Aging Clinical and Experimental Research · Jun 18, 2020

The role of cognitive reserve as mediator for addition and multiplication skills in late adulthood

By Mulas I, Ruiu M, Fastame MC

BACKGROUND: The role played by cognitive reserve for the maintenance of numeracy skills in late adulthood is still not sufficiently explored. AIMS: This study mainly investigated whether cognitive reserve (i.e., vocabulary) mediates on the relationship between non-verbal reasoning and addition and multiplication skills of older individuals. Moreover, the impact of schooling and gender on written calculation was examined, controlling for the effect of cognitive decline. METHODS: One hundred and six 68-94-year-old participants completed a battery of tests assessing numeracy, executive functions, and cognitive reserve skills. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between age, cognitive reserve, numeracy, and executive functions measures. Besides, mediation analyses indicated that cognitive reserve and non-verbal reasoning explain 23% and 29% of the variance in written addition and multiplication conditions, respectively. Finally, more educated individuals performed better numeracy tasks, whereas the solution of additions and multiplications was not impact by gender. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive reserve impacts numeracy in late adulthood.

doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01632-xPubMed 32557230Populations