Research Presentations (2015-2017)
Association for Psychological Science (APS) 2017 – Boston, MA
The Perimenopausal Transition: Parenting during a Time of Uncertainty
Natasha Chaku, Jillian Minahan, & Lindsay Till Hoyt, PhD
Prior research has conceptualized perimenopause as a time of uncertainty, but little research has looked into the impact of perimenopause on parenting. The current study finds that women with condensed perimenopause have lower initial stress levels that decline faster over perimenopause as compared to their peers.
Physical Health and Psychological Predictors of Physical Activity Engagement during the Menopausal Transition
Jillian Minahan, Natasha Chaku, & Lindsay Till Hoyt, PhD
Physical activity (PA) has been found to mitigate negative health and psychological outcomes associated with menopause, but few studies have examined predictors of PA among women during their menopausal transition. We found that physical health, but not psychological well-being, predicted PA among all women, regardless of menopausal status.
Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) 2017 – Miami, FL
Reflections on a Doctoral-Level Research Practicum Course: Student and Mentor Perspectives.
Seojung Jung, Verena Cimarolli, Stephanie Hicks, & Francesca Falzarano
Gaining real-world research-related work experience is a critical component of the curriculum of the Applied Developmental Psychology doctorate program at Fordham University. In a year-long practicum course, students engage in research in an applied setting with a goal of developing and executing a research study and then producing a publishable work. Over the past years, three students completed their practicum requirement at the Research Institute on Aging of The New Jewish Home (NJH), a New York-based geriatric long-term-care service provider. The aims of the symposium are to describe the nature of this research-focused practicum course, to provide examples of students’ past projects completed at NJH, and to share lessons learned by students and the mentor.
Association for Psychological Science (APS) 2016 – Chicago, IL
Examining Caregiver Effects on Physical Health, Subjective Well-Being, and Cognition in Middle Aged and Older German Adults
Francesca Falzarano, Jillian Minahan, & Karen L. Siedlecki
Caregiver burden can be related to chronic stress and poorer mental and physical health. Results revealed that self-reported caregiver burden is associated with lower levels of physical health and psychological well-being. Variance explained by caregiver burden ranged from 2.6% to 10.5% in predicting dysfunction in health and psychological well-being.
Do Physical Health, Cognitive Functioning, and Psychological Well-Being Predict Engagement in Health-Related Behaviors in a sample of Middle-Aged and Older German Adults?
Jillian Minahan, Francesca Falzarano, & Karen L. Siedlecki
Engaging in health behaviors may help manage chronic conditions. Results revealed that age predicts a slight decline in engagement of health-promotive behaviors, except in smoking and relaxation exercise. Variance explained by physical health, cognitive functioning, and psychological well-being ranged from 4% to 23% in predicting engagement in health behaviors
Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) 2016 – New York, NY
Examining the Relationships Between False Memory Errors and Visual Perspective in Autobiographical Memories
Emma Fetonti, Francesca Falzarano, Maria Pleshkevich, Erin Hunt, & Karen L. Siedlecki
The current study examined the relationship between visual perspective in autobiographical memories and the tendency to make false memory errors. Participants were asked to retrieve three autobiographical memories and to complete a diverse set of false memory tasks. In a sample of 110 participants between the ages of 18-47, results showed visual perspective is not consistently related with the tendency to make false memory errors.
Health and Subjective Well-Being Across Age in Middle-Aged and Older German Adults
Jillian Minahan & Karen L. Siedlecki
Although health decline is typical in older adulthood, most studies have observed small to moderate associations between health and age. Likewise, older adults tend to have stable levels of subjective well-being (SWB) compared to younger adults. We investigated the relation between health and SWB with age. Results revealed that four health indicators formed a latent construct. This construct and positive and negative affect were negatively related to age while life satisfaction showed a positive relationship.
Investigating Health, Subjective Well-Being, and Healthcare Utilization Amongst Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Jillian Minahan, Jonathan Singer, & Karen L. Siedlecki
Increasing life expectancy is placing a growing demand on healthcare, suggesting the need for research examining healthcare utilization. Previous research has found that health is an important predictor of healthcare utilization while subjective well-being (SWB) may also be related to utilization. The current study examined the relationship between health, SWB, and healthcare utilization. Results revealed that individuals with worse health tended to utilize healthcare while higher levels of SWB were also associated with increased utilization.
Association for Psychological Science (APS) 2015 - New York, NY
Attitude Toward Own Aging and Subjective Well-Being in Middle-Aged, Young-Old, and Old-Old Adult
Seojung Jung & Karen L. Siedlecki
Construct validity of self-perceptions of aging (assessed by the Attitude toward Own Aging scale; ATOA) and its relationship to facets of subjective well-being were assessed (N= 6,091, ages 40-85). Although strongly related to well-being, ATOA represents a unique dimension of individual differences.
Examining the Positivity Effect in Autobiographical Memory across Adulthood
Stephanie Hicks, Karen L. Siedlecki, & Zachary C. G. Kornhauser
To examine the positivity effect in autobiographical memory participants (N=281, ages 18-94) completed a questionnaire regarding two autobiographical memories of their choosing. While age was not significantly related to memory valence, there was some evidence that it moderated the relationship between valence and well-being.
There are Few Age Differences in the Content of Self-Defining Autobiographical Memories
Jillian Minahan, Francesca Falzarano, & Karen L. Siedlecki
Research has shown that age is related to phenomenological memory characteristics (e.g., increased vividness). Qualitative analyses of self-defining memories across age (N= 281, ages 18-94) suggest that differences in autobiographical memory content cannot explain the age effects.
Dissociative Experiences are Unrelated to Multiple Measures of False Memory
Samantha Banjany, Francesca Falzarano, Erin Hunt, Soulin Haque, Arif Kostak, Olivia Cortellini & Karen L. Siedlecki
Findings on the relationship between dissociative experiences and false memory are mixed. The current study found that the relationship between dissociative tendencies and four diverse measures of false memory were weak and non-significant.
