How health and biological age influence chronological age and sex differences in cognitive aging: Moderating, mediating, or both?

• Much research on cognitive competence in normal older adults has documented age and sex differences. We used cross-sectional data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study (n=386; age 61-95 years) to examine how health and biological age influence age and sex differences in cognitive aging. We found evidence for both moderating and mediating influences. Age differences were moderated by health status, such that the negative effects of age were most pronounced among participants of relatively better health. Sex differences were moderated by health and were pronounced among participants reporting comparatively poorer health. Although health mediated a notable amount of age-related cognitive variation, BioAge mediated considerably more variance, even after statistical control for differences in health. A complex pattern emerged for the mediation of sex differences: whereas BioAge accounted for sex-related variation in cognitive performance, health operated to suppress these differences. Overall, both health and BioAge predicted cognitive variation independently of chronological age.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

cognition

moderator

mediator

health

bioage

cognitive aging

Psychology

Psykologi

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)