Associated with student projects in the Developmental Area / Department of Psychology (http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/areas/developmental) and programs in the Center for Group Dynamics and Center for Survey Research in the Institute for Social Research (http://www.isr.umich.edu/home), projects are beginning on:
· Social cognitive aging (e.g., emotion and memory, wisdom, life planning)
· Day-to-day fluctuations in well-being, motivation, and cognitive performance
· Images of aging and interpersonal interactions in adulthood and old age
Experimental Studies of Psychosocial Aging
Associated with student projects in the Department of Psychology and programs in the Center for Group Dynamics in ISR, Jacqui Smith and colleagues are establishing projects to follow-up on findings from her previous research conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. Graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to join these projects as well as the projects that use survey data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Berlin Aging Study (BASE).
Research topics include:
· Social cognitive aging, intelligence, and expertise: e.g.,
Baltes, P. B., & Smith, J. (2008). The fascination of wisdom: Its nature, ontogeny, and function. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 56-74.
Grühn, D., Smith, J., & Baltes, P. B. (2005). No aging bias favoring memory for positive material: Evidence from a heterogeneity-homogeneity list paradigm using emotionally-toned words. Psychology and Aging, 20, 579-588.
Smith, J. (1999). Life planning: Anticipating future life goals and managing personal development. In J. Brandtstädter & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Action and self-development: Theory and research through the life span (pp. 223-255). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
· Day-to-day fluctuations in well-being, motivation, and cognitive performance: e.g.,
Roecke, C. & Smith, J. (submitted). Intraindividual variability in positive and negative affect over 45 days: Older adults fluctuate less than young adults
Li, S-C., Schmiedek, F., Huxhold, O., Röcke, C., Smith, J., & Lindenberger, U. (in press) Working memory plasticity in old age: Transfer and maintenance . Psychology and Aging
· Images of aging and interpersonal interactions in adulthood and old age: e.g.,
Ackermann, K. & Smith, J (2007). How accurate are young adults judgments of very old faces? Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, August.
Smith, J., & Goodnow, J. J. (1999). Unasked-for support and unsolicited advice: Age and the quality of social experience. Psychology and Aging, 14, 108-121.