Comparable Consistency, Coherence, and Commonality of Measures of Cognitive Functioning Across Adulthood

Increased age is associated with lower scores in many cognitive tests, but interpretation of those results is based on the assumption that the measurement at different ages is equivalent, such that the differences reflect quantitative rather than qualitative changes. The assumption of measurement equivalence was investigated by comparing adult age differences in the relations among alternative versions of the same tests, among different tests of the same ability, and among different cognitive abilities. Results from three independent data sets revealed that only modest age differences were apparent at each level, which implies that cognitive abilities have similar measurement properties at different ages in adulthood.