Reliability and stability of executive functioning in older adults

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Methodological concerns exist regarding the reliability and validity of executive functioning (EF) assessments over time.
• Understanding the stability of EF measures is crucial for longitudinal studies in aging populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the test-retest reliability of five common executive functioning (EF) measures.
• To assess the stability of a latent EF construct in nondemented older adults.
• To investigate age-related effects on EF across two measurement intervals.

Main Methods:

• Correlational and latent-variable analyses were employed.
• One hundred eighteen nondemented older adults were tested twice over a 4- to 8-week period.
• Five common EF measures were administered.

Main Results:

• Individual EF measures demonstrated modest test-retest reliability.
• A latent EF construct exhibited very high stability across measurement trials.
• Age-related effects on EF remained consistent and within expected ranges at both time points.

Conclusions:

• Despite variability in individual measures, the core executive functioning (EF) construct is stable in older adults.
• Findings support the use of latent variable modeling for robust EF assessment in aging research.
• The stability of EF suggests reliable tracking of cognitive changes over time.