Not all mentally stimulating activities are alike: insights from a 4-factor model and implications for late-life cognition

It is not yet known which specific qualities of cognitively stimulating activities are most likely to enhance cognitive reserve in older adults. Taking an inductive approach to this problem, we asked 504 older adults with subjective and/or cognitive impairment to complete the Cognitively Stimulating Activities Questionnaire (CSA-Q). Exploratory factor analysis identified a 4-factor structure within a split-half sample, after which confirmatory factor analysis cross-validated the model. Retaining 12 CSA-Q items, the 4 factors were dubbed