Two studies were conducted to examine age differences in the impact of motivation in a social cognitive task. We tested the hypothesis that aging is associated with an increase in the selective engagement of cognitive resources in support of performance. Different-aged adults read descriptions of 2 people in order to determine which was better suited for a particular job. These descriptions contained behaviors that were either consistent or inconsistent with the job, and participants performed the task under conditions of high versus low accountability. Examination of memory for behavioral information revealed that accountability disproportionately affected older adults' performance, with the locus of this effect being in conscious recollection processes. This supports the aforementioned selective engagement hypothesis by demonstrating that the differential impact of the motivational manipulation was based in deliberative memory processes.

Research has suggested that aging is associated with a decline in the efficiency of controlling processing operations. Three studies examined the moderating impact of personal relevance on age differences in one index of such operations: the ability to ignore distracting information. Young (17-26) and older (58-86) adults read a series of passages interspersed with irrelevant, distracting information, with the relevance of the passage content to these two age groups being systematically varied. For both groups, processing was more efficient and comprehension enhanced when passage relevance was high. These effects were particularly strong among older adults, a finding consistent with a growing body of data highlighting the importance of motivational factors in determining age differences in cognitive performance.

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Objectives (1) to examine whether the association between obesity and physical functioning among older adults is moderated by physical activity; and (2) to test whether this moderating effect varies by gender. Methods Data from adults ≥60 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2005–2010) were analyzed. Using multivariate logistic regression, we estimated the prevalence ratio of functional limitations and activities of daily living (ADL/IADL) impairment, by body mass index (BMI) and physical activity, while adjusting for age, educational level and a co-morbidity index. Results The sample included 5,304 subjects, mean age 70.4 years and 50.5% were female. Overweight and obesity was associated with higher levels of functional limitations when compared to normal weight individuals regardless of PA status (PR 1.47 (1.17–1.85) and 2.71 (2.00–3.67) even after adjustment for confounders. Discussion Overweight and obesity is associated with impairment in functional outcomes irrespective of physical activity.

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