Examining Subcomponent Processes of Executive Functioning in Older Adults

Abstract

Executive Function (EF) is a broad construct used to describe higher-order cognitive abilities used to achieve a goal. Standardized measurements used to evaluate EF abilities in older adults are designed to assess for EF as a unitary complex construct, but may be insufficient in capturing the subcomponent cognitive processes that make up the complex nature of EF. The Unity/Diversity framework is a theoretically derived model of executive function that helps to parse out complex executive function derivatives into specific indices of ability with the use of latent construct analyses (Baddeley & Logie, 1999; Miyake et al., 2000). To date, one study has been published on the use of the unity/diversity framework to examine subcomponent processes of EF in older adults (Vaughan & Giovanello, 2010). In the current study, we aim to use a similar methodological approach as Vaughan and Giovanello (2010) to investigate subcomponent processes of EF in a sample of healthy older adults. Participants included 91 older adults who ranged between the ages of 66 and 90 (mean age= 73.3, SD = 6.34). Participants were excluded if they reported a history of neurological disorders, any current major medical conditions, and any psychiatric conditions or use of medications for psychiatric conditions. Findings suggest that the three-factor hypothesized model did not fit the covariance data of our sample as demonstrated by with significant chi-square results, X² (17, N=91) = 36.49, p = .004. Findings in our studies were not consistent with those of other studies and some limitations of the current study, which may have influenced the findings, are considered.