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
Meta-Analysis
. 1997 Nov;122(3):231-49.
doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.122.3.231.

Meta-analyses of age-cognition relations in adulthood: estimates of linear and nonlinear age effects and structural models

P Verhaeghen  1 , T A Salthouse
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Meta-analyses of age-cognition relations in adulthood: estimates of linear and nonlinear age effects and structural models

P Verhaeghen et al. Psychol Bull. 1997 Nov.

Abstract

A meta-analysis was conducted on 91 studies to derive a correlation matrix for adult age, speed of processing, primary-working memory, episodic memory, reasoning, and spatial ability. Structural equation modeling with a single latent common cognitive factor showed that all cognitive measures shared substantial portions of age-related variance. A mediational model revealed that speed of processing and primary-working memory appear to be important mediators of age-related differences in the other measures. However, not all of the age-related influences were mediated. An examination of quadratic age effects and correlational patterns for subsamples under and over 50 years of age revealed that (a) negative age-cognition relations were significant for the 18- to 50-year-old sample and (b) the age-related decline accelerated significantly over the adult life span for variables assessing speed, reasoning, and episodic memory.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types