Dataset Information

College Selectivity and Later-Life Memory Function: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.

ABSTRACT: Research has shown a consistent association between college completion and laterlife cognition. We extend this work by examining whether college selectivity-the achievement level required to gain admission to a college-is associated with memory functioning more than 50 years later. We analyze data from 10,317 participants in the 1957-2011 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to examine the relationship between college selectivity and later-life memory. Models control for childhood, midlife socioeconomic status, and later-life health and adjust for selection bias. Selective college attendance was associated with small benefits in memory at age of 72 even after accounting for socioeconomic status in both childhood and midlife and later-life health. The results of this study suggest that college selectivity may be an important component of the education-cognitive functioning relationship that has modest implications for intracohort differences in later-life cognition.

SUBMITTER: Garcia S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9353619 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

College Selectivity and Later-Life Memory Function: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.

Garcia Sarah S Moorman Sara M SM

Research on aging 20200624 1

Research has shown a consistent association between college completion and laterlife cognition. We extend this work by examining whether college selectivity-the achievement level required to gain admission to a college-is associated with memory functioning more than 50 years later. We analyze data from 10,317 participants in the 1957-2011 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to examine the relationship between college selectivity and later-life memory. Models control for childhood, midlife socioeconomic ...[more]

PMID: 32578499

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Project description:Prior research suggests that participation in enriching early-life activities (EELAs) has long-term benefits for cognitive health and aging. This study aims to examine the life course processes underlying these associations by drawing on theoretical models from life course epidemiology. Specifically, we tested sensitive-period effects, social pathways, and selection effects as potential explanations for linkages between greater participation in EELAs and better later life cognition. We drew on data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), which is among the longest-running cohort studies in the U.S. that has followed graduates (all identified as non-Hispanic White) from Wisconsin high schools since 1957. We used prospective measures of key variables, including information from high school yearbooks, with assessments of cognitive performance at ages 65 and 72. Results from multilevel modeling indicated that greater participation in cognitively oriented extracurricular activities (but not physically nor socially oriented activities) was associated with both better language/executive functioning and memory at age 65. Although the size of these associations was reduced when accounting for other cognitive resources in adolescence (childhood socioeconomic status and adolescent cognitive ability) and in midlife (adult socioeconomic status and formal group participation), there remained small, yet statistically robust, associations. We did not find robust associations between greater EELA engagement and slower rates of decline in cognition between ages 65 and 72, nor did we find evidence of gender differences. Results suggest that for this cohort of older adults, EELA participation is part of life course "protective chains," whereby exposures to assets at one point in the life course increase the likelihood of subsequent exposures, each sequentially and in their own right, toward better later life cognition. We discuss how results support the importance of policies and practices to promote healthy cognitive development among youth for the long-term cognitive health of a rapidly aging U.S. population.

Dataset Information

College Selectivity and Later-Life Memory Function: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.

Publications

College Selectivity and Later-Life Memory Function: Evidence From the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.

Similar Datasets

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