Symposium

Neurodegenerative Disease (e.g. MS, Parkinson's disease)

Geriatric Rehabilitation

The Importance of Task Difficulty in Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Older Adults with and Without Cognitive Impairment (848124)

Presenter(s)

• 

  Hannes Devos, Ph.D.

  Associate Professor
  University of Kansas Medical Center
  Kansas City, Kansas

  Presentation Slides Handouts
• 

  Julie Faieta, PhD

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Université Laval
  Pickerington, Ohio

  Presentation Slides Presentation + Audio
• 

  Pedram Ahmadnezhad, MS, PT

  Graduate Research Assistant & PhD Student
  University of Kansas Medical Center
  Kansas City, Kansas
• 

  L. Stephen Miller, PhD

  Professor & Department Head of Psychology
  University of Georgia
  Athens, Georgia

  Presentation Slides

In this symposium, we will address the importance of selecting an appropriate threshold of task difficulty for accurate evaluation and rehabilitation of cognitive functions in older adults with and without cognitive impairments. This symposium will outline the theoretic concepts behind task difficulty, the neurophysiological and behavioral responses to task difficulty, and the importance of task difficulty in training of cognitive functions in individuals with and without cognitive impairments

Learning Objectives:

• Participants can discuss the theoretic concepts of the Just Right Challenge and the Technology Acceptance Model
• Participants can discuss the behavioral and physiological responses to task difficulty in older adults with and without cognitive impairments
• Participants can discuss the implications of task difficulty in cognitive training programs in older adults.