Longitudinal mediation of processing speed on age-related change in memory and fluid intelligence

Annie Robitaille; Andrea M Piccinin; Graciela Muniz-Terrera; Lesa Hoffman; Boo Johansson; Dorly J H Deeg; Marja J Aartsen; Hannie C Comijs; Scott M Hofer

doi:10.1037/a0033316

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Longitudinal mediation of processing speed on age-related change in memory and fluid intelligence

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Longitudinal mediation of processing speed on age-related change in memory and fluid intelligence

Annie Robitaille, Andrea M Piccinin, Graciela Muniz-Terrera, Lesa Hoffman, Boo Johansson, Dorly J H Deeg, Marja J Aartsen, Hannie C Comijs and Scott M Hofer

Psychology and aging, Vol.28(4), pp.887-901

12/2013

DOI: 10.1037/a0033316

PMCID: PMC4014000

PMID: 23957224

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Abstract

Age-related decline in processing speed has long been considered a key driver of cognitive aging. While the majority of empirical evidence for the processing speed hypothesis has been obtained from analyses of between-person age differences, longitudinal studies provide a direct test of within-person change. Using recent developments in longitudinal mediation analysis, we examine the speed-mediation hypothesis at both the within-and between-person levels in two longitudinal studies, Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) and Origins of Variance in the Oldest-Old (OCTO-Twin). We found significant within-person indirect effects of change in age, such that increasing age was related to lower speed, which in turn relates to lower performance across repeated measures on other cognitive outcomes. Although between-person indirect effects were also significant in LASA, they were not in OCTO-Twin which is not unexpected given the age homogeneous nature of the OCTO-Twin data. A more in-depth examination through measures of effect size suggests that, for the LASA study, the within-person indirect effects were small and between-person indirect effects were consistently larger. These differing magnitudes of direct and indirect effects across levels demonstrate the importance of separating between- and within-person effects in evaluating theoretical models of age-related change.

Mental Processes

Humans

Models, Psychological

Aging - psychology

Male

Cognition

Reaction Time - physiology

Intelligence - physiology

Aging - physiology

Female

Aged

Negotiating

Longitudinal Studies

Memory - physiology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Longitudinal mediation of processing speed on age-related change in memory and fluid intelligence
Creators: Annie Robitaille - Department of Psychology, University of Victoria
Andrea M Piccinin - Department of Psychology, University of Victoria
Graciela Muniz-Terrera - MRC Biostatistics Unit
Lesa Hoffman - Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Boo Johansson - Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg
Dorly J H Deeg - Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center
Marja J Aartsen - Department of Social Gerontology, VU University
Hannie C Comijs - Department of Psychiatry/EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center
Scott M Hofer - Department of Psychology, University of Victoria
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Psychology and aging, Vol.28(4), pp.887-901
DOI: 10.1037/a0033316
PMID: 23957224
PMCID: PMC4014000
NLM abbreviation: Psychol Aging
ISSN: 1939-1498
eISSN: 1939-1498
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); United States
Grant note: P01 AG043362 / NIA NIH HHS MC_U105292687 / Medical Research Council R01 AG026453 / NIA NIH HHS MC_U123092720 / Medical Research Council AG08861 / NIA NIH HHS AG026453 / NIA NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 12/2013
Academic Unit: Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
Record Identifier: 9983993487802771

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