Activity Engagement and Cognitive Performance Amongst Older Adults

Frontiers in Psychology

Susanne M. Jaeggi¹  Alexandria N. Weaver² 

[1] School of Education, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States;null;

关键词: activity engagement;    cognitive performance;    cognitive reserve;    aging;    education;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620867

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Research supporting cognitive reserve theory suggests that engaging in a variety of cognitive, social, and physical activities may serve as protective factors against age-related changes in mental functioning, especially if the activities are cognitively engaging. Individuals who participate in a variety of cognitive activities have been found to be more likely to maintain a higher level of cognitive functioning and be less likely to develop dementia. In this study, we explore the relationship between engaging in a variety of activities and cognitive performance amongst 206 healthy older adults between the ages of 65–85. Age and years of education were found to be the most significant predictors of a global composite representing cognitive performance, consistent with previous work linking these variables to age-related changes in cognition and the cognitive reserve. We interpret these results to suggest that age and education are better predictors of global cognitive performance in older adults than self-reported activity engagement.

【 授权许可】

CC BY