Conceptualizations of aging and cognitive competence: Evaluations and accounts after cognitive testing

Aim: To investigate how conceptualizations of cognition and aging are displayed through evaluations and accounts after cognitive testing with elders who do not have dementia. Method: 14 persons >65 years of age without clinical memory loss were tested with the MMSE and interviewed about their experiences. The audio-recordings were transcribed according to Conversation Analytic conventions. Examples of evaluations and accounts related to cognitive competence were collected, categorized, and analyzed by topic. Results: The results show how the interviewer and participant being tested evaluate and account for face threats related to the cognitive and communicative competence of the person being tested. Examples of evaluations include downplaying one's own competence, while accounts include attributing difficulties with test tasks to personal circumstances, such as participants' lived experiences or to expected (as opposed to pathological) cognitive change in aging. Conclusions: Inviting participants to share their experiences of cognitive testing can reveal valuable information on how they conceptualize cognition and aging, as well as the testing process itself. Reflections may also reveal potential dementia worry. Evaluations and accounts are closely related to face-saving acts.