Background: What is the VLS?
Objective
Much information is available concerning how older adults compare to younger adults on a variety of cognitive, biomedical, neuropsychological, personality, social, physiological, and health indicators. However, relatively little is known about whether and how the processes represented by these indicators actually change acrossadulthood. The Victoria Longitudinal Study was designed in part to examine the profiles, patterns, and predictors of aging-related changes.
What and Why?
The basic research issues are both descriptive (i.e., What changes actually occur with aging? What is the magnitude and direction of these changes?) and explanatory (i.e., What predicts or controls these changes? What accounts for individual differences in rate, level, or outcome?).
Leadership
The VLS was founded in the late 1980s by three main co-investigators, Drs. Roger A. Dixon, Christopher Hertzog, and David F. Hultsch. The three friends would meet regularly in Victoria and elsewhere to design, plan, execute, and report new VLS research. Dr. Hultsch was the principal investigator in the early years. Since about 1994-95, Dr. Dixon has been the principal investigator of the VLS. The headquarters of the VLS moved with Dr. Dixon to the University of Alberta in 2002.
Design
The VLS was begun in the late 1980s, with the initial goal of examining profiles and predictors of cognitive changes in healthy, community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. The ambitious research design called for a series of three large samples of adults (initially ranging in age from 55 to 85 years) to be repeatedly interviewed and tested over a long period of time. The initial blueprint called for the three VLS samples to begin in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
Growth of the VLS
Now about 20 years old, the VLS has grown dramatically in recent years. A dynamic project, new participants, collaborators, measures, and research ideas have been added. The latest battery of tests and tools reflects the goal of further understanding interrelated aspects of human aging. Our cognitive measures include numerous indicators of memory (episodic, semantic, working), neurocognitive processes and resources (speed, inconsistency, executive function), and adaptive or compensatory mechanisms. In addition, we have a broad swath of measures of related constructs such as medication and illness information, health beliefs and reports, health risks, physiological capacities, sensory status, personality and affect, activities and lifestyle, neuropsychological indicators, and metacognitive knowledge and beliefs.
The VLS benefits from continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health, and especially the National Institute on Aging. Roger Dixon is the Principal Investigator for the NIA grant (R37 AG008235-20) supporting the VLS and both labs (Edmonton, Victoria).
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