THE IMPACT OF EARLY EDUCATION ON LATER-LIFE COGNITION: FINDINGS FROM THE HRS LIFE HISTORY MAIL SURVEY

摘要

Previous research suggests that educational experiences in childhood matter for cognitive development and young adult functioning, however the long-term impact on cognitive functioning remains unclear, especially among the U.S. older adults. The current study extends prior work by making use of newly available data from the 2015 Health and Retirement Study Life History Mail Survey. Constructs reflecting differences in early-life educational experiences were built from participants’ reports about the number of books in the childhood home, experiences of learning problems, the number of different schools attended, and participation in extracurricular school activities such as art, craft, music, foreign language, and sport. Enhancing understanding about the potential long-term effects of specific childhood educational experiences provides insight to sources of variations in trajectories of cognitive aging observed in older adults. Whereas some early life experiences contribute to lifelong skills and confer cognitive benefits over time, others may have lifelong detrimental effects.