We can work it out: Group decision-making builds social identity and enhances the cognitive performance of care residents

Group‐based interventions have been argued to slow the cognitive decline of older people residing in care by building social identification and thereby increasing motivation and engagement. The present study explored the identity–cognition association further by investigating the impact of a group d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The British journal of psychology 2014-02, Vol.105 (1), p.17-34
Main Authors: Haslam, Catherine, Alexander Haslam, S., Knight, Craig, Gleibs, Ilka, Ysseldyk, Renate, McCloskey, Lauren-Grace
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - psychology
Analysis of Variance
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive performance
Cognitive Therapy - methods
Decision Making
Elderly
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Group Processes
Humans
Interior Design and Furnishings
Intervention
Interventions
Long-Term Care - psychology
Male
Mental Recall
Motivation
Outcome Assessment (Health Care) - statistics & numerical data
Patient Satisfaction - statistics & numerical data
Patients' Rooms - utilization
Psychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Refurbishment
Residential Facilities
Satisfaction
Self Report
Social Function
Social Identification
Social Identity
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social psychology
Well Being
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Summary:Group‐based interventions have been argued to slow the cognitive decline of older people residing in care by building social identification and thereby increasing motivation and engagement. The present study explored the identity–cognition association further by investigating the impact of a group decision‐making intervention on cognition. Thirty‐six care home residents were assigned to one of three conditions: an Intervention in which they made decisions about lounge refurbishment as a group, a Comparison condition in which staff made these decisions, or a no‐treatment Control. Cognitive function, social identification, home satisfaction, and lounge use were measured before and after the intervention. Participants in the Intervention condition showed significant increases on all measures, and greater improvement than participants in both Comparison and Control conditions. Consistent with social identity theorizing, these findings point to the role of group activity and social identification in promoting cognitive integrity and well‐being among care residents.
ISSN:0007-1269
2044-8295
DOI:10.1111/bjop.12012