Schaie Kw

Effects of cognitive training on primary mental ability structure.

We report results of the first empirical test, as far as we know, of the assumption of structural invariance of latent constructs from pretest to posttest in cognitive training research on the elderly. In all, 401 participants in the Seattle Longitudinal Study, over 62 years old, received a 5-hr test battery at pre- and posttest that included 16 ability tests, marking the five primary abilities of Spatial Orientation, Inductive Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Verbal Ability, and Perceptual Speed. A total of 229 of our subjects received 5 hr of individual training on either Spatial Orientation or Inductive Reasoning. Restricted factor analysis with the LISREL algorithm tested the hypothesis of measurement equivalence across test occasions, separately for the control subjects and for each of the training groups. When ability-specific cognitive training intervenes, no structural change is observed for abilities not subject to intervention. However, slight shifts occurred in the optimal regression weights for the different markers for the training target abilities.

Survival Effects in Cognitive Function, Cognitive Style, and Sociodemographic Variables in the Seattle Longitudinal Study

Survival effects in cognitive performance were examined in the Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS) for a sample of 605 individuals who subsequently died (decedents) (n = 343 males; n = 262 females; M = 73.73 years of age) and a control group of 613 survivors (n = 299 males; n = 314 females; M = 71.91 years of age). A sample of survivors of similar age and have a similar level of education as the decedents was selected. Differences in cognitive functioning and cognitive style in level and change over time between decedents and survivors were studied. Decedents had lower levels of crystallized abilities (Verbal Meaning and Numerical Ability), visualization abilities (Spatial Orientation), verbal memory (Delayed Word Recall), perceptual speed (Identical Pictures), and Psychomotor Speed at last measurement. Decedents also had greater declines on Psychomotor Speed and Verbal Meaning at 7 and 14 years before the conclusion of the study. Survival effects were found to be ability-specific, appeared primarily in older adults, were more evident for males, and were observed up to 14 years before last measurement for specific abilities. Age-related changes in fluid ability appeared to be normative, whereas changes in crystallized abilities and perceptual speed may signify impending mortality.

Relationship between rigidity-flexibility and cognitive abilities in adulthood.

The interrelationship of measures of rigidity-flexibility and of psychometric intelligence is examined. The latent factors of Attitudinal Flexibility, Motor-Cognitive Flexibility, and Psychomotor Speed are derived from the Test of Behavioral Rigidity, and factors of Inductive Reasoning, Spatial Orientation, Verbal Ability, Numeric Ability, Verbal Memory, and Perceptual Speed are derived from the Thurstone Primary Mental Abilities Test and the Educational Testing Service Kit of Factor-Referenced Tests. The data base in this study comes from the fifth wave of the Seattle Longitudinal Study (N = 1,628; age range, 22-95 years). The Rigidity-Flexibility factors were found to be independent of the cognitive domain. Also, longitudinal stability of the factor structure of the rigidity-flexibility domain was confirmed for 837 participants tested in both 1977 and 1984.

Environmental factors as a conceptual framework for examining cognitive performance in Chinese adults

Cognitive abilities were examined across the lifespan for a Chinese sample, taking into consideration gender, education, and environmental factors. Participants were tested on the ” ve subtests of the Primary Mental Abilities (PMA), a psychometric instrument measuring cognitive abilities. Environmental factors were assessed with a measure known as the Life Complexity Inventory (LCI), which provides information on the many aspects of the participants’ micro-environment. A MANOVA was used to examine patterns of cohort and gender differences in intellectual performance, and significant main effects for cohort were found. Polynomial trend analyses confirmed that age was linearly related to most mental abilities. Of the seven environmental factors, only the Intellectual Environment factor was significantly associated with all ability scores with positive correlations ranging from r = .20 to .32. Positive correlations indicate that a particular environmental factor is associated with higher ability or greater ‘ exibility.