@article{erica l. o'brien_sharifian_2020, title={Managing expectations: How stress, social support, and aging attitudes affect awareness of age-related changes}, volume={37}, ISSN={["1460-3608"]}, DOI={10.1177/0265407519883009}, abstractNote={ The degree to which social support (SS) moderates the effects of stress on self-perceptions of aging may depend on individual differences in general aging attitudes. We examined how stress, different types of SS, and general expectations regarding aging (ERA) affect awareness of age-related changes (AARCs). The sample included 137 adults (21–76 years; 56.2% women) who took an online survey on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Regression analyses showed differential moderation of stress effects due to ERA and the SS measure (perceived and received) and function (emotional and instrumental). Received emotional SS was only associated with AARC losses, whereas perceived support—both emotional and instrumental—was associated with AARC gains and losses. Findings may help guide future work aimed at promoting health and well-being in adulthood. }, number={3}, journal={JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS}, author={Erica L. O'Brien and Sharifian, Neika}, year={2020}, month={Mar}, pages={986–1007} }
 @article{sharifian_erica l. o'brien_2019, title={Resource or Hindrance? The benefits and costs of social support for functional difficulties and its implications for depressive symptoms}, volume={23}, ISSN={["1364-6915"]}, DOI={10.1080/13607863.2018.1437595}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Objectives:The impact of social support on the relationship between stress and well-being remains somewhat inconclusive, with work suggesting either null, buffering, or amplification effects. The current study investigated the conditions in which perceived social support is likely to act as a buffer or amplifier by considering individual differences in self-perceptions of aging. Methods: Using data from two subsamples of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (graduates: 70–74 years, siblings: 40–92 years), we examined how perceived social support (emotional versus instrumental) and self-perceptions of aging (SPA) moderated the effect of functional limitations on depressive symptoms (DS). Results: Although emotional support positively predicted DS, its effects did not depend on SPA. Instrumental support was associated with both increases and decreases in well-being that were dependent upon SPA. Functional limitations predicted more DS at both low and high levels of instrumental support when SPA were negative. However, when SPA were positive, low levels of social support were found to decrease depressive symptoms, and high levels were found to increase depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The impact of social social may enhance or deteriorate well-being, depending on how it interacts with self-evaluative beliefs. Findings offer insights as to the boundary conditions associated with the (positive) effects of social support and SPA, and highlight the need for continued research on the mechanisms associated these effects.}, number={5}, journal={AGING & MENTAL HEALTH}, author={Sharifian, Neika and Erica L. O'Brien}, year={2019}, month={May}, pages={618–624} }
 @article{sharifian_gruhn_2019, title={The Differential Impact of Social Participation and Social Support on Psychological Well-Being: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study}, volume={88}, ISSN={["1541-3535"]}, DOI={10.1177/0091415018757213}, abstractNote={ Being socially engaged is theorized to diminish age-related declines in emotional functioning. However, unique facets of social engagement may differentially impact functioning in older adulthood. In particular, social participation (SP) might be more beneficial than social support (SS) in buffering declines. The goal of this study was to examine whether interindividual differences in SP and SS influenced intraindividual change in Psychological Well-Being (PWB). The impact of SS and SP on change in PWB was investigated in two samples from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study spanning 19 years (1992–2011): graduate respondents and their siblings. Using latent growth curve models, small declines in PWB were found. Individuals high in SP demonstrated a less steep decline in PWB across the three time points than individuals low in SP. SS, however, did not buffer declines in PWB. Developmental implications of the age-related trajectory of PWB and the relationship with social engagement are discussed. }, number={2}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGING & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT}, author={Sharifian, Neika and Gruhn, Daniel}, year={2019}, month={Mar}, pages={107–126} }
 @article{hess_smith_sharifian_2016, title={Aging and Effort Expenditure: The Impact of Subjective Perceptions of Task Demands}, volume={31}, ISSN={["1939-1498"]}, DOI={10.1037/pag0000127}, abstractNote={Engagement in cognitively demanding activities has a positive impact on cognitive health in older adults. Previous work, however, has suggested that the costs associated with engagement increase in later life and influence motivation. We examined how subjective perceptions of these costs varied with age and influenced task engagement. The following questions were of specific interest: (a) Are there age differences in subjective perceptions of cognitive costs? (b) What is the impact of these perceptions on engagement? We tested 39 older (ages 65-84) and 37 younger (20-42) adults on a working memory task. Systolic blood pressure responsivity (SBP-R; reflective of effort) and subjective perceptions of task difficulty were assessed. We found that age was associated with an increase in the perceptions of cognitive costs, and that these subjective perceptions had a stronger impact on older adults' engagement than on that of younger adults. More important, this impact was specific to subjective perceptions of cognitive costs. The results provide further support for the hypothesis that increased costs associated with cognitive engagement influence older adults' willingness to engage cognitive resources, and that these costs in part reflect subjective perceptions that are independent of objective task demands. (PsycINFO Database Record}, number={7}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING}, author={Hess, Thomas M. and Smith, Brian T. and Sharifian, Neika}, year={2016}, month={Nov}, pages={653–660} }
 @article{gruhn_sharifian_2016, title={Lists of emotional stimuli}, journal={Emotion Measurement}, author={Gruhn, D. and Sharifian, N.}, year={2016}, pages={145–164} }
 @article{gruhn_sharifian_chu_2016, title={The limits of a limited future time perspective in explaining age differences in emotional functioning}, volume={31}, number={6}, journal={Psychology and Aging}, author={Gruhn, D. and Sharifian, N. and Chu, Q.}, year={2016}, pages={583–593} }