Nicole E. Richards

Research & Publications

Current Work

CognitionStress experiences Neighborhood violence, sleep, and subjective cognition Can sleep help explain why adults exposed to more neighborhood violence rate their memory and thinking as worse? Manuscript in preparation · Accepted for GSA 2026
Design
Mailed survey on neighborhood violence, then a 14-day EMA with a morning sleep report and an evening rating of how sharp, fast, and memory-sound the day felt. Multilevel structural equation mediation model in Mplus.
Sample
249 adults ages 25–65 (average age 46.5; 65% women; 63% non-Hispanic Black, 24% Hispanic) living in Co-op City, Bronx, NY
Data
Effects of Stress on Cognitive Aging, Physiology and Emotion (ESCAPE) Project
Key finding
Adults who reported more neighborhood violence slept worse on average, and that poorer sleep accounted for their lower self-rated cognition. Day to day, nights of better-than-usual sleep were followed by sharper-feeling days, which points to sleep as a practical target for support.
  • Richards, N. E., Sherk, C., & Muñoz, E. (in preparation). Neighborhood violence and cognition.
  • Richards, N. E., Romañach Álvarez, L. S., Sherk, C., & Muñoz, E. (accepted). Neighborhood violence, sleep, and cognitive performance: Evidence from an ecological momentary assessment. GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, Baltimore, MD.
Stress experiencesDaily activityCognition Daily stress, activity contexts, and working memory in midlife Does a stressful moment get in the way of working memory, and does that depend on what you’re doing at the time? Under review · Presented at GSA 2025
Design
14-day smartphone EMA: three working memory tests a day (dot task), each followed by a survey on stress severity and current activity. Three-level multilevel models (moments within people within families).
Sample
440 adults ages 28–51 (average age 36; 58% women), 4,334 assessments
Data
Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan (CATSLife)
Key finding
Stress in the moment didn’t predict working memory on its own, but context did. For women, high stress while “doing nothing special” went with worse working memory, while socializing buffered that link. Men showed neither pattern.
  • Richards, N. E., Reynolds, C. A., Zheng, A., Wadsworth, S. J., Sliwinski, M. J., & Muñoz, E. (under review). Here and now: Daily stress, activity contexts, and cognitive performance in midlife. Health Psychology.
  • Richards, N. E., Muñoz, E., Zheng, A., Wadsworth, S. J., Sliwinski, M. J., & Reynolds, C. A. (2025, November). Daily cognitive performance under stress: Contextual and gender differences. GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, MA.
Personal relationships Gratitude, relationship qualities, and life satisfaction in late life Does gratitude help older adults stay satisfied with life when their close relationships are less warm or more tense? Presented at GSA 2023
Design
Survey of trait gratitude and life satisfaction, plus ratings of affection and conflict with each of up to 10 closest social partners. Multiple regression with moderation.
Sample
316 community-dwelling adults ages 65–92 (average age 74) in the greater Austin area
Data
Daily Experiences and Well-being Study (DEWS)
Key finding
More affection in close ties went with higher life satisfaction. Gratitude acted as a buffer: less grateful older adults were less satisfied when their relationships were low in affection, while highly grateful adults stayed satisfied either way. Gratitude helped less when conflict was high.
  • Richards, N. E., Zhou, Z., & Fingerman, K. L. (2023, November). Gratitude, relationship qualities, and life satisfaction in late life. GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, Tampa, FL.

Datasets

My work draws on datasets that range from intensive, moment-to-moment daily assessments to national panels followed over decades, with samples from a few hundred to tens of thousands of adults in midlife and old age.

Lab

Cognition, Health, and Aging Research Team (CHART)

The University of Texas at Austin · PI: Elizabeth Muñoz, Ph.D.

Work in Progress

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Chapters

Professional Presentations

Show all 12 presentations
  • Romañach Álvarez, L. S., Richards, N. E., Mateo, F. P., & Muñoz, E. (2026, May). Chronic stressors and HbA1c levels in older adulthood: Examining the moderating role of living arrangements. Symposium paper at the 2026 Population Association of America Annual Meeting (PAA), St. Louis, MO.
  • Richards, N. E., Muñoz, E., Zheng, A., Wadsworth, S. J., Sliwinski, M. J., & Reynolds, C. A. (2025, November). Daily cognitive performance under stress: Contextual and gender differences. Symposium presentation at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Boston, MA.
  • Huo, M., Gilligan, M., Kim, K., Richards, N. E., Fingerman, K. L., & Zarit, S. H. (2025, November). Dyadic ambivalence in couples managing early-stage Alzheimer’s disease: Linking behavioral and psychological symptoms to life satisfaction. In S. D. Han (Chair), Journal of Gerontology Psychological Sciences: Featured 2024 Editor’s Choice Articles. Symposium conducted at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA.
  • Huo, M., Gilligan, M., Kyungmin, K., Richards, N. E., Fingerman, K. L., & Zarit, S. (2024, November). Dyadic ambivalence in couples managing early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease: Linking behavioral and psychological symptoms to life satisfaction. Poster presentation at the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Seattle, WA.
  • Zhang, S., Richards, N. E., Gao, S., & Fingerman, K. L. (2024, November). Daily emotion expression, modes of social contact, and well-being in late life. Poster presentation at the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Seattle, WA.
  • Gao, S., Richards, N. E., & Fingerman, K. L. (2024, June). Loss of close social partners and sedentary behavior in late life. Symposium presentation at the Society for Ambulatory Assessment Conference 2024, Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Richards, N. E., Zhou, Z., & Fingerman, K. L. (2023, November). Gratitude, relationship qualities, and life satisfaction in late life. Poster presentation at the 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Tampa, FL.
  • Kim, Y. K., Zhang, S., Richards, N. E., & Fingerman, K. L. (2022, November). Daily evening electronic media use, sedentary behaviors, and sleep in later life. Symposium presentation at the 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Indianapolis, IN.
  • Richards, N. E., Davis, M. C., Presson, C., & Lemery-Chalfant, K. (2020). The relation between child chronic pain and internalizing symptoms in twins: An analysis of twin relationship qualities as moderators and peer social engagement as a mediator. Poster presented virtually at the 32nd APS Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.
  • Richards, N. E., Davis, M. C., Presson, C., & Lemery-Chalfant, K. (2020). The relation between child chronic pain and internalizing symptoms: An analysis of sibling relationships as moderators and child social engagement as a mediator. Poster presented virtually at the Arizona Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Tempe, AZ.

Research Assistant Experience