Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Cognition and Context: Rural-Urban Differences in Cognitive Aging Among Older Mexican Adults
Joseph L Saenz1, Brian Downer2, Marc A Garcia2
11 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Objective:
To describe differences in cognitive functioning across rural and urban areas among older Mexican adults.
Method:
We include respondents aged 50+ in the 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). Cognitive functioning by domain is regressed as a function of community size. The role of educational attainment in explaining rural/urban differences in cognitive functioning is examined.
Results:
Respondents residing in more rural areas performed worse across five cognitive domains. The majority, but not all, of the association between community size and cognitive functioning was explained by lower education in rural areas.
Discussion:
Respondents residing in more rural areas were disadvantaged in terms of cognitive functioning compared with those residing in more urban areas. Poorer cognitive functioning in late life may be the result of historical educational disadvantage in rural areas or selection through migration from rural to urban regions for employment.
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Language and Cognition
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

