Michael Gurven|Eric Fuerstenberg|Benjamin C. Trumble|Jonathan Stieglitz|Bret Beheim|Helen Elizabeth Davis|Hillard Kaplan
Cognitive performance across the life course of Bolivian forager-farmers with limited schooling.
University of California, Santa Barbara|University of California, Santa Barbara|University of California, Santa Barbara|Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse|University of New Mexico|University of Utah|University of New Mexico
cognitive performance characterized least two distinct life course trajectories many cognitive abilities eg effortful processing abilities including fluid reasoning processing speed improve throughout early adolescence start declining early adulthood whereas abilities eg crystallized abilities like vocabulary breadth improve throughout adult life remaining robust even late ages although schooling may impact performance cognitive reserve argued age patterns cognitive performance human universals examine age patterns cognitive performance among tsimane foragerhorticulturalists bolivia test whether schooling related differences cognitive performance life course assess models active versus passive cognitive reserve used battery eight tasks assess range latent cognitive traits reflecting attention processing speed verbal declarative memory semantic fluency n 919 individuals 499 female tsimane cognitive abilities show similar agerelated differences observed industrialized populations higher throughout adolescence slightly lower later adulthood semantic fluency substantially lower performance beginning early adulthood abilities schooling associated greater cognitive abilities ages controlling sex attenuating effect cognitive performance late adulthood consistent models passive cognitive reserve interpret minimal attenuation semantic fluency late life light evolutionary theories postreproductive life span emphasize indirect fitness contributions older adults transfer information labor food descendant kin psycinfo database record