Short-term versus long-term longitudinal changes in processing speed.

BACKGROUND

Previous longitudinal studies of cognitive aging have focused on long-term performance changes. A recent surge of research has demonstrated that there are reliable interindividual differences in short-term cognitive performance changes.

OBJECTIVE

The present study links these two pathways of cognitive aging research by examining the association between short-term (learning, practice) versus long-term (development) changes in processing speed.

METHODS

Data from 963 elderly participants come from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA).

RESULTS

Nested latent growth curve analyses show that the amount of learning or practice in processing speed at first measurement occasion is positively related (r = 0.72) to individual differences in development of processing speed across 6 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term learning or practice gains in processing speed are positively associated with long-term developmental changes in processing speed in the elderly.