Age differences in routine formation: the role of automatization, motivation, and executive functions.

ABSTRACT: Medication adherence can be vital for one's health, especially in older adults. However, previous research has demonstrated that medication adherence is negatively affected by age-related cognitive decline. In the current study we investigated whether older adults are able to compensate for this decline by relying more on the formation of efficient, automatized routines. To this end, we directly compared daily (placebo) medication adherence in a healthy sample of 68 younger (18-29  years) and 63 older adults (65-86  years) over a period of 4  weeks. We show that despite an age-related decline in cognitive functions (i.e., poorer working memory, prospective memory, task switching, and goal-directed control), older adults adhered better to a daily pill intake routine than younger adults did

SUBMITTER: van de Vijver I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10357511 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature