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Does higher education hone cognitive functioning and learning efficacy? Findings from a large and diverse sample.
Belén Guerra-Carrillo1, Kiefer Katovich2, Silvia A Bunge1,3
1Department of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States of America.
Plos One
|August 24, 2017
Summary
Higher education levels correlate with better cognitive function and reasoning skills throughout life. While education leaves a lasting cognitive trace, new learning opportunities can help close performance gaps.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Formal education provides structured cognitive challenges.
- The long-term impact of educational attainment on cognitive abilities is not fully understood.
- Executive functions and reasoning are crucial for academic success and daily life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between educational attainment and cognitive performance.
- To examine how educational background influences learning and cognitive gains.
- To quantify the cumulative effect of schooling on executive functions and reasoning.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective and prospective analysis of data from 196,388 online cognitive training program subscribers (ages 15-60).
- Assessment of executive functioning and reasoning through eight behavioral tests.
- Longitudinal analysis of 69,202 subscribers to evaluate novel learning gains over 100 days.
Main Results:
- Higher educational attainment predicted better cognitive performance across all ages, particularly in reasoning.
- Cognitive performance peaked around typical graduation ages, suggesting a cumulative educational effect.
- Higher education predicted greater learning gains, though these differences were small, indicating learning can mitigate educational gaps.
Conclusions:
- Educational attainment has a lasting positive impact on cognitive abilities, particularly executive functions and reasoning.
- Cognitive performance may decline as formal education completion becomes more distant.
- Continuous learning opportunities can reduce cognitive performance disparities linked to educational background.
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