" (all subjects' ratings pooled after standardizing within subjects). Because many subjects gave invariant ratings on one or more affect terms, only 28 P-analyses could be performed, of which 12 yielded one-factor solutions, 16 yielded two-factor solutions (10 the expected two factors), and 5 failed to converge. Possible reasons for the only partial intraindividual replication of the interindividual factors are discussed.

Affect↗
PubMed1992

Age differences in genetic and environmental influences for health from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging.

This cross-sectional study explored the etiology of variability in self-reported health. The sample comprises adult twins participating in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging and includes identical (MZ) and fraternal (DZ) twin pairs who have been reared together or reared apart. Two different components of overall health status are analyzed: an index of chronic health problems and self-rated health. Height and weight were included to assess the representativeness of the twin data. Individual differences increased across age for both measures of health, and there were significant age differences in the genetic and environmental etiologies of this variation. Genetic variance showed a twofold increase for chronic illness up until age 70. Environmental influences during adulthood appear important later in life. For self-rated health, genetic effects were important in the older age groups; however, the increase in total variation is predominantly due to unique environmental influences.

Adoption↗
PubMed1991

The Swedish Adoption Twin Study of Aging: an update.

The Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) is a longitudinal program of research in gerontological genetics which is currently in its fifth year. The base population is comprised of 351 pairs of twins reared apart and 407 matched control pairs of twins reared together who responded to a questionnaire (Q1) in 1984. Two additional stages of SATSA have recently been completed: a longitudinal follow-up questionnaire mailed out in 1987 (Q2) and extensive in-person testing (IPT1) which included a health examination and cognitive battery. A second wave of IPT was started in January 1989. A summary of some of the major findings from Q1 and a description of IPT1 are reported.

Adoption↗
PubMed1991

Reporting structural equation modeling results in Psychology and Aging: some proposed guidelines.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is now widely used in social and behavioral science research. SEM provides the possibility of fitting, and evaluating the fit, of well-specified, theoretical models to empirical data--more generally, of testing elaborated psychological theories. The options available to users of these approaches are many and varied. Popular SEM computational software packages, such as LISREL and EQS, provide a large amount of information, and there is some uncertainty as to what should be routinely reported. A series of guidelines are proposed for reporting SEM results in articles submitted to Psychology and Aging. The suggested guidelines ask authors using SEM methodology to provide important analysis information that will enable readers to evaluate the findings.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Multi-modal selection effects in the study of adult development: a perspective on multivariate, replicated, single-subject, repeated measures designs.

Some of the selection issues that bear upon the conduct of research using multivariate, replicated, single-subject repeated measures designs are examined and their implications for the study of developmental phenomena discussed. The choices of participants, variables, occasions of measurement, etc., made in the conduct of empirical research all involve some kind of selection. These choices, therefore, introduce selection effects into collected data which, in turn, threaten the generalizability of one's conclusions. Data analyzed for single subjects, for example, are suspect regarding generalizability to other individuals. While the limits of generalizability to persons is a concern to be taken seriously, the concern properly applies to all modes of data classification. Discussions of the importance of person selection emphasize representative sampling (of persons) and generalization to populations of persons. Attention to the selection of variables has led to a focus on multivariate approaches to measurement. For the developmentalist, the occasions mode, which is either implicitly or explicitly involved in definitions of change, is especially relevant to concerns about generalizability. Whether one considers stability or change, the effects of temporal selection ought to be a central concern in designing research.

Human Development↗
PubMed1990

Genetic influence on life events during the last half of the life span.

Genetic influence on perceptions of major events later in life was assessed with a combination of twin and adoption designs as part of the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA). The SATSA design includes 4 groups totaling 399 pairs of same-sex twins: identical and fraternal twins reared apart and matched twins reared together. The average age of the twins was 59 years. The results demonstrate significant genetic influence on reports of the occurrence of life events, especially for controllable events in which the individual can play an active role. Maximum likelihood model-fitting estimates of genetic influence indicate that 40% of the variance of the total life events score is due to genetic differences among individuals. How genetic factors can affect life experiences and directions for future research are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Multivariate, replicated, single-subject, repeated measures designs and P-technique factor analysis: a review of intraindividual change studies.

The precise, quantitative portrayal of intraindividual change is a key goal of developmental researchers. Research designs particularly appropriate to selected aspects of this goal are multivariate, replicated, single-subject, repeated measures (MRSRM) designs. Data collected with these designs may be factor analyzed with P-technique factor analysis to elucidate, for each individual studied, patterns of systematic change. The nature of the factor patterns obtained for each individual can then be compared across individuals to determine the relative idiosyncrasy or generality of patterns of change. This paper extends an earlier review (Luborsky & Mintz, 1972) of studies using multivariate, single-subject, repeated measures designs and P-technique factor analysis. The emphasis here is on both more recent studies and the value of subject replication in creating a confluence of idiographic and nomothetic approaches to the study of behavior and behavioral development across the lifespan.

Factor Analysis, Statistical↗
PubMed1990

Genetic and environmental influences on social support: the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging.

A new direction in behavioral genetic research is the exploration of genetic influences on ostensibly environmental measures. The goal of the present study was to identify genetic as well as environmental influences that contribute to an individual's motivation and ability to create and maintain social support systems during the second half of the life course. One of the most powerful behavioral genetic designs is the combined twin/adoption design which is used in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA). A subsample of 424 pairs of twins age 50 and above was used: 64 pairs of identical twins reared apart, 95 pairs of identical twins reared together, 132 pairs of fraternal twins reared apart, and 133 pairs of fraternal twins reared together. The measure of social support assessed both the quantity of relationships as well as the perceived adequacy of the social support network. Model-fitting analyses verified the importance of genetic factors for perceived adequacy of the social support network, whereas little genetic influence was found for the quantity of social relationships.

Adoption↗
PubMed1990

Behavioral genetics and personality change.

Although research on personality and behavioral genetics has focused on the continuity of traits, both fields and their interface will profit from the consideration of trait change. In this article we review personality research on age differences in heritability and propose the counterintuitive hypothesis that, when developmental changes in heritability are found, heritability tends to increase. We also focus on behavioral genetic analyses of long-term developmental change. Research to date suggests that genetic involvement in adult personality change is slight whereas personality change in childhood is governed substantially be genetic factors. Finally, we consider a new topic, genetic influence on short-term change in personality.

Adolescent↗