Are you more impulsive with age? Examining age, marital status, and gender on cognitive ageing.

Abstract

Understanding non-pathological cognitive aging processes remains a public health goal and research priority. Age-associated cognitive aging is a normal human process, however, individual differences may aid in the mitigation of cognitive aging. Assessing the role of certain protective factors (i.e., age, marital status, and gender) that influence age-related cognitive aging is imperative to slow down the progression of unwarranted cognitive aging. Participants aged over 18 (N = 123; 97 females and 26 males) recruited from Sydney, New South Wales, and Gold Coast, Queensland, completed an online neuropsychological test battery with computer-administered tasks, assessing impulsivity and working memory, which were entered as dependent variables. A 3(Age Group: 18-27 years; 28-61 years; 62+ years) x2(Marital Status: married; single) x2(Gender: male; female) Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) design was used to examine the relationship between age, marital status, and gender (entered as independent variables) on cognitive aging. Participants' total scores from psychometrically sound measures assessing depressive symptomology, personal wellbeing, resilience, and social network engagement, were entered as covariates. No significant effects were found from the independent variables included in the MANCOVA. A significant covariate effect for resilience and depressive symptomology on impulsivity was found. A multiple regression analysis was performed on the significant covariates, and revealed increased resilience and depressive symptomology to significantly predict greater impulsivity.