ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Aging is a process that is inevitable in any organism. The effect of aging can involve the decline of cognitive function which can be normal or abnormal. A good assessment or instrument is necessary to aid practitioners in screening or detecting any kind of cognitive decline, especially in daily problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Objectives: The current study aims to test: (1) the internal consistency and reliability of the original 28-item Everyday Problems Test (EPT) and the Malaysian Everyday Problems Test (MEPT) version of 14 items; (2) the relationship between everyday problem-solving and demographic factors; and (3) the demographic differences in the various domains of everyday problem-solving. Methods: The sample included 291 healthy and community-dwelling Malaysian older adults within the Klang Valley vicinity, with a mean age of 66.3 years. Variables included demographic factors of age, gender, and education, the Everyday Problem Test (EPT), and the Malaysian Everyday Problems Test (MEPT). Results: Both the EPT and MEPT showed good internal consistency and reliability values. It was also discovered that certain domains of the EPT and MEPT are more influenced by demographic factors, especially educational level, compared to others.
Conclusion: The MEPT is proven to be as acceptable as the original EPT. It can be used to measure older adults’ cognitive performance, particularly in solving everyday problems among a Malaysian sample.
APA Dictionary of Psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/working-memory
Artistico, D., Cervone, D., & Pezzuti, L. (2003). Perceived self-efficacy and everyday problem solving among young and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 18(1), 68–79. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.18.1.68
Bangma, D. F., Fuermaier, A. B. M., Tucha, L., Tucha, O., & Koerts, J. (2017). The effects of normal aging on multiple aspects of financial decision-making. PLOS ONE, 12(8), e0182620. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182620
Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-Translation for Cross-Cultural Research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185–216. https://doi.Org/10.1177/135910457000100301
Burton, C. L., Strauss, E., Bunce, D., Hunter, M. A., & Hultsch, D. F. (2009). Functional Abilities in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Gerontology, 55(5), 570–581. https://doi.org/10.1159/000228918
Burton, C. L., Strauss, E., Hultsch, D. F., & Hunter, M. A. (2006). Cognitive Functioning and Everyday Problem Solving in Older Adults. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 20(3), 432–452. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854040590967063
Chen, X., Hertzog, C., & Park, D. C. (2017). Cognitive Predictors of Everyday Problem Solving across the Lifespan. Gerontology, 63(4), 372–384. https://doi.org/10.1159/000459622
Cohen, A. A., Ferrucci, L., Fülöp, T., Gravel, D., Hao, N., Kriete, A., … Varadhan, R. (2022). A complex systems approach to aging biology. Nature Aging, 2(7), 580–591. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-022-00252-6
Cornelius, S. W., & Caspi, A. (1987). Everyday problem solving in adulthood and old age. Psychology and Aging, 2(2), 144–153. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.2.2.144
Diehl, M., Willis, S. L., & Schaie, K. W. (1995). Everyday problem solving in older adults: Observational assessment and cognitive correlates. Psychology and Aging, 10(3), 478–491. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.10.3.478
Devie Dian Nisrina, Misrita Misrita, & Indra Perdana. (2023). Students’ Perception of Using E-book to Improve Literacy Skill at the English Education Department of UNISKA Banjarmasin. Journal on Education, 5(4), 13391–13402. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v5i4.2349
Gaubert, F., Borg, C., & Chainay, H. (2022). Decision-Making in Alzheimer’s Disease: The Role of Working Memory and Executive Functions in the Iowa Gambling Task and in Tasks Inspired by Everyday Situations. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 90(4), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-220581
Harvey, P. (2019). Domains of cognition and their assessment. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 21(3), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.31887/dcns.2019.21.3/pharvey
Henrich, J., Blasi, D. E., Curtin, C. M., Davis, H. E., Hong, Z., Kelly, D., & Kroupin, I. (2022). A Cultural Species and its Cognitive Phenotypes: Implications for Philosophy. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 14(2), 349-386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-021-00612-y
James, B. D., Boyle, P. A., Yu, L., Han, S. D., & Bennett, D. A. (2015). Cognitive Decline Is Associated with Risk Aversion and Temporal Discounting in Older Adults without Dementia. PLOS ONE, 10(4), e0121900. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0121900
Juras, L., Martincevi?, M., Vrani?, A., Rebernjak, B., & Hromatko, I. (2022). The brief case for everyday problems: a proposal of two brief alternate forms of the Everyday Problems Test. European Journal of Ageing, 19(4), 1519-1528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-022-00734-x
Konting, M. M., Kamaruddin, N., & Man, N. A. (2009). Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institutions: Exist Survey among Universiti Putra Malaysia Graduating Students. International Education Studies, 2(1), 25-31. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v2n1p25
Kurnianingsih, Y. A., Sim, S. K. Y., Chee, M. W. L., & Mullette-Gillman, O. A. (2015). Aging and loss decision making: increased risk aversion and decreased use of maximizing information, with correlated rationality and value maximization. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 280. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00280
Lee, K. L., Po, H. Y., Yap, M. Y., & Yeo, Y. L. (2014). The Impact of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, Job Autonomy and Organizational Resources on Organizational Commitment in Private Schools of Malaysia. (Thesis). Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328630206_The_Impact_of_Organizational_Citizenship_Behaviour_Job_Autonomy_and_Organizational_Resources_on_Organizational_Commitment_in_Private_Schools_of_Malaysia
Mohamad Firdaus Ahmad, & Nur. (2023). Enhancing Individual Employability: The Perception of Sports Graduates in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v12-i2/16990
O’Driscoll, C., & Shaikh, M. (2017). Cross-Cultural Applicability of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): A Systematic Review. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 58(3), 789–801. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-161042
Pezzuti, L., Artistico, D., Chirumbolo, A., Picone, L., & Dowd, S. M. (2014). The relevance of logical thinking and cognitive style to everyday problem solving among older adults. Learning and Individual Differences, 36(4), 218–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2014.07.011
Qin, H., Zhao, X., Zhu, B., & Hu, C. (2020). Demographic Factors and Cognitive Function Assessments Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment Progression for the Elderly. BioMed Research International, 2020(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3054373
Säljö, R. (2020). Development, ageing and hybrid minds: Growth and decline, and ecologies of human functioning in a sociocultural perspective. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 37(1), 100465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2020.100465
Seaman, K. L., Abiodun, S. J., Fenn, Z., Samanez-Larkin, G. R., & Mata, R. (2022). Temporal discounting across adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 37(1), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000634
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2010). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (5th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Willis, S. L., & Marsiske, M. (1993) Manual for the everyday problems test. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania.
(Khairudin et al., 2024)
Khairudin, R., Arokiaraj, A. S., Zhen, T. C., & Sulaiman, W. S. W. (2024). The Comparison of the Everyday Problems Test (EPT) and the Malaysian Everyday Problems Test (MEPT) among Healthy Older Adults. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(5), 374–388.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seenavc at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode