Do fluid intelligence and executive functioning protect from age-related decline in cognitive control?

Age-related studies on cognitive control suggest a decline in proactive control whereas reactive control remains intact (Braver, Gray, & Burgess, 2007). This study was designed to investigate the potential influence of fluid intelligence (Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices) and general executive functioning (Executive composite score from executive assessment) on cognitive control abilities during normal aging. Cognitive control was assessed using a computerized version of the Stroop paradigm in which proactive and reactive control processes were pseudo randomly engaged by varying the amount of interference across the task. Thirteen young and 27 older adults were included in this study. In the whole sample, results confirmed a significant age-related decline in proactive control. However, when older adults were divided in high- and low fluid intelligence subgroups, only older adults with low fluid intelligence showed a significant decline in proactive control compared to younger adults and this difference disappeared for older adults with high fluid intelligence level. When older adults were distinguished according to high and low executive capacities, the analysis revealed that, compared to the young ones, older adults with low executive functioning showed a general cognitive control decline (proactive and reactive processes). However, differences disappeared when young adults were compared to older adults with a high executive functioning. Accuracy results suggested that older adults have a slower but spared access to goal-representations that are necessary to correctly manage interference. So, this study confirmed the previous results obtained by Braver et al. (2007), but also suggest an influence of fluid intelligence and executive resources that seems important to take into account to investigate age-related decline in reactive and proactive cognitive control processes.