Variable Details
Available Studies
MAP, MARS, LATC
Categories
SES and Cognitive Resources, Demographics
Cognitive resources - Age 40
Access to materials that support cognitive activity - Age 40
This variable is only available in MAP, MARS, and LATC.
Cognitive resources at age 40 measures the presence of materials that support cognitive activity (e.g., encyclopedia, library card, magazine subscriptions) in the home at the age of 40. The variable is measured using an 8-item scale issued at baseline.
Participants are asked to indicate whether they had each of seven items available (questions 1-7) and to estimate the number of books in the home (question 8). Responses for question 8 are adjusted to range from 0 to 1. The overall score of cognitive resources at age 40 ranges from 0 to 8 and represents the sum of the 8 questions. Higher scores indicate greater access to materials.
Participants are asked the following questions:
- Did you or a member of your family subscribe to a daily newspaper when you were 40?
- Did you or a member of your family subscribe to any magazines when you were 40?
- Did your home have a dictionary when you were 40?
- Did your home have an encyclopedia when you were 40?
- Did your home have a world atlas when you were 40?
- Did your home have a globe when you were 40?
- Did you or a member of your family have a library card when you were 40?
- About how many books do you think were in your family home when you were 40?
Response choices for questions1-7:
| Response | Response value |
|---|---|
| Yes | 1 |
| No | 0 |
Response choices for questions 8:
| Response | Response value | Adjusted value |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 20 | 1 | 0.0 |
| 20 - 49 | 2 | 0.25 |
| 50 - 100 | 3 | 0.50 |
| 101 - 250 | 4 | 0.75 |
| More than 250 | 5 | 1.0 |