Examining the quality of measures of change in cognition and affect for older adults: Two case studies

Adopting a case study approach, we examined the quality of three measures of change in cognition and affect for older adults. The measures were used in a pre/post-test design to examine the effects of engaging older adults in languaging on their cognitive functioning and affect. Each of two researchers engaged each participant in the production of cognitively rich speech through sustained interactions over 10–12 sessions. Results from the three measures were compared to each other and to transcripts of participants' interactions and the researchers' experiences with the participants. The different sources of information supported and contradicted each other in terms of changes observed in the participants' affect and cognitive functioning. We critique the three measures in terms of their adequacy for assessing change and argue that a qualitative, process-oriented approach to assessment that allows it to be integrated with the intervention is better at detecting and understanding change in cognition and affect in older adults.