Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun;143(3):1026-1048.
doi: 10.1037/a0034847. Epub 2013 Nov 11.

Correlates of cognitive change

Timothy A Salthouse  1
Affiliations

Correlates of cognitive change

Timothy A Salthouse. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Although there has been considerable interest in identifying potential correlates of cognitive change, results of past studies have been inconsistent. The present study incorporated a number of methodological features intended to maximize sensitivity to detect characteristics of individuals with different amounts of cognitive change. Cognitive change in 5 cognitive abilities was analyzed with 2nd-order latent growth curve models applied to data from a moderately large sample of healthy adults ranging from 18 to 99 years of age (Ns of 4,802 with 1 occasion, 2,265 with 2 occasions, and 1,128 with 3 occasions). There was significant individual difference variance in the longitudinal changes in several cognitive abilities, even in separate analyses of individuals between 18 years of age and 39, between 40 and 64, and 65 and over. Potential correlates of change included measures of self-rated health, vision, mood, personality, and lifestyle. Most of the potential correlates of change had high reliability, and several analyses were based on even more reliable factors determined by the variance common to multiple measures. Despite favorable conditions for detecting correlates of change, there was little evidence that cognitive change was moderated by any of the variables examined. Possible reasons for the inconsistent results regarding correlates of cognitive change are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of the second-order latent growth model used in the analyses of longitudinal change. Unlabeled paths were freely estimated, and others were either constrained to the specified value or to be the same for relations with the same label. The paths in dotted lines represent the influences of the predictors on the latent level and latent change variables.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Means (and standard errors) of the composite memory score at each occasion for participants with one, two, or three occasions in adults in three age groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Means (and standard errors) of the composite scores in four cognitive domains at each occasion for participants with one, two, or three occasions in three age groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Adams SA, Matthews CE, Ebbeling CB, Moore CG, Cunningham JE, Fulton J, Hebert JR. The effect of social desirability and social approval on self reports of physical activity. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2005;161:389–398. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anstey KJ, Hofer SM, Luszcz MA. A latent growth curve analysis of late-life sensory and cognitive function over 8 years: Evidence for specific and common factors underlying change. Psychology and Aging. 2003;18:714–726. - PubMed
    1. Arbuckle JL. AMOS (Version 7) Chicago: SPSS; 2007. Computer Program.
    1. Atienza AA, Moser RP, Perna F, Dodd K, Ballard-Barbash R, Troiano RP, Berrigan D. Self-reported and objectively measured activity related to biomarkers using NHANES. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2011;43:815–821. - PubMed
    1. Bielak AAM. How can we not “lose it” if we still don’t understand how to “use it”? Unanswered questions about the influence of activity participation on cognitive performance in older age – A mini-review. Gerontology. 2010;56:507–519. - PubMed

Publication types