EDUCATION DID NOT EXPLAIN GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EPISODIC MEMORY IN OLDER ADULTS - Abstract citation ID igaf122.2903

Sep 29, 2026

Research addresses whether education suppresses gender differences in episodic memory among older adults. Data from 19,623 community-dwelling participants aged 51+ in the 2016 Health and Retirement Study measured episodic memory via immediate and delayed word recall and education by years completed. Four-way mediation decomposition tested whether gender gaps were mediated by fewer education years, reduced education impact, or both, controlling for ethnicity, race, parental education, and birth year with multiple imputation and survey weights. Results showed women scored higher than men, while mediated and interaction effects were not statistically significant, indicating education did not explain gender differences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Objectives

Methods

Data source and participants

Measures

Mediation approach and controls

Results

Implications

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 857 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2903 EDUCATION DID NOT EXPLAIN GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EPISODIC MEMORY IN OLDER ADULTS Judith Rijnhart, and Ryan Bailey, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States Previous studies have shown that, on average, women and individuals with more education perform better on verbal episodic memory tests. Historically, women completed fewer education years compared to men and faced structural barriers that prevented them from capitalizing on their education. Therefore, education may suppress gender differences in episodic memory. We aimed to study education as a potential suppressor of gender differences in episodic memory. We used data from 19,623 community-dwelling adults aged 51+ from the United States of America who participated in the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. Episodic memory was measured using immediate and delayed word recall tests (range 0-20) . Education was measured as the number of education years completed (range 0-17). We used the four-way mediation decomposition method 858 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 to determine whether gender differences in episodic memory were suppressed by fewer education years in women, lower impact of education on episodic memory among women, or both. All models were controlled for confounding by ethnicity, race, parental education, and birth year. Missing data were addressed with multiple imputation and all models were weighted using survey sampling weights. On average, women had a 0.87 higher episodic memory score compared to men (95% confidence interval=0 .75;0 .99) . Estimates of mediated effects and interaction effects from the four-way mediation decomposition were not statistically significant, indicating that education did not suppress gender differences in episodic memory. Future studies are needed that focus on the biological, psychological, and social factors that explain why women on average perform better on episodic memory tests.

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the study?

To test whether education acts as a suppressor of gender differences in episodic memory among adults aged 51 and older.

How were episodic memory and education measured?

Episodic memory was assessed using immediate and delayed word recall (0-20), and education was measured by the number of completed education years (0-17).

Did education explain gender differences in episodic memory?

No. Although women had higher episodic memory scores on average, the mediated and interaction effects were not statistically significant, indicating education did not suppress the gender differences.

Sep 29, 2026

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