Musical Experience Across the Lifespan and Cognitive Function in Older Age

This study examined the relationship between lifelong musical experience and cognitive function in older adulthood. To address inconsistencies in the extant literature an analytical approach in which three analytical approaches, binary groupings, categorical groupings, and continuous latent variables were directly compared. Older adults taking part in the Intervention Factory study completed the Edinburgh Lifetime Musical Experience Questionnaire (ELMEQ), and baseline cognitive data, which included a comprehensive battery assessing domains measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) were used. Analyses included ANCOVA models comparing musicians (≥6 years of musical experience) with non-musicians, followed by categorical groupings of both singers and instrument players, instrument players only , singers only, and non-musicians. Finally, multivariate multiple regression models using latent musical experience variables derived from responses to the ELMEQ were conducted. Across binary and categorical group analyses, musician status was not significantly associated with cognitive performance in any WAIS or WMS domain. Education and National Adult Reading Test (NART) scores were the strongest predictors across most outcomes. However, when musical experience was modelled as latent constructs, instrument playing was significantly associated with Working Memory, even after controlling for all covariates. Singing experience, music listening, and perceived musicality were not significantly related to cognitive outcomes in fully adjusted models. These findings suggest that while lifelong musical experience may not broadly predict cognitive ability independently of key covariates, instrument playing may provide domain-specific benefits in later life. Latent variable modelling may better capture these associations than traditional group-based methods.