Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 2): Cognitive Project, 2004-2006

In 1994/1995, the MacArthur Midlife Research Network carried out a national survey of over 7,000 Americans aged 25 to 74. The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of behavioral, psychological, and social factors in understanding age-related differences in physical and mental health. A description of the study and findings from it are available at http://www.midus.wisc.edu. With support from the National Institute on Aging, a longitudinal follow-up of the original MIDUS samples (core sample (N = 3,487), metropolitan over-samples (N = 757), twins (N = 957 pairs), and siblings (N = 950)) was conducted in 2004-2006. Guiding hypotheses, at the most general level, were that behavioral and psychosocial factors are consequential for health (physical and mental). The purpose of the Cognitive Project was to determine how cognition is related to overall mental and physical health. Specific goals were: (1) to characterize the nature and range of midlife cognitive performance, relative to those younger and older, across multiple domains in a nationally representative sample (MIDUS); and (2) to examine the relationship between biopsychosocial factors (e.g., SES, health status, health-promoting behaviors, metabolic and cardiovascular biomarkers, depression, personality, control beliefs, stressful life events) and individual differences in cognitive functioning. The development of a cognitive battery for the second wave of testing of the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study provided an opportunity to examine the cognitive performance of young, middle-aged and older adults from a wide range of education levels in a large-scale, national sample. As part of the Cognitive Project of the MIDUS II the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT) (Lachman & Tun, 2008; Tun & Lachman, 2006) was administered. More information about the BTACT can be found at www.brandeis.edu/projects/lifespan. The BTACT represents the first comprehensive cognitive battery, including measures of speed and reaction time, to be administered by telephone to a national sample across the adult years and into later life. With a response rate of over 86 percent for the cognitive testing component of the MIDUS II, a cognitive data set of unprecedented range in terms of age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), education, and geographic diversity was produced.

于1994/1995年间，麦克阿瑟中年研究网络对7,000多名25至74岁的美国民众进行了全国性调查。该研究旨在探究行为、心理及社会因素在理解年龄相关差异对身心健康所扮演的角色。关于该研究及其发现，详情可参考http://www.midus.wisc.edu。在获得美国老化研究所的支持下，对原始MIDUS样本（核心样本（N = 3,487）、都市超额样本（N = 757）、双胞胎（N = 957对）及兄弟姐妹（N = 950））进行了纵向跟踪研究，该研究于2004-2006年进行。在最为普遍的假设层面上，行为和心理社会因素对健康（包括身体和心理）具有决定性影响。认知项目的目的是确定认知与整体身心健康之间的关系。具体目标包括：（1）在全国代表性样本（MIDUS）中，针对不同年龄群体，在多个领域描述中年认知表现的性质与范围；（2）考察生物心理社会因素（例如，社会经济地位、健康状况、健康促进行为、代谢和心血管生物标志物、抑郁、人格、控制信念、压力性生活事件）与认知功能个体差异之间的关系。MIDUS研究的第二次测试波次认知电池的开发，为审视来自广泛教育水平的大规模、全国性样本的年轻、中年及老年成人的认知表现提供了契机。作为MIDUS II认知项目的组成部分，实施了成人电话认知简测（BTACT）（Lachman & Tun, 2008；Tun & Lachman, 2006）。更多关于BTACT的信息可查阅www.brandeis.edu/projects/lifespan。BTACT代表了首次通过电话对全国成人乃至晚年人群实施的综合认知电池，包括速度和反应时间等指标的测量。MIDUS II的认知测试部分响应率超过86%，从而产生了涵盖年龄、性别、社会经济地位（SES）、教育及地理多样性等多个维度的认知数据集，其范围之广前所未有。