Abstract
Researchers have made great efforts towards better understanding how environmental factors might modify cognitive aging processes, particularly in later adulthood. Among them, a primary focus has been on how certain characteristics of work contexts were associated with cognitive functioning, given the significance of paid work for adult individuals over the life span. This proposed symposium includes four papers that further our knowledge of the impact of work contexts on cognitive functioning, using data from multiple sources such as the US, Germany and Puerto Rico. The first paper by Willis investigates the link between pre-retirement occupations and post-retirement activities using the HRS data. The second paper by Drury and Andel examines how job strains linked with work activities are related to cognitive decline, demonstrating the importance of work-based psychosocial factors for cognitive aging, using data from Puerto Rico. The third paper by Rodriguez and Riedel-Heller investigates how specific dimensions of mental demands of work are differentially linked to various cognitive functions in later life with data from Germany. Lastly, the paper by Yu, Cheng and Staudinger uses HRS and MIDUS data to examine how novel information processing at work, a specific dimension of mental demands of work, contributes to cognitive aging across fourteen years, offering a targeted approach to cognitive stimulations in work environment that complements the job complexity framework. Findings from this symposium will shed light on the cognitive impact of different characteristics of work environments across different geographic contexts.