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Science Advances
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
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Science Advances
Article . 2025
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https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/ar...
Article . 2024
License: CC BY NC SA
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Age and cognitive skills: Use it or lose it

Authors: Eric A. Hanushek; Lavinia Kinne; Frauke Witthöft; Ludger Woessmann;

Age and cognitive skills: Use it or lose it

Abstract

Cross-sectional age-skill profiles suggest that cognitive skills start declining by age 30 if not earlier. If accurate, such age-driven skill losses pose a major threat to the human capital of societies with rapidly aging populations. We estimate actual age-skill profiles from individual changes in literacy and numeracy skills at different ages. We use the unique German longitudinal component of the Programme of the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC-L) that retested a large representative sample of adults after 3.5 years. Our empirical approach separates age from cohort effects and corrects for measurement error from reversion to the mean. Two main results emerge. First, average skills increase strongly into the forties before decreasing slightly in literacy and more strongly in numeracy. Second, skills decline at older ages only for those with below-average skill usage. White-collar and higher-educated workers with above-average usage show increasing skills even beyond their forties. Women have larger skill losses at older age, particularly in numeracy.

Keywords

Male, Adult, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, General Economics (econ.GN), Age Factors, Middle Aged, FOS: Economics and business, Young Adult, Cognition, Literacy, Germany, Humans, Female, Economics - General Economics, Neuroscience, Aged

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    influence
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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
23
Top 10%
Top 10%
Top 10%
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gold