VLS Research Design

Overview

The Victoria Longitudinal Study follows a Longitudinal Sequential design. It began in the late 1980s with the first sample. The second independent sample began in the 1990s. The third independent sample began in the early 2000s. Each sample is tested repeatedly and regularly (about 4-year intervals). Thus, Sample 1 has been tested on nine different occasions (over ~25 years), Sample 2 has been tested on six different occasions (over ~20 years), and Sample 3 has been tested on four occasions (over ~12 years). Each occasion of testing involves ~14 hours of contact time (plus homework!) with each participant. All participants in the three samples are begin testing between the ages of 55 and 85 years. Multiple comparison groups (e.g., younger, middle-aged, special populations) of adults have been assembled. Whereas the VLS static n is ~2000, the dynamic n is ~6000.

Research Design

A summary graph of the research design may be viewed below.

As can be seen in the blueprint above, the overall design called for at least seven occasions of measurement for each sample. A wide range of information is collected during VLS testing sessions. These include multiple indicators of the following constructs or latent variables.

Memory

• Word Recall
• Story Recall
• Fact Recall/Knowledge
• Implicit Memory
• Working Memory

Other Cognitive Measures

• Vocabulary
• Reading Comprehension
• Metamemory in Adulthood (MIA)
• Memory Compensation Questionnaire (MCQ)
• Implicit Theories of Cognitive Aging

Neuropsychological Battery

• Cognitive Style
• Laterality
• Benton Facial Recognition Test
• Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test
• Color Trails
• Hayling Sentence Completion Test
• Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task
• Stroop

Neurocognitive Speed and Resources

• Reaction Time
• Perceptual Speed
• Semantic Speed
• Comprehension Speed
• Fine Motor Speed
• Verbal Fluency
• Inductive Reasoning
• Working Memory

Biological Vitality and Risk

• Genetic Markers
• Sensory Acuity (Vision, Audition, Smell)
• Blood Pressure
• Peak Expiratory Flow
• Grip Strength
• Height, Weight, BMI
• Balance and Gait (Rate, Variability)
• Biological Age
• Metabolic Biomarkers

Health Status

• Comprehensive Health Inventory
• Health Conditions (Stroke, Diabetes, Vascular)
• Subjective Health Ratings
• Functional/Instrumental Health
• Medications, Dosage, and Use
• Health Risks (Alcohol, Tobacco)
• Injuries (Head)
• Physical Fitness

Psychosocial Aspects

• Personal and Demographic Data
• Education
• Occupational Status
• Personality (NEO)
• Well-being (Positive/Negative Affect)
• Depressive Affect

Lifestyle Environmental

• Lifestyle: Cognitive Activities
• Lifestyle: Physical Activities
• Lifestyle: Social Engagement
• Risk and Protective Factors

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