Selective Sex Differences in Declarative Memory

Overview

Journal Mem Cognit

Specialty Psychology

Date 2005 Apr 9

PMID 15813497

Citations 27

Authors

Scott B Maitland

Agneta Herlitz

Lars Nyberg

Lars Backman

Lars-Goran Nilsson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Sex invariance of a six-factor, higher order model of declarative memory (two second-order factors: episodic and semantic memory; and four first-order factors: recall, recognition, fluency, and knowledge) was established for 1,796 participants (35-85 years). Metric invariance of first- and second-order factor loadings across sex was demonstrated. At the second-order level, a female advantage was observed for both episodic and semantic memory. At the first-order level, sex differences in episodic memory were apparent for both recall and recognition, whereas the differences in semantic memory were driven by a female superiority in fluency. Additional tests of sex differences in three age groups (35-50, 55-65, and 70-85 years of age) indicated that the female superiority in declarative memory diminished with advancing age. The factor-specific sex differences are discussed in relation to sex differences in hippocampal function.

Citing Articles

Determinants of semantic and episodic memory decline among older adults in Ghana: Evidence from the WHO study on global AGEing and adult health Ghana wave 2.

Ekem-Ferguson G, Tetteh J, Malm K, Yawson A, Biritwum R, Mensah G Dialogues Health. 2024; 2:100118.

PMID: 38515495 PMC: 10953951. DOI: 10.1016/j.dialog.2023.100118.

Age, Sex, and Inhibitory Control: Identifying a Specific Impairment in Memorial, But Not Perceptual, Inhibition in Older Women.

Siegel A, Eich T J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2021; 76(10):2013-2022.

PMID: 34232279 PMC: 8599043. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab124.

Cognitive profiles in older males and females.

Jockwitz C, Wiersch L, Stumme J, Caspers S Sci Rep. 2021; 11(1):6524.

PMID: 33753754 PMC: 7985508. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84134-8.

The cross-sectional association between mean corpuscular volume level and cognitive function in Chinese over 45 years old: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

Chen Y, Ma C, Luo L, Yin J, Gao Z, Yu Z PLoS One. 2020; 15(12):e0243227.

PMID: 33270788 PMC: 7714155. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243227.

Distinct Effects of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Declarative Memory and Procedural Memory Formation.

Wang X, Zhu R, Zhou C, Chen Y Brain Sci. 2020; 10(10).

PMID: 33007878 PMC: 7601303. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10100691.

References

Liben L, Susman E, Finkelstein J, Chinchilli V, Kunselman S, Schwab J . The effects of sex steroids on spatial performance: a review and an experimental clinical investigation. Dev Psychol. 2002; 38(2):236-53. View

Kampen D, Sherwin B . Estrogen use and verbal memory in healthy postmenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 1994; 83(6):979-83. DOI: 10.1097/00006250-199406000-00017. View

Hertzog C, Nesselroade J . Assessing psychological change in adulthood: an overview of methodological issues. Psychol Aging. 2003; 18(4):639-57. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.18.4.639. View

Schaie K, Maitland S, Willis S, Intrieri R . Longitudinal invariance of adult psychometric ability factor structures across 7 years. Psychol Aging. 1998; 13(1):8-20. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.13.1.8. View

Kramer J, Delis D, Kaplan E, ODonnell L, Prifitera A . Developmental sex differences in verbal learning. Neuropsychology. 1997; 11(4):577-84. DOI: 10.1037//0894-4105.11.4.577. View

Pihlajamaki M, Tanila H, Hanninen T, Kononen M, Laakso M, Partanen K . Verbal fluency activates the left medial temporal lobe: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Ann Neurol. 2000; 47(4):470-6. View

Nyberg L, Maitland S, Ronnlund M, Backman L, Dixon R, Wahlin A . Selective adult age differences in an age-invariant multifactor model of declarative memory. Psychol Aging. 2003; 18(1):149-60. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.18.1.149. View

Sherwin B . Estrogen effects on cognition in menopausal women. Neurology. 1997; 48(5 Suppl 7):S21-6. DOI: 10.1212/wnl.48.5_suppl_7.21s. View

Steiger J . Structural Model Evaluation and Modification: An Interval Estimation Approach. Multivariate Behav Res. 2016; 25(2):173-80. DOI: 10.1207/s15327906mbr2502_4. View

10.

Voyer D, Voyer S, Bryden M . Magnitude of sex differences in spatial abilities: a meta-analysis and consideration of critical variables. Psychol Bull. 1995; 117(2):250-70. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.117.2.250. View

11.

Folstein M, Folstein S, McHugh P . "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res. 1975; 12(3):189-98. DOI: 10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6. View

12.

Wagner A, Schacter D, Rotte M, Koutstaal W, Maril A, Dale A . Building memories: remembering and forgetting of verbal experiences as predicted by brain activity. Science. 1998; 281(5380):1188-91. DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5380.1188. View

13.

Maitland S, Dixon R, Hultsch D, Hertzog C . Well-being as a moving target: measurement equivalence of the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2001; 56(2):P69-77. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/56.2.p69. View

14.

Thompson-Schill S . Neuroimaging studies of semantic memory: inferring "how" from "where". Neuropsychologia. 2002; 41(3):280-92. DOI: 10.1016/s0028-3932(02)00161-6. View

15.

Brewer J, Zhao Z, Desmond J, Glover G, Gabrieli J . Making memories: brain activity that predicts how well visual experience will be remembered. Science. 1998; 281(5380):1185-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5380.1185. View

16.

Horn J, McArdle J . A practical and theoretical guide to measurement invariance in aging research. Exp Aging Res. 1992; 18(3-4):117-44. DOI: 10.1080/03610739208253916. View

17.

Small B, Viitanen M, Backman L . Mini-Mental State Examination item scores as predictors of Alzheimer's disease: incidence data from the Kungsholmen Project, Stockholm. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1997; 52(5):M299-304. DOI: 10.1093/gerona/52a.5.m299. View

18.

Bentler P . Fit Indexes, Lagrange Multipliers, Constraint Changes and Incomplete Data in Structural Models. Multivariate Behav Res. 2016; 25(2):163-72. DOI: 10.1207/s15327906mbr2502_3. View

19.

Hyde J, Fennema E, Lamon S . Gender differences in mathematics performance: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 1990; 107(2):139-55. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.139. View

20.

Schacter D, Wagner A . Medial temporal lobe activations in fMRI and PET studies of episodic encoding and retrieval. Hippocampus. 1999; 9(1):7-24. DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-1063(1999)9:1<7::AID-HIPO2>3.0.CO;2-K. View