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Age changes in processing speed as a leading indicator of cognitive aging
Deborah Finkel1, Chandra A Reynolds, John J McArdle
1Department of Psychology, Indiana University Southeast, 5201 Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN 47150, USA. dfinkel@ius.edu
Psychology and Aging
|September 19, 2007
Summary
Processing speed predicts cognitive aging changes in memory and spatial ability, but not verbal ability. This study examined intelligence theories using longitudinal twin data.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Gerontology
- Behavioral genetics
Background:
- Intelligence theories propose different mechanisms for cognitive aging.
- The processing speed theory suggests a central role for processing speed in cognitive decline.
- Longitudinal data is crucial for understanding dynamic changes in cognitive abilities over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the predictive validity of 2-component intelligence theories versus the processing speed theory of cognitive aging.
- To investigate the dynamic relationships between different cognitive abilities during aging.
- To examine whether changes in fluid abilities drive changes in crystallized abilities.
Main Methods:
- Bivariate dual change score models were applied to longitudinal data from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging.
- Data included up to 5 measurement occasions over 16 years from 806 participants (aged 50-88).
- Four general cognitive factors were analyzed: verbal ability, spatial ability, memory, and processing speed.
Main Results:
- No dynamic relationship was found between verbal and spatial abilities, refuting the hypothesis that fluid abilities drive crystallized abilities.
- Processing speed significantly predicted age-related changes in memory and spatial ability.
- Processing speed did not predict age-related changes in verbal ability.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the processing speed theory of cognitive aging, highlighting its role in memory and spatial abilities.
- The study provides evidence against a unidirectional influence of fluid abilities on crystallized abilities over time.
- Understanding the distinct trajectories of cognitive abilities is crucial for aging research.
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