The Aging Brain: Differences in WAIS-IV Coding Subtest Performance of Older Gay and Straights Men and Women
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Authors
Faris, Allison Noelle
Issue Date
2015
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
"Sexual Orientation","Gender","Processing Speed","Coding Subtest","Multicultural Normative Data Considerations","Older Adults"
Alternative Title
Abstract
Until recently, the field of brain injury assessment and rehabilitation has assumed that brain organization and cognitive functioning are the same in gays and straights. However, neuropsychological studies in the past few years have found differences in information processing in gay and straight men and women between the ages of 18 and 40. This study examined these differences using the Coding subtest of the WAIS-IV in a small sample of older (50-70 years of age) gay and straight men and women. Previously, it was shown that younger straight women, gay men, and lesbians performed significantly better on this subtest than straight men. A one-way analysis of covariance of Coding scaled scores by group based on gender and sexual orientation did not reveal significant differences in this older population. Gender, sexual orientation, Vocabulary scaled score (WAIS-IV), years of education, and age were then analyzed with a multiple linear regression for any potential trends. The results of the linear regression also were not significant. These findings suggested that with age, documented cognitive differences between gays and straights diminish. The findings were discussed with regard to clinical and assessment-related implications for the aging population.