The goal of this research is to explore cognition as a meaningful domain of competence for individuals, and to understand how perceived and actual cognitive function relates to psychological well-being across age. Beliefs about cognition vary with age, as do the expressed cognitive hopes and fears of adults. Cognitive function, largely neglected in the past work on self-concept, appears to be a highly salient feature of the competent self in aging. Study 1 begins by asking individuals to identify their possible selves (self defining hopes and fears). Using questionnaires and phone interviews, self-perceived cognitive competence (SPC), positive (e.g., self-esteem) and negative (e.g., depression) aspects of psychological well-being (PWB), and cognitive performance will be assessed among participants. Cognitive selves will be examined by age group: younger (YA), middle-aged (MA) and older adults (OA). OA are expected to report more cognitive possible selves, and different types of selves, than MA and YA. Next, using age as a continuous variable, a stronger relationship between SPC, performance, and PWB is hypothesized for older participants due to age differences in the salience of the cognitive domain. Further, when cognition is self-relevant, PWB should be predicted by SPC regardless of age, e.g., individuals with a cognitive self and low SPC should report higher levels of depression and anxiety. Study 2 explores how SPC is related to prose recall performance, anxiety and motivation, using participants for whom cognition was a central feature of the self in Study 1. After initial prose recall trials in a phone interview, participants will choose to work on prose recall or a simple ratings task. Age should predict recall and SPC. Participants with lower levels of SPC should become anxious and avoid the challenging prose recall task, whereas those with higher levels of SPC should show little anxiety, strong motivation and higher recall. These two studies explore the possibility that PWB and performance are dependent on SPC when cognition is central to an individual's self-concept, and that these relationships will vary with age. A key question is addressed here: What are the consequences for psychological well-being when people begin to doubt their capabilities in a domain that is central to their self-concept? We believe that individuals who perceive declines in important self-defining skills are at risk for psychological problems such as depression and anxiety, especially as they attempt to negotiate late life declines. Well-being and successful performance depends on feeling a sense of competence in those domains of function that are personally important.
