National Variation in Cognitive Life Cycle Development

We study the life cycle variation in cognitive abilities for nationally representative cohorts born from 1944 to 1952, in eight countries. We observe their cognitive abilities in the teenage years and again when they are aged 52 and older. The standardized test scores from the 1964 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) make available data on the school performances of pupils from two age groups ("around 13" and "around 19" years of age, both males and females, belonging to the 1949-1952 and 1944-1947 cohorts, respectively). Using data from ELSA, HRS, JSTAR, and SHARE surveys, which include standardized tests of cognition, we observe these cohorts again at senior ages in the mid-2000s. The comparison is based on tests of numerical skills both at younger and older ages and immediate recall scores at older ages.

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