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Education and Cognitive Decline in Older Americans

Results From the AHEAD Sample

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kristen Suthers

National Women's Health Action Network, Washington, D.C.

Eileen Crimmins

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Although education is consistently related to better cognitive performance, findings on the relationship between education and age-associated cognitive change have been conflicting. Using measures of multiple cognitive domains from four waves of the Asset and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old study, a representative sample of Americans aged 70 years and older, the authors performed growth curve modeling to examine the relationships between education, initial cognitive score, and the rate of decline in cognitive function. More years of education were linked to better initial performance on each of the cognitive tests, and higher levels of education were linked to slower decline in mental status. However, more education was unrelated to the rate of decline in working memory, and education was associated with somewhat faster cognitive decline on measures of verbal memory. These findings highlight the role of early-life experiences not only in long-term cognitive performance but also in old-age cognitive trajectories.

Key Words: education • socioeconomic status • cognition • memory • growth curve modeling

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