The effect of experimentally-provided supportive messages on middle-aged and old adults' performance on everyday problems

It has been suggested that instructional supportive messages consisting of positive emotional content or an offer of practical support have been linked to increased cognitive performance in a variety of domains (Denney, Tozier, & Schlotthauer, 1992; Isen, Daubman, & Nowicki, 1987; Kennedy, Mather, & Carstensen, 2004; Sarason, 1981; Sarason & Sarason, 1986; Tardy, 1992). The exposure to instructional supportive messages has also been linked to the amount of anxious and task-irrelevant thoughts (cognitive interference) that individuals report experiencing during a cognitive task (Sarason, 1981; Sarason & Sarason, 1986). Research assessing the effect of instructional input on performing everyday problems has primarily focused on messages attempting to increase motivation (Denney, Tozier, & Schlotthauer, 1992). The current study examined the relation between instructional supportive messages intended to provide emotional support or offer practical support while completing an everyday problem-solving task. Participants consisted of 102 middle-aged and older adults. Results suggest that exposure to emotionally-supportive messages benefited everyday problem-solving performance. Evidence also suggests that this relation is mediated by the amount of distracting thoughts experienced during task completion. The effects of self-efficacy, basic cognitive ability, education, affect, and perceived social support on everyday problem-solving or responses to supportive messages were also examined.