TY - JOUR
T1 - Early- to late-life environmental factors and late-life global cognition in septuagenarian and octogenarians
T2 - The SONIC study
AU - Ishioka, Yoshiko Lily
AU - Masui, Yukie
AU - Nakagawa, Takeshi
AU - Ogawa, Madoka
AU - Inagaki, Hiroki
AU - Yasumoto, Saori
AU - Ikebe, Kazunori
AU - Kamide, Kei
AU - Arai, Yasumichi
AU - Ishizaki, Tatsuro
AU - Gondo, Yasuyuki
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported in part by grants-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (Y.G.: 18K18456 , 17H02633 , and Y.I.: 19K14390 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - This study aimed to evaluate cognitively stimulating environments throughout life and to examine direct and indirect associations between these environments and late-life cognition. Early-life education, three domains of work complexity (data, people, and things) based on the longest-held occupation, and engagement in late-life leisure activities (LAs) were assessed. A structural equation model was developed using cross-sectional data of 1721 Japanese older adults in 70 ± 1 and 80 ± 1 years. The model confirmed significant direct effects of work complexity with data and late-life LAs on late-life cognitive performance. The associations of education and work complexity with late-life cognition were mediated through the subsequent environment(s). However, the total effects of work complexity with people and things on late-life cognition were insignificant. The findings suggest that cognitively stimulating activities in adulthood and beyond may lead to individual differences in late-life global cognition. In addition, antecedent complex environments might make subsequent life environments more cognitively stimulating. The results are discussed from the perspectives of cognitive plasticity and environmental complexity.
AB - This study aimed to evaluate cognitively stimulating environments throughout life and to examine direct and indirect associations between these environments and late-life cognition. Early-life education, three domains of work complexity (data, people, and things) based on the longest-held occupation, and engagement in late-life leisure activities (LAs) were assessed. A structural equation model was developed using cross-sectional data of 1721 Japanese older adults in 70 ± 1 and 80 ± 1 years. The model confirmed significant direct effects of work complexity with data and late-life LAs on late-life cognitive performance. The associations of education and work complexity with late-life cognition were mediated through the subsequent environment(s). However, the total effects of work complexity with people and things on late-life cognition were insignificant. The findings suggest that cognitively stimulating activities in adulthood and beyond may lead to individual differences in late-life global cognition. In addition, antecedent complex environments might make subsequent life environments more cognitively stimulating. The results are discussed from the perspectives of cognitive plasticity and environmental complexity.
KW - 2800 Developmental Psychology
KW - 2860 Gerontology
KW - Cognitive function
KW - Cognitive plasticity
KW - Cognitive reserve
KW - Environmental complexity
KW - Work complexity
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U2 - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103844
DO - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103844
M3 - Article
C2 - 36708625
AN - SCOPUS:85146981819
SN - 0001-6918
VL - 233
JO - Acta Psychologica
JF - Acta Psychologica
M1 - 103844
ER -