The residual cognitive competence of elderly females

Factors described by Horn as affected by aging were hypothesized to physiologically define functional intelligence. Fifty female volunteers, who ranged in age from 68 to 98, were grouped as either Independent or Partially Dependent. Duke Activity Questionnaires validated group placement. Tasks derived from the Horn factors of attention, memory, and reasoning, as well as the Mini-Mental State and the WAIS-R Similarities and Digits Forward and Backward, assessed cognitive status. The tasks were more often sensitive to increased dependence than to age and generally supported the nomination of Horn's factors to identify "biological" intelligence. An unusual finding, low to negative correlations between educational and cognitive skills, was cited as relevant evidence of fluid loss.