Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Early Book Access and Cognitive Aging: Longitudinal Evidence on Cognitive Advantages and Rates of Decline
1School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
None:
Purpose of the ResearchUsing longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we examined whether childhood book environment is associated with higher cognitive functioning and better cognitive maintenance later in life, especially among individuals with lower education.Major FindingsAmong 86,619 adults aged 60+ (226,515 person-wave observations from Waves 4-8, with retrospective childhood circumstances from Waves 3 and 7), even modest childhood access to 11-25 books is associated with higher overall cognition levels, independent of education and other covariates, with greater benefits observed in less-educated adults. Book-rich environments are also associated with a more favorable cognitive trajectory over time, particularly for more educated adults, given the potential for steeper late-life decline.ConclusionsFindings support a critical period model of higher cognitive functioning and a cumulative advantage model of longitudinal change, which also align with reserve-depletion patterns.
More Related Videos
06:58Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
09:01A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
Published on: May 7, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognition and Behavior
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Language and Cognition
Cognitive Therapy
The Evidence for Evolution