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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

Propositional idea density in women's written language over the lifespan: computerized analysis.

Alison Ferguson¹, Elizabeth Spencer², Hugh Craig³

¹Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle, Australia; CCRE in Aphasia Rehabilitation, Australia.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior

|July 10, 2013

Summary

Written language informativeness, measured by Propositional Idea Density (PD), showed a small age-related decline in older women. Education level did not significantly impact PD, suggesting relative stability across the adult lifespan.

Keywords:

Aging Corpus linguistics Idea Density Language decline Propositional Density

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Area of Science:

Linguistics
Gerontology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Propositional Idea Density (PD) is a measure of written language informativeness.
Previous research indicates PD can predict language decline with age and dementia.
The current study examines age and education effects on PD in women.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of age and education on written language informativeness (PD).
To analyze PD in three distinct age cohorts of women.
To assess PD stability across the adult lifespan.

Main Methods:

Utilized data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.
Analyzed over 2.5 million words from 37,705 written responses using Computerized Propositional Idea Density Rater 3 (CPIDR-3).
Employed a linear mixed model approach, controlling for relevant factors.

Main Results:

A small but statistically significant age effect was found in the oldest cohort (mean age 78).
Mean PD per word was lower in the oldest cohort compared to younger cohorts.
No statistically significant effect of education level on PD was observed.

Conclusions:

Written language informativeness (PD) appears relatively stable across the adult lifespan, even into late old age.
Computerized analysis significantly aids in studying large language corpora.
Further research is needed to explore PD variability for identifying language pathologies.