scholarly journals Childhood social class and cognitive aging in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (27) ◽  
pp. 7001-7006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Ericsson ◽  
Cecilia Lundholm ◽  
Stefan Fors ◽  
Anna K. Dahl Aslan ◽  
Catalina Zavala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Growth Curve Models ◽  
Socioeconomic Index

In this report we analyzed genetically informative data to investigate within-person change and between-person differences in late-life cognitive abilities as a function of childhood social class. We used data from nine testing occasions spanning 28 y in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging and parental social class based on the Swedish socioeconomic index. Cognitive ability included a general factor and the four domains of verbal, fluid, memory, and perceptual speed. Latent growth curve models of the longitudinal data tested whether level and change in cognitive performance differed as a function of childhood social class. Between–within twin-pair analyses were performed on twins reared apart to assess familial confounding. Childhood social class was significantly associated with mean-level cognitive performance at age 65 y, but not with rate of cognitive change. The association decreased in magnitude but remained significant after adjustments for level of education and the degree to which the rearing family was supportive toward education. A between-pair effect of childhood social class was significant in all cognitive domains, whereas within-pair estimates were attenuated, indicating genetic confounding. Thus, childhood social class is important for cognitive performance in adulthood on a population level, but the association is largely attributable to genetic influences.

scholarly journals Positive Effects of Openness on Cognitive Aging in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A 13-Year Longitudinal Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 2072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Nishita ◽  
Chikako Tange ◽  
Makiko Tomida ◽  
Rei Otsuka ◽  
Fujiko Ando ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Adult Intelligence Scale ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Picture Completion

The relationship between openness (a psychological trait of curiosity) and a cognitive change was examined in middle-aged and older adults. Participants were 2214 men and women (baseline age range: 40 to 81 years). They were tested up to seven times over approximately 13 years. Openness at the baseline was assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Cognitive abilities were assessed at each examination using the Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised short form, which includes information, similarities, picture completion, and digit symbol subscales. General linear mixed models comprised fixed effects of openness, age at the baseline, follow-up time, their interactions, and the covariates. The results indicated that the main effects of openness were significant for all scores. Moreover, the interaction term openness × age × time was significant for the information and similarities test scores, indicating that changes in the information and similarities scores differed depending on the level of openness and baseline age. The estimated trajectory indicated that the differences in slopes between participants with high and low openness were significant after 60 years of age for the information, and after 65 years of age for the similarities scores. It is concluded that openness has a protective effect on the decline in general knowledge and logical abstract thinking in old age.

scholarly journals Differential and Experimental Approaches to Studying Intelligence in Humans and Non-Human Animals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander P. Burgoyne ◽  
Jason S. Tsukahara ◽  
Christopher Draheim ◽  
Randall W Engle
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Attention Control ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Albino Rat ◽  
General Ability

Why do some individuals learn more quickly than others, or perform better in complex cognitive tasks? In this article, we describe how differential and experimental research methods can be used to study intelligence in humans and non-human animals. More than one hundred years ago, Spearman (1904) discovered a general factor underpinning performance across cognitive domains in humans. Shortly thereafter, Thorndike (1935) discovered positive correlations between cognitive performance measures in the albino rat. Today, research continues to shed light on the underpinnings of the positive manifold observed among ability measures. In this review, we focus on the relationship between cognitive performance and attention control: the domain-general ability to maintain focus on task-relevant information while preventing attentional capture by task-irrelevant thoughts and events. Recent work from our lab has revealed that individual differences in attention control can largely explain the positive associations between broad cognitive abilities such as working memory capacity and fluid intelligence. In research on mice, attention control has been closely linked to a general ability factor reflecting route learning and problem solving. Taken together, both lines of research suggest that individual differences in attention control underpin performance in a variety of complex cognitive tasks, helping to explain why measures of cognitive ability correlate positively. Efforts to find confirmatory and disconfirmatory evidence across species stands to improve not only our understanding of attention control, but cognition in general.

scholarly journals Predictors of Retest Effects in a Longitudinal Study of Cognitive Aging in a Diverse Community-Based Sample

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 506-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alden L. Gross ◽  
Andreana Benitez ◽  
Regina Shih ◽  
Katherine J. Bangen ◽  
M. Maria M. Glymour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Regression To The Mean ◽  
Repeated Testing ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Mean

AbstractBetter performance due to repeated testing can bias long-term trajectories of cognitive aging and correlates of change. We examined whether retest effects differ as a function of individual differences pertinent to cognitive aging: race/ethnicity, age, sex, language, years of education, literacy, and dementia risk factors including apolipoprotein E ε4 status, baseline cognitive performance, and cardiovascular risk. We used data from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project, a community-based cohort of older adults (n=4073). We modeled cognitive change and retest effects in summary factors for general cognitive performance, memory, executive functioning, and language using multilevel models. Retest effects were parameterized in two ways, as improvement between the first and subsequent testings, and as the square root of the number of prior testings. We evaluated whether the retest effect differed by individual characteristics. The mean retest effect for general cognitive performance was 0.60 standard deviations (95% confidence interval [0.46, 0.74]), and was similar for memory, executive functioning, and language. Retest effects were greater for participants in the lowest quartile of cognitive performance (many of whom met criteria for dementia based on a study algorithm), consistent with regression to the mean. Retest did not differ by other characteristics. Retest effects are large in this community-based sample, but do not vary by demographic or dementia-related characteristics. Differential retest effects may not limit the generalizability of inferences across different groups in longitudinal research. (JINS, 2015, 21, 506–518)

scholarly journals Greater Disease Burden, Greater Risk? Exploring Cognitive Change and Health Status Among Older Blacks

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 807-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
DeAnnah R. Byrd ◽  
Roland J. Thorpe ◽  
Keith E. Whitfield
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Perceptual Speed ◽  
Over Time

Objective: The objective of study is to examine the relationships between health status and changes in cognition over time among middle to older aged Blacks. Method: Data come from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging—Patterns of Cognitive Aging. At baseline, 602 Black participants, ranging from ages 48 to 95 years, were enrolled. At follow-up, approximately 3 years later, 450 participants were re-interviewed. Results: After accounting for baseline cognition, age, sex, and education, a greater number of health conditions was associated with slower perceptual speed ( b = −5.099, p = .022). Average peak expiratory flow was also associated with improvements in working memory ( b = 0.029, p = .019) and perceptual speed ( b = 0.026, p = .026), controlling for model covariates. Discussion: Study findings demonstrate that greater disease burden is associated with declines in specific fluid cognitive abilities in middle to later life among Blacks. This finding highlights the importance of reducing health disparities that disproportionately affect Blacks.

scholarly journals COHORT DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE AGING: THE ROLE OF PERCEIVED WORK ENVIRONMENT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S24-S24
Author(s):  
Gizem Hueluer ◽  
Nilam Ram ◽  
Sherry L Willis ◽  
K Warner Schaie ◽  
Denis Gerstorf
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Historical Change ◽  
Work Demands ◽  
Word Fluency ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Seattle Longitudinal Study

Abstract Studies of historical change on cognitive aging generally document that later-born cohorts outperform earlier-born cohorts on tests of fluid cognitive performance. It is often noted how advances in educational attainment contribute to this finding. Over the last century, work demands and characteristics have changed profoundly, with shifts from a manufacturing to service and technical economy. We used data from the Seattle Longitudinal Study to compare trajectories of cognitive change between earlier-born (1901-1938) and later-born cohorts (1939-1966). Our findings show that (a) later-born cohorts had higher levels of performance on most cognitive tasks and exhibited less decline in word fluency, (b) had more enriched perceived work environment as indicated by higher levels of worker control and innovation, with no cohort differences in work autonomy (c) these experiences were associated with higher levels of cognitive performance independent of education and consistently across cohorts. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying these associations.

scholarly journals VETSA: The Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 399-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
William S. Kremen ◽  
Carol E. Franz ◽  
Michael J. Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Behavioral Genetic ◽  
Vietnam Era ◽  
Primary Focus

The Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) is a longitudinal behavioral genetic study with a primary focus on cognitive and brain aging in men. It comprises a subset of over 1,200 twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Like many other studies of aging, the VETSA includes many different phenotypes, but there are some key features that distinguish it from most other behavioral genetic aging studies. First, the initial assessment was conducted when all participants were middle-aged. Second, the age range of participants is narrow; all were in their 50s at the time of the initial recruitment. Third, the study includes an extensive and demanding neurocognitive test battery that was designed to provide good coverage of different cognitive abilities and avoid ceiling effects in middle-aged adults. Fourth, young adult cognitive test data (at an average age of 20 years) are available to provide a gauge of cognitive change. These features make the VETSA ideal for studying the heterogeneity of within-individual trajectories from midlife to old age, and for early detection of risk factors for cognitive decline.

scholarly journals COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS WITH ATTITUDES TOWARD AGING IN MIDLIFE AND OLD AGE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S385-S385
Author(s):  
Jelena Siebert ◽  
Jelena S Siebert ◽  
Tina Braun ◽  
Hans-Werner Wahl
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Cognitive Complaints ◽  
Growth Curve Models ◽  
Age Cohorts

Abstract Converging longitudinal research suggests that more negative views on aging go along with higher cognitive impairment. In some contrast, although conceptually suggested, possible reciprocal relationships remain less clear empirically. Using 20-year data from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE), we aim to better understand developmental co-dynamics between cognitive factors and attitude toward own aging (ATOA). Drawing on 1002 baseline participants (445 at T4) from two age cohorts (midlife: 40 years at baseline; old age: 60 years), longitudinal trajectories between ATOA, performance-based cognitive measures and subjective cognitive complaints are examined. Findings based on multi-group latent growth curve models (a) reveal substantial associations between ATOA and subjective complaints as well as objective cognition in both age groups; (b) confirm previous findings that ATOA predicts cognitive change over 20 years; and (c) find cognitive complaints but not cognitive performance able to predict change in ATOA in later life.

scholarly journals Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Cognitive Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 575-576
Author(s):  
Gizem Hueluer ◽  
Elizabeth A L Stine-Morrow
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Cognitive aging research is gaining societal and practical importance because of population aging. Current research is focused on describing age differences and age-related changes in cognitive performance, understanding potential causes underlying these differences and changes, and identifying factors that promote maintenance of cognitive functioning in old age. The goal of this research group is to showcase new developments in research studying age differences in cognitive performance and longitudinal cognitive change in the second half of life. Hülür et al. examine associations between midlife occupational factors and trajectories of cognitive change using data from the German Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development and Aging (ILSE). Luo et al. use 12-year longitudinal data from 499 older participants in ILSE to study bidirectional associations between social relationships and cognitive performance. Small et al. examine the correspondence between objective and subjective cognitive performance, and measures of fatigue and depressed mood in experience sampling data from breast cancer survivors. Haas et al. compare laboratory and at-home online assessments of cognitive status and prospective memory over the adult lifespan and evaluate the quality of self-administered tests. The discussion by Elizabeth Stine-Morrow will focus on how these approaches contribute to our understanding of processes of cognitive aging and how they can be utilized to promote maintenance of cognitive functioning in old age.

Cognition at Midlife: Antecedents and Consequences

2018 ◽  
pp. 288-304
Author(s):  
Stefan Agrigoroaei ◽  
Stephanie A. Robinson ◽  
Matthew L. Hughes ◽  
Elizabeth H. Rickenbach ◽  
Margie E. Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Subjective Age ◽  
The Face ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Key Aspects

Some key aspects of cognitive performance begin to decline in middle age. Emerging evidence indicates midlife cognitive functioning may hold clues about cognitive impairment and neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study provides an opportunity to explore antecedents and consequences of cognitive health. Cognitive performance was measured with the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT). Psychosocial and behavioral factors identified as protective for cognitive functioning are considered. These findings provide evidence of factors that can reduce or delay cognitive declines and attenuate social disparities in cognitive aging. The relationship between cognition and physical health is also considered. Cognitive abilities are examined as a resource with implications for subjective age and resilience in the face of adversity and challenge (e.g., stress). Next steps include charting trajectories of cognitive aging and identifying patterns and mechanisms that lead to optimal functioning in later life.

scholarly journals CATSLife: A Study of Lifespan Behavioral Development and Cognitive Functioning

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 695-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally J. Wadsworth ◽  
Robin P. Corley ◽  
Elizabeth Munoz ◽  
B. Paige Trubenstein ◽  
Elijah Knaap ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Behavioral Development ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Environmental Indices ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study ◽  
Unique Study

AbstractThe purpose of this update is to provide the most current information about both the Colorado Adoption Project (CAP) and the Longitudinal Twin Study (LTS) and to introduce the Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan behavioral development and cognitive aging (CATSLife), a product of their merger and a unique study of lifespan behavioral development and cognitive aging. The primary objective of CATSLife is to assess the unique saliency of early childhood genetic and environmental factors to adult cognitive maintenance and change, as well as proximal influences and innovations that emerge across development. CATSLife is currently assessing up to 1600 individuals on the cusp of middle age, targeting those between 30 and 40 years of age. The ongoing CATSLife data collection is described as well as the longitudinal data available from the earlier CAP and LTS assessments. We illustrate CATSLife via current projects and publications, highlighting the measurement of genetic, biochemical, social, sociodemographic and environmental indices, including geospatial features, and their impact on cognitive maintenance in middle adulthood. CATSLife provides an unparalleled opportunity to assess prospectively the etiologies of cognitive change and test the saliency of early childhood versus proximal influences on the genesis of cognitive decline.

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