Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, Regi Robnett and students Benjamin Katz, Jessica Hering and Elizabeth Whitmore present at the American Psychological Association Convention

Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, and Regula Robnett, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, along with students Jessica Hering (Occupational Studies major/Psychology minor, ’15), Benjamin Katz (Psychology, ’17) and Elizabeth Whitmore (Medical Biology/Psychology minor, ’14) presented findings from a new study on cognitive aging at the American Psychological Association Convention in Toronto, Canada.

The presentation, titled “The effects of attention and language skills on reading comprehension in an aging population,” examines the effects of cognitive aging (in individuals 65 and older) on readers’ ability to monitor subtle nuances of text. The results reveal that sustained attention, executive function abilities and working memory (all sub-scales of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment) are key aspects of explaining the changes in comprehension ability of individuals experiencing cognitive decline.

By shedding new light on the cognitive processes which create the most challenges, this research has a number of practical implications, including the development of new reading strategies or textual changes capable of alleviating comprehension difficulties for individuals experiencing mild cognitive decline. 

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The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.