A strong dependency between changes in fluid and crystallized abilities in human cognitive aging

DOI Web Site 1 Citations
  • Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
    Department of Psychology, Center on Aging and Population Sciences, and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
  • Javier de la Fuente
    Department of Psychology, Center on Aging and Population Sciences, and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
  • Ylva Köhncke
    Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
  • Andreas M. Brandmaier
    Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
  • Lars Nyberg
    Departments of Radiation Sciences and Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
  • Ulman Lindenberger
    Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.

Description

<jats:p>Theories of adult cognitive development classically distinguish between fluid abilities, which require effortful processing at the time of assessment, and crystallized abilities, which require the retrieval and application of knowledge. On average, fluid abilities decline throughout adulthood, whereas crystallized abilities show gains into old age. These diverging age trends, along with marked individual differences in rates of change, have led to the proposition that individuals might compensate for fluid declines with crystallized gains. Here, using data from two large longitudinal studies, we show that rates of change are strongly correlated across fluid and crystallized abilities. Hence, individuals showing greater losses in fluid abilities tend to show smaller gains, or even losses, in crystallized abilities. This observed commonality between fluid and crystallized changes places constraints on theories of compensation and directs attention toward domain-general drivers of adult cognitive decline and maintenance.</jats:p>

Journal

  • Science Advances

    Science Advances 8 (5), 2022-02-04

    American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

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