Tests Of Non-verbal Reasoning Research Articles

Measuring mindreading in preschoolers: The perspective battery (PERBAT)

Objective The capacity to take another person’s visual perspective is pivotal for solving mindreading tests, such as Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks, but most of them heavily rely on domain-general abilities (e.g., language, executive functions). Here we present a novel battery of visual perspective-taking tests for child neuropsychological assessment, the Perspective Battery (PERBAT), which poses a limited load on domain-general abilities. Methods The battery includes four tests: i) Block Building; ii) Hide and Seek; iii) Deceptive Figures; iv) Double-Sided Shelf. We administered the PERBAT to 126 typically developing preschoolers (65 males; 3-6-year-old); the participants also performed classical tests of social cognition, language, and nonverbal abstract reasoning. Results The scores of all the PERBAT tests were significantly and positively related with age and scores of the classical social cognition tests, but not with scores of the language and nonverbal abstract reasoning tests. Conclusions The PERBAT could represent a useful neuropsychological tool providing a comprehensive assessment of visual perspective-taking skills in preschool children. Future investigation is needed to examine the validity of the PERBAT with neurotypical samples across countries, race, ethnicity, and language as well as with clinical populations. Longitudinal studies are also encouraged to examine whether early visual perspective-taking weaknesses are associated with later development of mindreading skills.

Nuances in the effect of types of intimate partner violence on aspects of child development: Evidence from the Philippines

BackgroundMost studies on the effect of intimate partner violence (IPV) do not distinguish between the effects of the different types of IPVs on the various aspects of child development. ObjectiveThis study explores the effect of multiple dimensions of IPV, specifically physical violence, controlling behavior, and emotional abuse, on children's physical and cognitive development. Participants and settingThe study uses data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutritional Survey (CLHNS). The study uses a final sample of n = 1506 index children in Cebu, Philippines. MethodsWe use information pertaining to: (1) presence of IPV in the household, (2) demographic characteristics, (3) mother's status and autonomy, (4) anthropometric data, and (5) children's scores on mathematics, English, language, and nonverbal reasoning tests. We employ a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique to analyze the effect of IPV on child development outcomes, conditional on observed characteristics. ResultsMaternal exposure to physical violence significantly reduces child’s body mass index (BMI) (ATE: −0.344, p ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, mother's vulnerability to controlling behavior decreases children's test scores in mathematics (ATE: −3.346, p ≤ 0.01), English (ATE: −2.289, p ≤ 0.01), and nonverbal reasoning (ATE: −2.103, p ≤ 0.01). We do not find a significant link between emotional abuse and height, body mass index, and test scores. ConclusionsOur study shows that the deleterious effect of IPV on child development is IPV-specific. Exposure to physical violence tends to affect children's physical development while cognitive abilities are negatively associated with exposure to controlling behavior. These results suggest different types of ex-post interventions on both children and mothers to ensure their physical and mental well-being.

Voice Emotion Recognition by Mandarin-Speaking Children with Cochlear Implants.

Emotional expressions are very important in social interactions. Children with cochlear implants can have voice emotion recognition deficits due to device limitations. Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants may face greater challenges than those speaking nontonal languages; the pitch information is not well preserved in cochlear implants, and such children could benefit from child-directed speech, which carries more exaggerated distinctive acoustic cues for different emotions. This study investigated voice emotion recognition, using both adult-directed and child-directed materials, in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants compared with normal hearing peers. The authors hypothesized that both the children with cochlear implants and those with normal hearing would perform better with child-directed materials than with adult-directed materials. Thirty children (7.17-17 years of age) with cochlear implants and 27 children with normal hearing (6.92-17.08 years of age) were recruited in this study. Participants completed a nonverbal reasoning test, speech recognition tests, and a voice emotion recognition task. Children with cochlear implants over the age of 10 years also completed the Chinese version of the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire to evaluate the health-related quality of life. The voice emotion recognition task was a five-alternative, forced-choice paradigm, which contains sentences spoken with five emotions (happy, angry, sad, scared, and neutral) in a child-directed or adult-directed manner. Acoustic analyses showed substantial variations across emotions in all materials, mainly on measures of mean fundamental frequency and fundamental frequency range. Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants displayed a significantly poorer performance than normal hearing peers in voice emotion perception tasks, regardless of whether the performance is measured in accuracy scores, Hu value, or reaction time. Children with cochlear implants and children with normal hearing were mainly affected by the mean fundamental frequency in speech emotion recognition tasks. Chronological age had a significant effect on speech emotion recognition in children with normal hearing; however, there was no significant correlation between chronological age and accuracy scores in speech emotion recognition in children with implants. Significant effects of specific emotion and test materials (better performance with child-directed materials) in both groups of children were observed. Among the children with cochlear implants, age at implantation, percentage scores of nonverbal intelligence quotient test, and sentence recognition threshold in quiet could predict recognition performance in both accuracy scores and Hu values. Time wearing cochlear implant could predict reaction time in emotion perception tasks among children with cochlear implants. No correlation was observed between the accuracy score in voice emotion perception and the self-reported scores of health-related quality of life; however, the latter were significantly correlated with speech recognition skills among Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants. Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants could have significant deficits in voice emotion recognition tasks compared with their normally hearing peers and can benefit from the exaggerated prosody of child-directed speech. The effects of age at cochlear implantation, speech and language development, and cognition could play an important role in voice emotion perception by Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants.

The magical number four in children’s mental rotation of cube aggregates.

We investigated mental rotation in children by systematically varying the adult cube aggregate's set size, rotation angle, and picture/depth plane rotations in a new test. Eighty 4- to 11-year-old mainly middle-class children (British Indian and British African majority and white minority; 40 girls and 40 boys) were assessed using the new matching-to-sample Colored Mental Rotation Test (CMRT) and, for comparison, the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices Test (RCPM). A high Cronbach's alpha of .94 and the Rasch model demonstrated item homogeneity of the CMRT. As expected, there were main effects of age showing increases in accuracy and of sex as boys outperformed girls. A main effect of set size showed that from age four until age 10 as four-cube aggregates proved to be the most economical three-dimensional (3D) object for mental rotation. Several higher-order interactions all involved four-cube aggregates, for example, 3D cube element protrusions had the largest effect in the four-cube-aggregate. We thus suggest that the magical number four (Cowan, 2001) as an attentional limit may also be valid in mental rotation and linked to the 'Good Gestalt' design of the four-cube aggregate. The cross-validation of CMRT with the RCPM showed high correlations increasing from .69 in 4- to 5-year-olds to .77 in 10- to 11-year-olds. Interestingly, 4- to 5-year-olds girls scored higher in the Raven test of nonverbal reasoning than in the CRMT scores with 3D cube aggregates demonstrating the particular complexity of 3D pictorial space. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Regional and Sex Differences on the Standard Progressive Matrices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This study examines the interaction between gender and region in Saudi Arabia on performance in the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), a test of non-verbal reasoning. The results of two administrations of the SPM in Saudi Arabia are compared for children between the ages of 8 and 12 years. The first sample included 1,273 school children in this age range, tested in the Makkah region in 2010. The second included 2,385 school children in Riyadh in 2016. There was no statistically significant IQ difference between the two samples. However, females scored significantly higher in Riyadh than in Makkah while males scored significantly higher in Makkah. These differences became more pronounced with age. Keywords: Saudi Arabia, Intelligence, Regional differences, Sex differences

A Study of Intelligence in Jordan Assessed by the Coloured Progressive Matrices

We report the results of a new study of intelligence in Jordan for 5- to 11-year-olds assessed by the Coloured Progressive Matrices, a test of non-verbal reasoning. It gives a British-scaled IQ of 84.5. The result is in line with those of earlier studies using Raven’s Progressive Matrices in Jordan.

Neuropsychological Contribution to Predict Conversion to Dementia in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer's Disease.

Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) confirmed by biomarkers allows the patient to make important life decisions. However, doubt about the fleetness of symptoms progression and future cognitive decline remains. Neuropsychological measures were extensively studied in prediction of time to conversion to dementia for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients in the absence of biomarker information. Similar neuropsychological measures might also be useful to predict the progression to dementia in patients with MCI due to AD. To study the contribution of neuropsychological measures to predict time to conversion to dementia in patients with MCI due to AD. Patients with MCI due to AD were enrolled from a clinical cohort and the effect of neuropsychological performance on time to conversion to dementia was analyzed. At baseline, converters scored lower than non-converters at measures of verbal initiative, non-verbal reasoning, and episodic memory. The test of non-verbal reasoning was the only statistically significant predictor in a multivariate Cox regression model. A decrease of one standard deviation was associated with 29% of increase in the risk of conversion to dementia. Approximately 50% of patients with more than one standard deviation below the mean in the z score of that test had converted to dementia after 3 years of follow-up. In MCI due to AD, lower performance in a test of non-verbal reasoning was associated with time to conversion to dementia. This test, that reveals little decline in the earlier phases of AD, appears to convey important information concerning conversion to dementia.

Academic outcome in pediatric ischemic stroke

ABSTRACT An important cause of acquired brain injury in children, pediatric ischemic stroke can cause sequelae across a wide range of cognitive domains, including verbal reasoning and processing speed. As a result, survivors are especially vulnerable to academic difficulties and face unique challenges compared to their peers. Despite this knowledge, pediatric stroke remains an understudied neurological condition, and its impact on school functioning poorly understood. The present clinical study addressed academic outcome in this population using a multifaceted approach. Patients were recruited for participation from the Children’s Stroke Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. A battery of standardized neuropsychological tests was administered, and additional data was collected through parent-rated measures and review of recent academic report cards. Compared to peers, youth with stroke exhibited deficits in processing speed, verbal reasoning, and core academic skills spanning reading, reading comprehension, writing, and math. Lesion laterality did not affect cognitive and academic scores. Youth with a combined cortical-subcortical lesion scored lower on a test of nonverbal reasoning compared to youth with either cortical or subcortical lesions. Compared to healthy peers, the pediatric stroke group was more likely to report requiring extra help at school, accommodations, individual education plans, and assistive technology. They were also more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability, but not Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Nonverbal reasoning skills, school grades, and school-related quality of life were comparable between groups. The present study contributed to a more nuanced understanding of the impact of pediatric stroke on academic outcome.

Cognitive functions in pediatric multiple sclerosis: 2-years follow-up

ABSTRACTObjective: To assess the neuropsychological status of pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and its relationship with clinical variables in a longitudinal study.Methods: Patients with MS (n = 46) and age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects (HCs, n = 53) were given tests of non-verbal reasoning, attention/concentration, visuospatial judgement and verbal fluency at baseline visit and after 2 years of follow-up. Cognitive impairment was defined as a failure on at least three of the four tests. Patients were grouped according to the age of disease onset (≤12 years as group 1 and > 12 years as group 2).Results: Cognitive impairment was detected in 22 of 46 patients at follow-up (47.8%). Patients with cognitive worsening had higher EDSS scores at follow-up compared to cognitively improved/stable group (0.68 ± 1.16 vs 0.04 ± 0.2, p = 0.01). The most affected domains were attention/concentration and non-verbal reasoning. Comparison between baseline and follow-up tests showed impairment in non-verbal reasoning over time in group 1 patients while other functions improved over time in patient and control groups as expected.Conclusion: Pediatric MS is likely to affect patients’ cognition concurrently with their disability levels. This effect is significant in the non-verbal reasoning area in patients with disease onset before age 12 years. A practical method assessing this function should be part of these patients’ regular follow-up for optimal treatment, prevention and rehabilitation.

Cognition at age 70: Life course predictors and associations with brain pathologies.

ObjectiveTo investigate predictors of performance on a range of cognitive measures including the Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC) and test for associations between cognition and dementia biomarkers in Insight 46, a substudy of the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development.MethodsA total of 502 individuals born in the same week in 1946 underwent cognitive assessment at age 69–71 years, including an adapted version of the PACC and a test of nonverbal reasoning. Performance was characterized with respect to sex, childhood cognitive ability, education, and socioeconomic position (SEP). In a subsample of 406 cognitively normal participants, associations were investigated between cognition and β-amyloid (Aβ) positivity (determined from Aβ-PET imaging), whole brain volumes, white matter hyperintensity volumes (WMHV), and APOE ε4.ResultsChildhood cognitive ability was strongly associated with cognitive scores including the PACC more than 60 years later, and there were independent effects of education and SEP. Sex differences were observed on every PACC subtest. In cognitively normal participants, Aβ positivity and WMHV were independently associated with lower PACC scores, and Aβ positivity was associated with poorer nonverbal reasoning. Aβ positivity and WMHV were not associated with sex, childhood cognitive ability, education, or SEP. Normative data for 339 cognitively normal Aβ-negative participants are provided.ConclusionsThis study adds to emerging evidence that subtle cognitive differences associated with Aβ deposition are detectable in older adults, at an age when dementia prevalence is very low. The independent associations of childhood cognitive ability, education, and SEP with cognitive performance at age 70 have implications for interpretation of cognitive data in later life.

How Does Nonverbal Reasoning Affect Sentence Recognition in Adults with Cochlear Implants and Normal-Hearing Peers?

Background: Previous research has demonstrated an association of scores on a visual test of nonverbal reasoning, Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM), with scores on open-set sentence recognition in quiet for adult cochlear implant (CI) users as well as for adults with normal hearing (NH) listening to noise-vocoded sentence materials. Moreover, in that study, CI users demonstrated poorer nonverbal reasoning when compared with NH peers. However, it remains unclear what underlying neurocognitive processes contributed to the association of nonverbal reasoning scores with sentence recognition, and to the poorer scores demonstrated by CI users. Objectives: Three hypotheses were tested: (1) nonverbal reasoning abilities of adult CI users and normal-hearing (NH) age-matched peers would be predicted by performance on more basic neurocognitive measures of working memory capacity, information-processing speed, inhibitory control, and concentration; (2) nonverbal reasoning would mediate the effects of more basic neurocognitive functions on sentence recognition in both groups; and (3) group differences in more basic neurocognitive functions would explain the group differences previously demonstrated in nonverbal reasoning. Method: Eighty-three participants (40 CI and 43 NH) underwent testing of sentence recognition using two sets of sentence materials: sentences produced by a single male talker (Harvard sentences) and high-variability sentences produced by multiple talkers (Perceptually Robust English Sentence Test Open-set, PRESTO). Participants also completed testing of nonverbal reasoning using a visual computerized RPM test, and additional neurocognitive assessments were collected using a visual Digit Span test and a Stroop Color-Word task. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to test our hypotheses while treating age as a covariate. Results: In the CI group, information processing speed on the Stroop task predicted RPM performance, and RPM scores mediated the effects of information processing speed on sentence recognition abilities for both Harvard and PRESTO sentences. In contrast, for the NH group, Stroop inhibitory control predicted RPM performance, and a trend was seen towards RPM scores mediating the effects of inhibitory control on sentence recognition, but only for PRESTO sentences. Poorer RPM performance in CI users than NH controls could be partially attributed to slower information processing speed. Conclusions: Neurocognitive functions contributed differentially to nonverbal reasoning performance in CI users as compared with NH peers, and nonverbal reasoning appeared to partially mediate the effects of these different neurocognitive functions on sentence recognition in both groups, at least for PRESTO sentences. Slower information processing speed accounted for poorer nonverbal reasoning scores in CI users. Thus, it may be that prolonged auditory deprivation contributes to cognitive decline through slower information processing.

The Relationship between Intelligence, Head Circumference, Body Weight and Height in Libya

This study reports a relationship between intelligence, head circumference, body weight and height. Intelligence was measured by the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), a test of abstract non-verbal reasoning, in a sample of 720 school students aged 13-18 years in Libya. The results show statistically significant correlations of test scores with head circumference, body weight and height in all six age groups, with a mean of 0.27, 0.28 and 0.25 respectively. All three anthropometric measures were independent predictors in multiple regression models.

Intelligence in the West African State of Benin

This paper reports the first measurement of intelligence on a representative sample from Benin. The SPM+, a test of non-verbal abstract reasoning, was administered to 4,054 schoolchildren aged between 6 and 18 years, 56% male and 44% female. A mean British-scaled IQ of 71.96 was obtained by the sample. There were only limited indications for sex differences favoring males, but clear signs for a Simber-effect at younger ages were found. Effects of the school system of Benin on changes in IQ with age are discussed. Methodological challenges in raw- to IQ-score conversions in samples with relatively low intelligence and at the level of individuals will be evaluated.

An Exploration of the Role of Visual Programming Tools in the Development of Young Children’s Computational Thinking

Programming tools are being used in education to teach computer science to children as young as 5 years old. This research aims to explore young children’s approaches to programming in two tools with contrasting programming interfaces, ScratchJr and Lightbot, and considers the impact of programming approaches on developing computational thinking. A study was conducted using two versions of a Lightbot-style game, either using a ScratchJr-like or Lightbot style programming interface. A test of non-verbal reasoning was used to perform a matched assignment of 40, 6 and 7-year-olds to the two conditions. Each child then played their version of the game for 30 minutes. The results showed that both groups had similar overall performance, but as expected, the children using the ScratchJr-like interface performed more program manipulation or ‘tinkering’. The most interesting finding was that non-verbal reasoning was a predictor of program manipulation, but only for the ScratchJr-like condition. Children approached the ScratchJr-like program differently depending on prior ability. More research is required to establish how children use programming tools and how these approaches influence computational thinking.

Sex Differences in Adult Intelligence in Sweden

Studies reporting sex differences in intelligence among the Swedish adult population were systematically reviewed. Five studies from 1959 to 2008 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and were supplemented with three studies from 1988 to 2015 using non-representative but large samples. The analyses comprise 37 subtest effects that yielded a total of 57 effects. Males tend to exhibit higher performance on spatial and non-verbal reasoning tests, corresponding to ~0.15-0.25 standard deviations, and lower performance on memory tests (only one study). There were mostly non-significant trends for verbal test results. Key Words: Sweden, Cognitive abilities, Intelligence, Sex differences

Cognitive reserve in Parkinson's disease: the effects of welsh-english bilingualism on executive function.

Objective. Bilingualism has been shown to benefit executive function (EF) and delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This study aims at examining whether a bilingual advantage applies to EF in Parkinson's disease (PD). Method. In a cross-sectional outpatient cohort of monolingual English (n = 57) and bilingual Welsh/English (n = 46) speakers with PD we evaluated the effects of bilingualism compared with monolingualism on performance on EF tasks. In bilinguals we also assessed the effects of the degree of daily usage of each language and the degree of bilingualism. Results. Monolinguals showed an advantage in performance of language tests. There were no differences in performance of EF tests in monolinguals and bilinguals. Those who used Welsh less in daily life had better performance on one test of English vocabulary. The degree of bilingualism correlated with one test of nonverbal reasoning and one of working memory but with no other tests of EF. Discussion. The reasons why the expected benefit in EF in Welsh-English bilinguals with PD was not found require further study. Future studies in PD should include other language pairs, analysis of the effects of the degree of bilingualism, and longitudinal analysis of cognitive decline or dementia together with structural or functional neuroimaging.

Matrix Analogies Test - Short Form: An Evaluation of its Measurement Properties for a Sample of Greek School-aged Children using Rasch Analysis

Objective: Matrix analogies test–short form (MAT-SF) is a screening test of non-verbal reasoning originally validated with US students. The purpose of this study was to investigate its construct validity and reliability with Greek school-aged children using Rasch analysis. Methods: Data were collected from 106 typically developing children aged 7-11 years old and were Raschanalysed using RUMM2030. Results: On removal of seven items, the Rasch-scaled 27-item MAT-SF demonstrated successful overall (itemtrait interaction χ 2 (27)=52.282; p=0.0024, bonferonni adjustment α=0.0018) and individual fit to the model. There was no differential item functioning for gender or age or disordered response thresholds and unidimensionality was demonstrated. The person-separation reliability (PSI=.832) indicated the tool’s ability to discriminate between three different groups. The tool was well targeted to the group of typically developing children. Significant differences between 7-9 and 9-11 years groups (F(1,101)=13.53; p<0.0001) and between children with higher and lower reading ability (F(1,101)=43.82; p<0.0001) further supported validity. Conclusion: It is concluded that the revised MAT-SF demonstrates a justifiable research and screening tool of non-verbal reasoning to be used with professionals working with school-aged children in Greece.

Classroom management practices and their associations with children’s mathematics skills in two cultural groups

The aim of the study was to examine the extent to which contextual factors predict children’s mathematics skills in different cognitive domains. The sample consisted of 1734 students from 26 Estonian- and 17 Russian-language schools in Estonia. Mathematics and non-verbal reasoning tests were carried out at the beginning of the third grade. In addition, teachers were asked about their classroom management practices. The results of multilevel modelling showed that applying supportive practices in the classroom contributes to higher achievement in mathematics. Teachers from Estonian- and Russian-language schools were also found to differ with regard to their management practices, and these practices were shown to have different effects on children in Estonian- and Russian-language schools in terms of mathematics achievement.

Case study: Saturday cognitive habilitation program for children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

case study describes the outcomes of a Saturday community intervention program for children suspected of or affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol who exhibited learning deficits. Five children participated in the program and received individualized interventions designed to address learning and academic deficits in either reading or mathematics. Often children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure exhibit deficits with executive processes, including metacognitive functioning, that interfere with learning. Instruction to improve metacognitive skills was incorporated into the intervention programs. The metacognitive training was adapted from the Math Interactive Learning Experience (MILE) and targeted the children's skills to plan, organize, shift, and evaluate problem solving strategies. Standardized tests of nonverbal reasoning and academic achievement were administered before and after the children received interventions to measure progress. The results indicated that four of the five children who participated in the program showed clinically significant gains with scores increasing from the borderline or low average to the average range on measures of nonverbal reasoning, reading comprehension, or mathematics reasoning. One child showed no gains on measures of nonverbal reasoning and reading. A variety of factors including age, cognitive profile, session attendance, and access to special education and other intervention services may have influenced the child's progress. Overall, the case reviews suggest that the interventions show promise to remediate learning problems of children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure in a community setting.

Early-life determinants of cognitive ability in childhood and old age

BackgroundFactors early in life, even prenatally, could affect subsequent health and development of disease. Studies have consistently shown a small but significant correlation between birthweight in the normal range and childhood cognitive ability. However, only two studies have investigated whether this correlation persists into older age, showing no significant effect. The aim of this investigation was to assess whether factors early in life (birthweight, gestational age, parity, antenatal complications, neonatal complications, and social group), affect cognition in childhood and whether these effects persist. MethodsThe Aberdeen 1936 Birth Cohort (ABC1936) is a longitudinal study of cognitive ageing in a well-characterised cohort of individuals born in 1936 (n=506 of 658 alive and resident in Aberdeen, were recruited in 2000). The study is ongoing with wave 4 of testing completed in 2011 (n=216). Only wave 1 (baseline) data are presented here. In wave 1, participants underwent a battery of cognitive and physical tests at age 64–66 years. Results for Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM), a test of non-verbal reasoning, are reported here. The test was administered by a trained research nurse and individuals had 20 min to complete as many of the multiple choice problems as possible. All 658 individuals invited to participate in ABC1936 had IQ measured with the Moray House Test when aged 11 years as part of the nationwide Scottish Mental Survey 1947. Some were born in hospital, and therefore had prospectively obtained data available for perinatal effects. Birth data were obtained for all hospital births in Aberdeen in 1936 (n=1250). Results are reported for individuals who had birth data, IQ at age 11 years, and IQ at age 64–66 years available. Associations between cognitive ability scores (at both ages) and potential predictors (sex, social group at birth, birthweight, gestational age, parity, antenatal or neonatal complications) were tested. Factors significantly associated with cognitive ability (p<0·1) were included in multivariate regression models for the prediction of childhood IQ and RPM scores. FindingsOf participants with childhood IQ available, 140 (21%) had birth data available. Of those, 108 (77%) had IQ scores at age 64–66 years. Mean IQ scores did not differ between those with birth data and those without at either age 11 years (with birth data, mean 38·3 [SD 13·8]; without birth data, mean 40·3 [14·0]; p=0·06) or age 64–66 years (with birth data, mean 34·7 [8·2]; without birth data, mean 35·8 [8·8]; p=0·21). Birthweight was not significantly correlated with childhood cognitive ability (r=0·07; p=0·39). Multivariate regression analysis showed that low perinatal social group (unskilled manual work compared with others; β=–0·23; p=0·007) and increased parity (β=–0·21; p=0·015) were associated with decreased test scores in childhood (adjusted R2=0·09). Neither birthweight (r=–0·003; p=0·77) nor perinatal social group (p=0·56) were significantly associated with RPM scores. In older age, increased childhood cognitive test scores (β=0·47; p<0·0001) and male sex (β=0·31; p<0·0001) were associated with improved performance (adjusted R2=0·35). InterpretationIn this fairly small cohort, birthweight and childhood or older age IQ were not associated. Childhood IQ was predicted by social group and parity, and was the main predictor of older age IQ. Longitudinal data from more than six decades, including prospectively recorded birth data, are rare. The reasons for differences between this cohort and others in Scotland and worldwide should be explored, and could include cohort effects, residual confounding factors, and selection bias. Early-life programming of cognitive function is not a significant determinant in this cohort. FundingThe Alzheimer's Research Trust funded data collection during wave 1 of ABC1936; RLS is funded by an NRS Career Researcher Fellowship.