Relationships between Cognitive Functions and Mood of Elders in an Institute

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between the cognitive functions and mood of elders in an institution. Nine elders received the POMS (Profile of Mood Scale: Tense-Anxiety, Depression, Angry, Vigor, Fatigue, Confusion) to measure their mood and the Stroop test and the reverse-Stroop test to measure their cognitive functions. The Stroop interference shows that elders' responses are influenced by word when they name the ink-color of an interfered color-word combination. The reverse-Stroop interference shows that they are interfered by color when they name the word of an incongruent color-word combination. POMS scores were under the cut-off points, and the total correct response score related with Vigor (r=0.62, p=0.04). The Stroop interference score was at the standard level, but the reverse-Stroop interference score was lower than that. The Stroop interference score related with Vigor (r=−0.65, p=0.03); the inverse-Stroop interference score related with Tense-Anxiety (r=−0.70, p=0.02) and Confusion (r=−0.61, p=0.04). These results show that 1) the mood of elders in the institution were at a healthy level and elders with high vigor responded correctly, 2) they could read word with high level, 3)elders with high vigor treated color correctly without interference by word, and 4) elders with high tension and confusion treated with word without inference by color.