ABSTRACT

It is not yet known which specific qualities of cognitively stimulating activities are most likely to enhance cognitive reserve in older adults. Taking an inductive approach to this problem, we asked 504 older adults with subjective and/or cognitive impairment to complete the Cognitively Stimulating Activities Questionnaire (CSA-Q). Exploratory factor analysis identified a 4-factor structure within a split-half sample, after which confirmatory factor analysis cross-validated the model. Retaining 12 CSA-Q items, the 4 factors were dubbed CSA-Processing, CSA-Challenging, CSA-Connecting and CSA-Socializing. Resulting factor weights were analyzed relative to cognitive reserve proxies and neuropsychological domains. All factors except CSA-Challenging were positively linked to cognitive reserve. Neuropsychologically, CSA-Challenging was modestly and positively correlated with processing speed and executive function, while CSA-Processing was positively correlated with executive function. CSA-Socializing had a small positive correlation with processing speed. Our findings offer new insights into late-life stimulating activities, laying the groundwork for longitudinal and intervention studies.

摘要

目前尚不清楚认知刺激活动的哪些具体品质最有可能增强老年人的认知储备。我们采用归纳法解决这个问题，要求 504 名有主观和/或认知障碍的老年人填写认知刺激活动问卷 (CSA-Q)。探索性因素分析确定了对半样本中的 4 因素结构，之后验证性因素分析对模型进行了交叉验证。保留 12 个 CSA-Q 项目，这 4 个因素被称为 CSA-Processing、CSA-Challenging、  CSA-Connecting和 CSA-Socializing。相对于认知储备代理和神经心理学领域对所得因素权重进行了分析。除CSA 挑战外，所有因素均  与认知储备呈正相关。从神经心理学角度来看，  CSA 挑战 与处理速度和执行功能呈适度正相关，而 CSA 处理 则与执行功能呈正相关。 CSA-Socializing 与处理速度有较小的正相关关系。我们的研究结果为晚年刺激活动提供了新的见解，为纵向和干预研究奠定了基础。