Michael Rönnlund
Umeå University, Umea Department of Psychology, Faculty Member
... The need to consider a broader age range was recently illustrated by Cregger and Rogers (1998) who suggested that age ... we have begun to address the effects of multiple-individual-difference variables on memory performance (eg,... more
... The need to consider a broader age range was recently illustrated by Cregger and Rogers (1998) who suggested that age ... we have begun to address the effects of multiple-individual-difference variables on memory performance (eg, Herlitz, Nilsson, & Bäckman, 1997; Nilsson ...
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Population aging motivated a focus in contemporary research on factors, e.g. cognitive functioning, that contribute to 'aging well.' However, something that has been overlooked is relation between memory functioning, determined by... more
Population aging motivated a focus in contemporary research on factors, e.g. cognitive functioning, that contribute to 'aging well.' However, something that has been overlooked is relation between memory functioning, determined by objective tests as well as subjective memory ratings, and subjective well-being (SWB). The aim of the present study was to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal (cross-lagged) relationships between episodic memory (both subjective and objective) and SWB. A total of 586 older individuals (60-90 years) were assessed on multiple measures of the targeted constructs at baseline (Time 1) as part of the Betula cohort study. Five years later (Time 2), 354 of the participants returned for follow-up measurements and were included in cross-lagged panel analyses. As expected, objective memory and subjective memory showed a pattern of cross-sectional age deficits and a mean level longitudinal decline was observed for objective memory. By contrast, SWB sh...
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We examined cross-sectional aging patterns for subscales of the Swedish version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory in a population-based sample of older adults (60–90 years; N = 447). Alternative methods to assess time perspective... more
We examined cross-sectional aging patterns for subscales of the Swedish version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory in a population-based sample of older adults (60–90 years; N = 447). Alternative methods to assess time perspective balance (DBTP, involving a single Future dimension; S-BTP; and DBTP-E, including in addition, Future Negative), were compared and their relations to subjective well-being (SWB) were examined. Significant negative age relations were observed for Past Negative and Future Negative with a clear age-related increase in Present Fatalistic, while Past Positive, Present Hedonistic, and Future Positive were relatively stable across age. A significant age-related increase in deviation from balance was observed across methods (Cohen’s ds 0.28–0.57), with the highest value for DBTP-E. Overall, S-BTP and DBTP-E were more strongly associated with SWB than DBTP (r = −0.40), with the highest value for DBTP-E (r = −0.53). Analyses of separate age groups (60–65 vs. ...
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The authors investigated adolescents' use of coping strategies in relation to attachment to parents and time perspective. Adolescents in Grade 3 upper secondary school (M age = 18.3 years, SD = 0.6 years; n = 160)... more
The authors investigated adolescents' use of coping strategies in relation to attachment to parents and time perspective. Adolescents in Grade 3 upper secondary school (M age = 18.3 years, SD = 0.6 years; n = 160) completed the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, and the Brief COPE. Correlational analyses showed that attachment to parents was associated with a more favorable view of the past (higher past positive and lower past negative), a less fatalistic view of the present, and a more favorable view of the future (higher future positive and lower future negative). Parental attachment accounted for significant variance in composite coping scores (adaptive and maladaptive) when entered before, but not after, time perspective subscales in hierarchical regression analyses. However, time perspective (mainly present hedonistic and positive or negative future) predicted adaptive or maladaptive coping over and beyond attachment. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that most of the relationship between adolescents' attachment to parents and coping is mediated by individual differences in time perspective. By contrast, factors other than attachment to parents (e.g., temperament) must be considered to fully account for the relationship between time perspective and coping.
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The objective was to examine whether subjective memory impairment (SMI) predicts all-cause dementia or... more
The objective was to examine whether subjective memory impairment (SMI) predicts all-cause dementia or Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a population-based study with long-term follow-up (median = 10 years). A total of 2043 initially dementia-free participants (≥ 60 years) made three memory ratings ("compared with others", "compared with five years ago", and "complaints from family/friends") at baseline. During follow-up, 372 participants developed dementia (208 with AD). Cox regression revealed that subjective memory impairment ratings predicted all-cause dementia in models adjusting for age and sex (hazard ratio or HR from 2.04 to 3.94), with even higher values for AD (HR from 2.29 to 5.74). The result persisted in models including other covariates, including baseline episodic memory performance, and in analyses restricted to participants with long time to dementia diagnosis (≥ 5 years). The findings underscore the usefulness of subjective memory assessment in combination with other factors in identifying individuals at risk for developing dementia.
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ABSTRACTBackground:The objective was to examine whether aspects of social relationships in old age are associated with all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).Methods:We studied 1,715 older adults (≥ 65 years) who were... more
ABSTRACTBackground:The objective was to examine whether aspects of social relationships in old age are associated with all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).Methods:We studied 1,715 older adults (≥ 65 years) who were dementia-free at baseline over a period of up to 16 years. Data on living status, contact/visit frequency, satisfaction with contact frequency, and having/not having a close friend were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regressions with all-cause dementia or AD as the dependent variable. To control for reverse causality and to identify potential long-term effects, we additionally performed analyses with delayed entry.Results:We identified 373 incident cases of dementia (207 with AD) during follow-up. The variable visiting/visits from friends was associated with reduced risk of all-cause dementia. Further, a higher value on the relationships index (sum of all variables) was associated with reduced risk of all-cause dementia and AD. However, in analyse...
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The longitudinal effects of perceived stress on measures of memory and two other cognitive functions (word fluency, visuospatial ability) in a middle-aged sample (40-60 years, M age = 47.1 years, SD = 6.1 years; n = 192) were examined. A... more
The longitudinal effects of perceived stress on measures of memory and two other cognitive functions (word fluency, visuospatial ability) in a middle-aged sample (40-60 years, M age = 47.1 years, SD = 6.1 years; n = 192) were examined. A group describing themselves as stressed in general at baseline, and at follow-up measurement 5 and 10 years later (n = 96) was compared with a matched (age, sex) low-stress group (n = 96). The results revealed more depressive symptoms over time in the high-stress group. With regard to memory, a dissociation between subjective and objective measures was observed. Specifically, participants in the high-stress group rated their memory as worse over time as compared with controls, and reported a higher frequency of occurrence of everyday memory failures, effects partly independent of depressive symptoms. However, the groups did not differ in terms of objective episodic memory performance, word fluency or block design performance, with stable levels of performance over time regardless of perceived stress. The lack of effects of stress on cognitive performance is discussed in the light of factors such as stress level, age of the participants, and other individual difference factors.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Stress, Memory, and 15 moreProspective studies, Humans, Character, Female, Male, Depressive Disorder, Middle Aged, Longitudinal Studies, Self Assessment, Adult, Age Factors, Memory Disorders, Cohort Studies, Psychomotor Performance, and Neuropsychological Tests
Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Dementia, Aging, Risk, and 9 moreSweden, Prospective studies, Humans, Female, Male, Clinical Sciences, Aged, Time Factors, and Leisure Activities
There is a growing body of research on the modifiability of executive functions in different stages of life. Previous studies demonstrate robust training effects but limited transfer in younger and particularly in older adults. The aim of... more
There is a growing body of research on the modifiability of executive functions in different stages of life. Previous studies demonstrate robust training effects but limited transfer in younger and particularly in older adults. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a theoretically derived intervention for executive functioning, addressing several basic processes (updating, shifting, and inhibition), can induce transfer effects in early and late adulthood. Fifty-nine healthy adults, 29 young and 30 older adults, were randomly assigned to either training or no-contact control groups. The training groups received 15 sessions of executive process training for about 45 min/session during 5 weeks. A test battery including a criterion task and near, intermediate, and far transfer tasks was administered before and after training. Results showed pronounced age-equivalent gains on the criterion task. Near transfer was seen to non-trained updating and inhibition tasks for the young and older trained participants. However, only the young adults showed intermediate transfer to two complex working memory tasks. No far transfer effects were seen for either age group. These findings provide additional evidence for age-related constraints in the ability to generalize acquired executive skills, and specifically show that training of multiple executive processes is not sufficient to foster transfer beyond the very near in older adults.
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Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Semantics, Psychometrics, Face, and 15 moreFace recognition (Psychology), Time Perception, Space perception, Prospective studies, Humans, Female, Male, Aged, Middle Aged, Questionnaires, Adult, Reproducibility of Results, Cognitive Functioning, Cognition disorders, and Cohort Studies
To examine the association between self-reported memory failures and incident dementia in individuals aged 60 and older. Longitudinal, community based. Betula Prospective Cohort Study, a population-based study in Umeå, Sweden. Individuals... more
To examine the association between self-reported memory failures and incident dementia in individuals aged 60 and older. Longitudinal, community based. Betula Prospective Cohort Study, a population-based study in Umeå, Sweden. Individuals with a mean age of 71.5 ± 8.8 (range 60-90) (N = 1,547). Participants rated the frequency of everyday memory failures using the 16-item Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and underwent objective memory testing at baseline. Participant self-reports of complaints of poor memory by family and friends were evaluated. Dementia status was followed-up for 10 to 12 years. Over the study period, 225 participants developed dementia (132 with Alzheimer's disease (AD)). In Cox proportional hazard regression models adjusted for demographic factors, PRMQz-scores predicted incident dementia (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.21 for all-cause dementia; HR = 1.25 for AD, Ps < .01). The significant associations remained when depressive symptoms and...
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In this article, the authors examined predictors of self-reported everyday memory failures using the Prospective and Retrospective Questionnaire (PRMQ; Smith, Della Sala, Logie, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Maylor, 2000) in a... more
In this article, the authors examined predictors of self-reported everyday memory failures using the Prospective and Retrospective Questionnaire (PRMQ; Smith, Della Sala, Logie, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Maylor, 2000) in a population-based sample of older adults (age range = 60-90 years; N = 250). The results showed that a higher frequency of reported failures was associated with lower scores on the personality dimension of self-directedness as assessed by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI; Cloninger, Dragan, Svrakic, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Przybeck, 1993) and more depressive symptoms on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977). However, PRMQ scores showed no relationships with objective memory ability, as reflected by a series of retrospective memory measures and a measure of prospective memory. Neither were the PRMQ scales associated with general cognitive functioning as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; Folstein, Folstein, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; McHugh, 1977). Taken together, the results indicate that within the older population, self-reported memory as assessed by the PRMQ may reflect mood-state and personality factors rather than individual differences in memory and cognitive ability.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Psychometrics, Depression, Individuality, and 19 moreAging, Prospective Memory, Self Directedness, Intention, Affect, Humans, Female, Male, Mini Mental State Examination, Questionnaires, Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Function, Depressive Symptoms, Older Adult, Individual Difference, Memory Disorders, Reference Values, Epidemiologic Studies, and Genetic Psychology
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Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Individuality, Aging, Brazil, and 32 moreProspective Memory, Adolescent, Intention, Everyday Life, Memory, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Discriminant Analysis, Humans, Cues, Female, Confirmatory factor analysis, Male, Young Adult, Scandinavian, Aged, Middle Aged, Psychological Tests, Questionnaires, Self Assessment, Adult, Sex Factors, Time Factors, Proxy, Short Term Memory, Age Factors, Reproducibility of Results, Psychological Models, Memory Disorders, Reference Values, Cross Sectional Studies, Confidence Limit, and Socioeconomic Factors
VÅRA NEDÄRVDA förutsättningar har givetvis ett inflytande på vår mentala kapacitet, men forskning vill gärna framlägga bevis för att våra levnadsvanor kan få en såväl positiv som negativ effekt på minnet. Det finns studier som bland annat... more
VÅRA NEDÄRVDA förutsättningar har givetvis ett inflytande på vår mentala kapacitet, men forskning vill gärna framlägga bevis för att våra levnadsvanor kan få en såväl positiv som negativ effekt på minnet. Det finns studier som bland annat förordat att om vi är socialt aktiva och har ett ...
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Background: The objective was to examine whether subjective memory impairment (SMI) predicts all-cause dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in a population-based study with long-term followup (median 5 10 years). Methods: A total of 2043... more
Background: The objective was to examine whether subjective memory impairment (SMI) predicts
all-cause dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in a population-based study with long-term followup
(median 5 10 years).
Methods: A total of 2043 initially dementia-free participants ( 60 years) made three memory ratings
(“compared with others”, “compared with five years ago”, and “complaints from family/
friends”) at baseline. During follow-up, 372 participants developed dementia (208 with AD).
Results: Cox regression revealed that subjective memory impairment ratings predicted all-cause dementia
in models adjusting for age and sex (hazard ratio or HR from 2.04 to 3.94), with even higher
values for AD (HR from 2.29 to 5.74). The result persisted in models including other covariates,
including baseline episodic memory performance, and in analyses restricted to participants with
long time to dementia diagnosis ( 5 years).
Conclusions: The findings underscore the usefulness of subjective memory assessment in combination
with other factors in identifying individuals at risk for developing dementia.
2015 The Alzheimer’s Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
all-cause dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in a population-based study with long-term followup
(median 5 10 years).
Methods: A total of 2043 initially dementia-free participants ( 60 years) made three memory ratings
(“compared with others”, “compared with five years ago”, and “complaints from family/
friends”) at baseline. During follow-up, 372 participants developed dementia (208 with AD).
Results: Cox regression revealed that subjective memory impairment ratings predicted all-cause dementia
in models adjusting for age and sex (hazard ratio or HR from 2.04 to 3.94), with even higher
values for AD (HR from 2.29 to 5.74). The result persisted in models including other covariates,
including baseline episodic memory performance, and in analyses restricted to participants with
long time to dementia diagnosis ( 5 years).
Conclusions: The findings underscore the usefulness of subjective memory assessment in combination
with other factors in identifying individuals at risk for developing dementia.
2015 The Alzheimer’s Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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In the present study, the authors investigated the effects of framing of options on risky decision making in groups of younger adults (M = 23.8 years, n = 192) and older adults (M = 69.1 years, n = 192). The participants were assigned to... more
In the present study, the authors investigated the effects of framing of options on risky decision making in groups of younger adults (M = 23.8 years, n = 192) and older adults (M = 69.1 years, n = 192). The participants were assigned to one of three scenarios varying in the goods at stake (human lives, paintings, money). The authors observed a majority preference in favor of the risky options after negative, but not positive framing. They also found, as they had predicted, that the type of framing effect varied across scenarios, with a bidirectional framing effect for the life-death scenario and unidirectional (risk averse) framing effects when public property (paintings) or personal property (money) were at stake. It is important to note that these choice preference patterns were highly similar across the age groups, which reinforced the conclusion that younger and older adults are equally susceptible to framing effects.
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The authors examined the relation between dimensions of attachment and internalizing and externalizing problems in 15- to 16-year-old adolescents (n = 62) who completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ; J. Feeney, P. Noller, & M.... more
The authors examined the relation between dimensions of attachment and internalizing and externalizing problems in 15- to 16-year-old adolescents (n = 62) who completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ; J. Feeney, P. Noller, & M. Hanrahan, 1994) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR; T. M. Achenbach, 1991). In total, the ASQ dimensions accounted for 48% of the variance in scores on the broad YSR internalizing problem scale. Three ASQ dimensions (confidence, discomfort with closeness, preoccupation with relationships) accounted for unique variance. Girls exhibited higher problem scores than did boys even when the authors considered ASQ scores. The authors observed comparable results for the anxious/depressed subscales. The confidence, discomfort, and preoccupation dimensions predicted scores on the withdrawn subscale. The authors observed weak relations or no relations between results on the ASQ and the externalizing problems scale. In conclusion, dimensions of attachment are powerful predictors of internalizing problems in adolescents. The authors discussed the potential cause and effect relationship between attachment variables and self-reported problems.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Adolescent, Interpersonal Relationship, Multivariate Analysis, and 15 moreSweden, Problem Solving, Humans, Correlation, Attachment, Female, Male, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Regression Analysis, Psychological Tests, Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Object Attachment, Genetic Psychology, and Behavioral symptoms
Research Interests: Cognitive Science, Decision Making, Cognition, Face Recognition, Priming, and 22 moreRecognition memory, Memory, Humans, Implicit Memory, Word Recognition, Explicit Memory, Female, Male, Reaction Time, Clinical Sciences, Aged, Psychological Tests, Associative Memory, Analysis of Variance, Pyridines, Age Factors, Older Adult, Memory Disorders, Cross-Over Studies, Neurosciences, Treatment Effect, and Cholinergic agents
Research Interests: Neuropsychology, Cognition, Aging, Neurobiology, Humans, and 15 moreAnimals, Artifacts, Behavioral Animal Models, Clinical Sciences, Longitudinal Studies, Cross Section, Reproducibility of Results, Neurobiology of Aging, Cognitive Decline, Memory Disorders, Cross Sectional Studies, Neurosciences, Age of Onset, Cognition disorders, and Neuropsychological Tests
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Social Sciences, Overconfidence, Individuality, and 24 moreCognition, Aging, Intuition, Metacognition, Confidence, Probability, Humans, Judgment, Female, Male, Confidence intervals, Structural Equation Model, Aged, Middle Aged, Adult, Probability Judgment, Cognitive Ability, Short Term Memory, Age Factors, Psychology of Aging, Psychological Models, Confidence Interval, Cohort Studies, and Neuropsychological Tests
We examined 5-year longitudinal changes in Tower of Hanoi (TOH) performance in a population-based sample of adults (35–85 years initially; n = 1480). An age-matched sample (n = 433) was included to estimate practice effects. The... more
We examined 5-year longitudinal changes in Tower of Hanoi (TOH) performance in a population-based sample of adults (35–85 years initially; n = 1480). An age-matched sample (n = 433) was included to estimate practice effects. The longitudinal age gradients differed substantially from the cross-sectional age gradients. This was the case even when practice effects, that were substantial in magnitude across the young/middle-aged groups, were controlled for. Instead of a continuous age-related deficit in performance from 35 and onwards, longitudinal data showed slowing of performance and increases of illegal moves past age 65. Cohort-related differences in educational attainment did not account for this discrepancy. Further analyses revealed a positive relation between practice-related gains and explicit memory of having performed the task at the first test occasion and a positive association between latent changes in TOH and Block Design, in line with cross-sectional findings. In conclusion, the results demonstrate a pattern of age-related changes indicating a late-onset decline of TOH performance and underscore the need to control for retest effects in longitudinal aging research.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Cognition, Performance, Comparative Study, and 23 moreEvidence-Based Practice (Psychology), Problem Solving, Humans, Age, Explicit Memory, Female, Male, Cohort Study, Follow-up studies, Educational Attainment, Aged, Middle Aged, Adult, Cross Section, Longitudinal data, Educational Status, Cross sectional Study, Cross Sectional Studies, Block Design, Neurosciences, Age Groups, Cohort Studies, and Neuropsychological Tests
This study examined metamemory in relation to three basic executive functions (set shifting, working memory updating, and response inhibition) measured as latent variables. Young adults (Experiment 1) and middle-aged adults (Experiment 2)... more
This study examined metamemory in relation to three basic executive functions (set shifting, working memory updating, and response inhibition) measured as latent variables. Young adults (Experiment 1) and middle-aged adults (Experiment 2) completed a set of executive functioning tasks and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ). In Experiment 1, source recall and face recognition tasks were included as indicators of objective memory performance. In both experiments, analyses of the executive functioning data yielded a two-factor solution, with the updating and inhibition tasks constituting a common factor and the shifting tasks a separate factor. Self-reported memory problems showed low predictive validity, but subjective and objective memory performance were related to different components of executive functioning. In both experiments, set shifting, but not updating and inhibition, was related to PRMQ, whereas source recall showed the opposite pattern of correlations in Experiment 1. These findings suggest that metamemorial judgments reflect selective effects of executive functioning and that individual differences in mental flexibility contribute to self-beliefs of efficacy.
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Face Recognition, Attention, Executive Function, and 16 moreMemory, Response Inhibition, Humans, Latent variable, Female, Predictive Validity, Male, Young Adult, Middle Aged, Adult, Time Factors, Shift Work, Age Factors, Individual Difference, Neurosciences, and Neuropsychological Tests
One experiment compared the effect of elaboration on enacted and non-enacted events. The commands were either presented in a basic form (e.g., “wave your hands”) or in an enriched form. The commands were enriched by adding statements to... more
One experiment compared the effect of elaboration on enacted and non-enacted events. The commands were either presented in a basic form (e.g., “wave your hands”) or in an enriched form. The commands were enriched by adding statements to the commands of how to perform the actions (e.g., “wave your hands as a conductor”). Free- and cued-recall data showed elaboration to have a dissociative effect on enacted and non-enacted events. Memory for the non-enacted events benefited from enrichment, whereas simple enacted events were remembered to a higher extent than complex enacted events. Lack of benefit from elaboration on memory of enacted events is suggested to be due to enactment leading to a sufficient degree of item-specific processing, and a negative effect of elaboration is suggested to occur when the way of manipulating item complexity decreases the familiarity of the actions. Familiarity ratings of the items by two independent groups of subjects supported this interpretation.
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This study explored age-related differences in item and source recall of enacted and nonenacted items in a sample of healthy adults between the ages of 35 and 80 years (N=1,000). Participants were screened on a variety of demographic,... more
This study explored age-related differences in item and source recall of enacted and nonenacted items in a sample of healthy adults between the ages of 35 and 80 years (N=1,000). Participants were screened on a variety of demographic, psychometric, and biological variables. They were presented with sentences (e.g., “Lift the book”) that they either read or enacted. They were then asked to recall the object of each stimulus sentence (item recall) and to identify its format of encoding (source recall). Age-related decrements were observed both in item and source memory, although age differences in source memory were more accentuated than in item memory. Further, the results indicated an overall impairment of source memory across age when individual differences in the demographic, psychometric, and biological variables were taken into consideration.