1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This thesis examines how need for cognition, the dispositional tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activity, predicts subjective well-being over time in older adults in recent retirement.» (p. iii) «The goal of [the first] study is to provide a profile of those individuals who are more likely to experience greater subjective well-being during their earliest years of retirement.» (p. 22) The second «[...] study examined whether need for cognition, the dispositional enjoyment of cognitive challenge, predicts sustained positive affect over time in retirement.» (p. 65)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
For the two studies, «[d]ata were drawn from the Concordia Longitudinal Retirement Study (2005-2009) investigating adjustment to life in recent retirement. Participants were among 369 adults (mean age approximately 60 years at start of study) who completed four consecutive annual waves of small group testing in our university laboratories.» (p. 2)

Instruments :
Questionnaires (utilisés dans les deux études)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Study 1 found that those who were higher relative to lower in need for cognition (i) reported higher levels of positive affect across time; (ii) were more frequently engaged in specific freely chosen activities involving creativity, internet use, and formal volunteering; (iii) scored higher on measures of problem-focused coping and goal re-engagement; and (iv) were more likely to have retired to pursue their own interests than for other reasons. Study 2 revealed that people higher in either need for cognition, competence, or purpose reported higher levels of positive affect at baseline; however, those initially higher in either need for cognition or purpose showed significant drops in positive affect over time relative to their peers’ lower stable affective trajectories. Interaction analyses revealed the counter-intuitive finding that those lowest in both need for cognition and purpose reported a significant increase in positive affect over time». (p. iii-iv) Cette thèse nous apprend également qu’une des raisons du départ à la retraite était les responsabilités familiales. De plus, les personnes retraitées qui ont un fort besoin de cognition rapportent être plus engagés dans l’aide à leur famille.