UC Davis

We examined the influence of neighborhood socioeconomic position (SEP), racial/ethnic composition, and living in a major city on cognitive trajectories and intervention outcomes. Data came from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study ( N = 2,438). Mixed effects analyses examined the associations between neighborhood variables and memory, reasoning, speed of processing, and everyday cognition, estimating differences in initial gains (potentially related to practice) and long-term rate of change over 10 years. The effect of reasoning training on initial gain was weaker for individuals in a major city. For everyday cognition, there was a stronger initial gain for memory-trained and control participants in areas with more racial/ethnic minorities and for speed-trained and control individuals in higher SEP areas. The racial/ethnic minority effect was no longer significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Neighborhood factors may be more important in practice-related improvement than in long-term change.