COMPETING FACTOR MODELS OF COGNITION OF HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS: SUPPORT FOR SUPERAGERS IDENTIFICATION

Objectives. Neuropsychological tests employ several cognitive functions to a different extent. Thus, factor structures of various neuropsy- chological batteries and their analyses show both similarities and discrepancies. The study explores the Czech comprehensive neuropsy- chological battery for SuperAgers (older people with excellent cognition) from the cross-sec- tional and longitudinal point of view in respect to its factor structure and its stability over time.Sample and settings. The study sample con- sisted of 361 healthy older adults (age 60-94) assessed in years 2012 and 2015 with cognitive tests battery.Statistical analyses. Data were analyzed with confirmatory factor and invariance analyses over time using multiple competing theory -driven models of cognition based on previous studies consisting of 1-5 factors.Results. The results show that the best fitting model consists of four factors: verbal memory, attention/working memory, executive functions, and language. The results also suggest that the four factorial structure of cognition in healthy older people was the most stable. This reflects their cognitive functioning and highlights the need to identify the SuperAgers on the basis of performance in multiple cognitive domains. The authors propose that these four domains should be taken into account for identifying Su- perAgers and that comparing competing models should be a standard procedure in future studies.Limitations. The visuospatial or nonverbal memory factors were not represented in our study with relevant tests. Our sample consisted of healthy older adults.