Predicting Cognitive Function in Older Adults: Assessing The relationship between Perspective-Taking, Decision-Making, and Executive Functioning on MMSE Scores

This study investigates the predictive relationship between social-cognitive abilities and general cognitive function in older adults (ages 50+). While the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a standard tool for screening cognitive impairment, less is known about how specific high-level processes like perspective-taking, decision-making, and executive functioning uniquely contribute to these scores. Utilizing a longitudinal dataset from the Lifespan Cognition Study (N = 167), we examine performance across seven tasks: Visual Hindsight Bias, the Sandbox task, Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RMET), the Cups task, the Sunk-Cost Fallacy task, the Stroop task, and Forward Digit Span. Participants’ scores will be aggregated into three standardized composite predictors—Perspective-Taking, Decision-Making, and Executive Function. A multiple linear regression will then be employed to determine the unique variance explained by each domain in predicting MMSE scores. This research aims to refine our understanding of which cognitive markers best signal maintained mental status in the aging population.