Working memory in older adults declines with age, but is modulated by sex and education

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology : QJEP
Christos PliatsikasMichael T Ullman

Abstract

Working memory (WM), which underlies the temporary storage and manipulation of information, is critical for multiple aspects of cognition and everyday life. Nevertheless, research examining WM specifically in older adults remains limited, despite the global rapid increase in human life expectancy. We examined WM in a large sample ( N = 754) of healthy older adults (aged 58-89) in a non-Western population (Chinese speakers) in Taiwan, on a digit n-back task. We tested not only the influence of age itself and of load (1-back vs. 2-back) but also the effects of both sex and education, which have been shown to modulate WM abilities. Mixed-effects regression revealed that, within older adulthood, age negatively impacted WM abilities (with linear, not nonlinear, effects), as did load (worse performance at 2-back). In contrast, education level was positively associated with WM. Moreover, both age and education interacted with sex. With increasing age, males showed a steeper WM decline than females; with increasing education, females showed greater WM gains than males. Together with other findings, the evidence suggests that age, sex, and education all impact WM in older adults, but interact in particular ways. The results have both ba...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 20, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Hélio José Coelho-JúniorMarco Carlos Uchida
Jun 6, 2020·Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section B, Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition·Jana ReifegersteMichael T Ullman
Jul 31, 2020·Experimental Psychology·Petra LuersJens C Prüssner
May 2, 2020·Scientific Reports·Raphaëlle MalassisJoël Fagot
Nov 27, 2020·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Mahsa Alizadeh ShalchyAaron R Seitz
Feb 2, 2021·Neuropsychology Review·Ari Alex Ramos, Liana Machado
Aug 21, 2021·Nature Human Behaviour·João VeríssimoMichael T Ullman
Sep 14, 2021·Frontiers in Neurology·Marcio Soto-AñariSara Fernández-Guinea
Sep 30, 2021·Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology·Katie Stypulkowski, Rachel E Thayer
Nov 3, 2021·Applied Neuropsychology. Adult·Sarah Esmailzade MoghimiMaryam Alizadeh

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