Dispositional mindfulness and anxiety: how do they relate to aging and word retrieval?
Aging Neuropsychology and Cognition May 5, 2025 Lori E. James, Tylor Ghaffari, Jessica Baynard-Montague et al.
Word retrieval performance declines with age, but dispositional mindfulness may buffer the negative effects of anxiety on word retrieval in older adults. In a sample of 207 adults aged 20–78, increased age was associated with more correct responses, higher dispositional mindfulness, and lower anxiety. Mindfulness and anxiety were correlated in expected directions across the sample. However, anxiety and mindfulness scores predicted word retrieval only in older adults, not in younger or middle-aged groups. The authors conclude that dispositional mindfulness can attenuate the negative effects of state anxiety on word retrieval, but only for older adults.