Andrea Piccinin

My research focuses mainly on cognitive function in later life from a lifespan individual differences perspective – on normal patterns as well as on the impact of disease and other characteristics and risk factors.

I am particularly interested in the universal challenges of science: on developing construct measurements, study designs and statistical analyses to address essential developmental questions. My attention is currently on issues surrounding the specification of time in longitudinal models.

These interests come together in my work with the Integrative Analysis of Longitudinal Studies on Aging (IALSA) network. This collaborative international network provides extensive opportunities for coordinated analysis and replication of developmental research from a within-person perspective.

My CV.

Interests

• Lifespan development
• Developmental research methods

Representative publications

Yoneda, T., Rush, J., Berg, A. I., Graham, E.K., Berg, A.I., Comijs, H., Katz, M., Lipton, R.B., Johansson, B., Mroczek, D.K. & Piccinin, A.M. (2019). Increases in Neuroticism May Be an Early Indicator of Dementia: A Coordinated Analysis. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. doi:10.1093/geronb/gby034. PMID: 29608748

Robitaille, A., Piccinin, A.M., Hofer, S.M., Johansson, B., Muniz-Terrera, G. (2018). An examination of the heterogeneity in the pattern and association between rates of change in grip strength and global cognition in late life. A multivariate growth mixture modeling approach. Age and Ageing, 47, 692-697. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afy048. PMID: 29659659. PMCID: PMC6108392.

Muniz, G., Robitaille, A., Kelly A., Johansson, B., Hofer, S.M., Piccinin, A.M. (2017). Latent growth models matched to research questions to answer questions about dynamics of change in multiple processes. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 82: 158-166. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.09.001. PMID: 27639542 PMCID: PMC5325805

Piccinin, A. M., Muniz, G., Clouston, S.A., Reynolds, C.A., Thorvaldsson, V.Deary, I., Deeg, D., Johansson, B., MacKinnon, A., Spiro, A. III, Starr, J. M., Skoog, I. & Hofer, S. M. (2013). Integrative analysis of longitudinal studies on aging: Coordinated Analysis of age, sex, and education effects on change in MMSE scores. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 68(3), 374-390. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbs077.

Brown, C.L., Gibbons, L.E., Kennison, R.F., Robitaille, A., Lindwall, M., Mitchell, M., Shirk, S.D., Atri, A., Cimino, C.R., Benitez, A., MacDonald, S.W.S., Zelinski, E., Willis, S.L., Schaie, K.W., Johansson, B., Dixon, R.A., Mungas, D.M., Hofer, S.M. & Piccinin, A.M.  (2012). Social activity and cognitive functioning over time. Journal of Aging Research, vol. 2012, Article ID 287438, 12 pages, doi:10.1155/2012/287438

Piccinin, A.M., Muniz, G., Sparks, C., & Bontempo, D.E. (2011). An evaluation of analytical approaches for understanding change in cognition in the context of aging and health.  Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66 (S1), i36-i49, doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbr038.

Piccinin, A.M., Muniz, G., Matthews, F. & Johansson, B. (2011). Terminal decline from within and between person perspectives, accounting for incident dementia. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66(4), 391-401. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbr010.

Hofer, S.M. & Piccinin, A. M. (2010). Toward an Integrative Science of Lifespan Development and Aging. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 65(3), 269-278.

Hofer, S. M., & Piccinin, A. M.  (2009). Integrative data analysis through coordination of measurement and analysis protocol across independent longitudinal studies. Psychological Methods, 14(2), 150-164.

Piccinin, A. M. & Hofer, S. M. (2008). Integrative Analysis of Longitudinal Studies on Aging: Collaborative Research Networks, Meta-Analysis, and Optimizing Future Studies. In S. M. Hofer and D. F. Alwin (Eds.), Handbook on Cognitive Aging: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.