title: The role of supportive messages and distracting thoughts on everyday problem-solving performance.
abstract: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: An increasing number of studies have examined factors related to everyday problem-solving performance across adulthood. The current study examined the role of experimentally provided supportive messages intended to provide practical or emotional support on everyday problem-solving performance. Other factors such as participant age and distracting thoughts experienced during task completion were also investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Everyday problem-solving performance, verbal ability performance, inductive reasoning performance, and self-reports of distracting thoughts were obtained from 54 middle-aged and 48 older adults. Participants were also exposed to practically supportive messages, emotionally supportive messages, or no supportive messages prior to completing the everyday problem-solving task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exposure to emotionally supportive messages increased task performance and lowered levels of distracting thoughts. Distracting thoughts mediated the relation between exposure to emotionally supportive messages and everyday problem-solving performance. Distracting thoughts also mediated the relation between age and everyday problem-solving performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study findings indicate that emotionally supportive messages may increase everyday problem-solving performance by decreasing the amount of distracting thoughts experienced by participants. This finding suggests that consistent administration of emotionally supportive messages could result in more optimal everyday problem-solving performance among middle-aged and older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565, USA. kkimbler@fgcu.edu
authors.forename: Kristopher J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kimbler
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Margrett
authors.forename: Tara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011340:Problem Solving; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology