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Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

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Published on: February 14, 2014

Why is cognitive change more negative with increased age?

Timothy A Salthouse¹

¹University of Virginia.

Neuropsychology

|September 29, 2017

Summary

Cognitive decline in older adults is not due to longer test intervals or fewer assessments. Instead, it stems from losing benefits of the initial testing over time.

Area of Science:

Cognitive psychology
Gerontology
Neuroscience

Background:

Understanding cognitive change across the adult lifespan is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding factors influencing cognitive trajectories in aging adults.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate factors contributing to negative cognitive change in older adults.
To examine the influence of measurement interval and occasion number on cognitive trajectories across different age groups.

Main Methods:

Longitudinal analysis of 12 cognitive tests in 2,637 adults (aged 18-85).
Varied measurement intervals and occasion numbers were analyzed.
Short-term retesting (less than 1 week) was used to assess practice effects.

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Last Updated: Feb 22, 2026

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

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Published on: February 14, 2014

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Main Results:

Cognitive change became more negative with longer intervals between assessments.
More frequent assessments were associated with more positive cognitive change.
Older adults showed positive gains over short intervals but negative declines over longer intervals (approx. 3 years).

Conclusions:

Age-related differences in cognitive change are primarily driven by the loss of initial assessment benefits over extended periods (months+).
Neither increased interval length nor fewer measurement occasions fully explain accelerated cognitive decline in older age.
Cognitive functioning benefits from initial assessment may diminish over time, particularly in older adults.