Intraindividual variability in perceived control in a older sample: The MacArthur successful aging studies.

Abstract

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.

Within-person trial-to-trial variability precedes and predicts cognitive decline in old and very old age: Longitudinal data from the Berlin Aging Study

“…The reviewed strands of neurocomputational modeling work and empirical evidence have stimulated the speculation that decreasing processing fidelity, as captured by increasing within-person reaction time variability, antecedes and signals cognitive decline in late adulthood and old age (e.g., Eizenman, Nesselroade, Featherman, & Rowe, 1997;Li & Lindenberger, 1999;cf. Van der Maas & Molenaar, 1992;Siegler, 1994).…”

Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier

“…Low levels of conscientiousness and extroversion and high levels of neuroticism and negative affect are associated with earlier mortality (Almada et al, 1991;Christensen et al, 2002;Friedman et al, 1993;Kubzansky et al, 1997;Maruta et al, 2000;Wilson et al, , 2004. Greater variability in dayto-day feelings of personal control over a month-long period also predicted mortality in an institutionalized sample of older adults (Eizenman et al, 1997). Positive outlooks on life, such as that assessed by dispositional optimism (Scheier & Carver, 1985), have been associated with longer life .…”

“…That said, some interesting studies of the correlates of shorter term intraindividual variability have been carried out. Most notably, variability in perceived control beliefs over a multi week period predicted mortality 5 years later in a sample of older adults (Eizenman et al, 1997).…”

Variability, Noise and Predictability in Motor Response Times: Adaptation or Misadaptation?

“…For example, higher variability might signify greater adaptability, less rigidity, or more creativity. Numerous publications on substantive aspects of the topic (e.g., Butler, Hokanson, & Flynn, 1994;Eizenman, Nesselroade, Featherman, & Rowe, 1997;Hertzog, Dixon, & Hultsch, 1992), treatments of pertinent methodological issues are also appearing with rapidity (e.g., Boker & Nesselroade, 2002;Browne & Nesselroade, 2002;Hamaker, Dolan, & Molenaar, 2003;McArdle, 1982;McArdle & Hamagami, 2001;Molenaar, 1985;Moskowitz & Hershberger, 2002;Nesselroade & Molenaar, 1999;West & Hepworth, 1991).…”