Executive Functioning as a Potential Mediator of Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Normal Adults

Critical requirements for the hypothesis that executive functioning is a potential mediator of age-related effects on cognitive functioning are that variables assumed to reflect executive functioning represent a distinct construct and that age-related effects on other types of cognitive functioning...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. General 2003-12, Vol.132 (4), p.566-594
Main Authors: Salthouse, Timothy A, Atkinson, Thomas M, Berish, Diane E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ability Level
Adolescent
Adult
Adult. Elderly
Age Differences
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Aging - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis
Cognitive Ability
Cognitive Impairment
Developmental psychology
Executive Function
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Older people
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Verbal Fluency
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Summary:Critical requirements for the hypothesis that executive functioning is a potential mediator of age-related effects on cognitive functioning are that variables assumed to reflect executive functioning represent a distinct construct and that age-related effects on other types of cognitive functioning are reduced when measures of executive functioning are statistically controlled. These issues were investigated in a study involving 261 adults between 18 and 84 years of age. Although age-related effects on various cognitive abilities were substantially reduced after statistical control of the variance in measures hypothesized to represent executive functioning, there was only weak evidence for the existence of distinct constructs corresponding to executive functioning or to aspects of executive control concerned with inhibition, updating, or time sharing.
ISSN:0096-3445
1939-2222
DOI:10.1037/0096-3445.132.4.566