Selective sex differences in declarative memory.
Sex invariance of a six-factor, higher order model of declarative memory (two second-order factors: episodic and semantic memory; and four first-order factors: recall, recognition, fluency, and knowledge) was established for 1,796 participants (35-85 years). Metric invariance of first- and second-order factor loadings across sex was demonstrated. At the second-order level, a female advantage was observed for both episodic and semantic memory. At the first-order level, sex differences in episodic memory were apparent for both recall and recognition, whereas the differences in semantic memory were driven by a female superiority in fluency. Additional tests of sex differences in three age groups (35-50, 55-65, and 70-85 years of age) indicated that the female superiority in declarative memory diminished with advancing age. The factor-specific sex differences are discussed in relation to sex differences in hippocampal function.
Maitland
Scott B
SB
University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. smaitlan@uoguelph.ca
Herlitz
Agneta
A
Nyberg
Lars
L
Bäckman
Lars
L
Nilsson
Lars-Göran
LG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D003118:Color Perception; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D013067:Speech Perception; D014706:Verbal Learning