Emma Nichols

Current Research FocusMy current research focuses on cross-national comparisons of cognitive aging, and methodological issues that arise in studies of older adults. I'm interested in understanding the causes and consequences of cognitive impairment across different settings and untangling the role of culture and context.

Why I Study What I StudyI'm interested in issues surrounding cognitive aging in different contexts. Aging research is incredibly important given ongoing demographic shifts, but also presents many methodologic issues that need to be addressed to come to valid conclusions. The importance of this work, the ability to help people and better understand health and disease, and the challenge of uncovering puzzles in data keep me motivated to continue to advance new research questions and projects.

What First Inspired Me to Pursue This FieldI've always been interested in human health and disease and motivated by a desire to contribute to something that will help people. Conducting population-based research provides an opportunity to uncover new insights that might impact policy, public health planning, and our understanding of disease mechanisms.

Recent FindingIn a recent study, I looked at the performance of items assessing functional limitations for the classification of cognitive impairment across settings. I found that there was fairly large variation in the performance of items across countries, highlighting the role of social norms and contextual factors in the measurement of functional limitations. Items assessing basic activities of daily living such has bathing and dressing had less variability than tasks that are more culturally dependent, such as shopping and cooking.

I Really Want to Know Why...People without visible or detectable pathologies (that we know of) develop cognitive impairment.

What I Want to Know NextI want to better understand observed associations between cardiovascular disease risk factors and cognitive outcomes in low- and middle-income settings.

Favorite High-Tech Research ToolCitation management software.

Favorite Low-Tech ToolsPaper calendar and planner to keep track of to do lists.

This Fascinates Me About Human BehaviorIndividual differences in how how people react to stressors and challenges, how people's behavior and actions are affected by their enviornment.

Hidden TalentI grew up figure skating competitively and still love to skate when I get the chance.