Most research on the strong relationship between education and cognitive aging has focused on years of schooling. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study—a sample of White persons born in 1939—we explored whether greater curricular rigor in high school was also associated with better cognitive function in later life. We estimated multilevel structural equation models in data from 2,749 participants who attended 308 Wisconsin high schools, graduating in 1957. Independent of academic ability and performance and school-level financial and material resources, a more rigorous high school curriculum was associated with significantly better global cognitive functioning in 2020, when most participants were 81 years old. There was also a significant mediation via eventual degree attainment. The mediation was moderated such that men and participants from high socioeconomic status families benefited most from a rigorous curriculum. We discuss implications for modern educational policy.

中文翻译：

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白人老年人的高中课程严谨性和认知功能


大多数关于教育与认知衰老之间密切关系的研究都集中在多年的学校教育上。使用来自威斯康星州纵向研究的数据（1939 年出生的白人样本），我们探讨了高中更高的课程严谨性是否也与以后生活中更好的认知功能有关。我们在 2,749 名就读于威斯康星州 308 所高中、1957 年毕业的参与者的数据中估计了多级结构方程模型。与 2020 年的学术能力和表现以及学校层面的财力和物质资源无关，更严格的高中课程与全球认知功能显着改善相关，当时大多数参与者年龄为 81 岁。通过最终获得学位，还有一个重要的中介。调解经过适度，使来自高社会经济地位家庭的男性和参与者从严格的课程中受益最大。我们讨论了对现代教育政策的影响。