Name: MacKenzie Hughes

Ph.D. Dissertation Defense Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023

Time: 2:30 PM

Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Zoom Meeting ID: 942 9761 7595

Passcode: 180928

Advisor: Christopher Hertzog, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Dissertation Committee Members: 

Paul Verhaeghen, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Scott Moffat, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Thackery Brown, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Shevaun Neupert, Ph.D.  (North Carolina State University)

Title: Unconstructive Repetitive Thoughts and Anxiety Mediate the Link Between Daily Stressor Exposure and Everyday Memory Lapses

Abstract: Daily stressor exposure has been linked to poorer cognitive functioning, but less is known about the exact mechanisms underlying the relationship. Stressor-related increases in negative affect (NA) and unconstructive repetitive thoughts (URTs) may play a role in explaining why individuals experience more everyday memory lapses on days with stressor exposure. This study investigated correlates of NA and URTs as time-varying constructs and their role in the relationship between stressor exposure and memory functioning. Publicly available daily diary data from the Midlife Development in the United States Refresher 1 sample were analyzed. For eight consecutive days, 716 adults ages 25-75 years old (Mage = 48.16, SD = 12.57) reported their daily experiences via telephone interviews. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to examine the indirect effect of daily stressor exposure on the frequency of everyday memory lapses through three types of NA (sadness, anxiety, anger) and URTs between- and within-persons. Results highlight important differences in the relationship between stressor exposure and everyday memory functioning at both levels of analysis. Whereas interindividual results suggest URTs mediate the relationship between average stressor exposure and everyday memory lapses, intraindividual results suggest both daily URTs and anxiety mediate the relationship between daily stressor exposure and everyday memory lapses. Additionally, the intraindividual effect of stressors on memory lapses through daily anxiety is stronger in young adults and people high in trait neuroticism whereas the effect through URTs is stronger in people with low executive functioning. Findings extend our understanding of the dynamic relationship between daily stressors and cognitive functioning by shedding light on for whom and under what circumstances memory lapses occur within the context of everyday life.