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Notes:
Volume 9
Journal of Neurology and Neuroscience
ISSN: 2171-6625
Page 44
JOINT EVENT
July 23-24, 2018 Birmingham, UK
&
24
th
International Conference on
Neuroscience and Neurochemistry
26
th
Edition of International Conference on
Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience
Are middle - aged university students disadvantaged in comparison to younger students in terms of
their cognitive functioning and behavioural characteristics?
Nibras Rothwell, Jerome Carson
and
Richard Jagger
University of Bolton, UK
P
revious research has shown that younger adults often perform better than older adults on tests of cognitive function
including those of memory, attention, and executive function. However, there has been less research that has investigated
the differences between younger and middle aged adults, especially those currently in education. This study aimed to bridge
this gap. A group of 20 younger students (aged between 19 and 25) was compared to a group of 20 middle-aged learners (aged
between 35 and 55). Both groups were required to complete a selection of tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological
Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). In addition, both groups were required to complete five standardised questionnaires
that measured further aspects of cognition and behaviour, including resilience and self-esteem. In terms of the CANTAB
tests the younger group generally outperformed the middle-aged group, although not significantly. However, in of one of the
more complex executive function tasks, a test of multitasking, the middle-aged group seemed to have particular difficulties
responding accurately to conflicting stimuli and multiple significant differences were found. In terms of the behavioural
measures, the younger participants scored significantly higher on self-esteem, but middle-aged participants had significantly
higher scores on the BUSS measure of academic tenacity and on the CD-Risc and Resilience Scale. While this was a small pilot
study, it does suggest that there may be genuine differences between younger and middle aged students in certain aspects of
cognition and behaviour that warrant further exploration.
Biography
Nibras Rothwell is a PhD student in Psychology Department at University of Bolton. She is interested in Psychology, Neuropsychology, Neurocognition, Educational
Psychology and Human Memory in general. She has completed professional academic degrees in teaching, interpreting and translation, British airlines experience,
case working, leadership, advice, advisory, a quality and assurance assessment, and English law interpretation. She has been living, communicating and working
in various countries and has gained excellent experience. Her educational background and experiences made her ambitious to investigate more aspects in human
brain, cognitive abilities, performance and behaviour.
nibrasrothwell@yahoo.comNibras Rothwell et al., J Neurol Neurosci 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.21767/2171-6625-C2-012