Snowdon et al. (1996). Linguistic Ability in Early Life and Cognitive Function and Alzheimer’s Disease in Late Life: Findings from the Nun Study.
Arhe Vaninetti
Research Methods and Statistics, PSY150, Pacific University, Oregon
March 1, 2023
Snowdon et al. (1996) aimed to find if linguistic ability was associated with Alzheimer’s disease or declined cognitive function in later life. In this study, the researchers convenience sampled from the School Sisters of Notre Dame congregation, and found ample participants, but narrowed it down to 93 nuns who had similar demographic characteristics and had written autobiographies in their early life. Commonly, after a nun had spent 4 years in training, they would often write an autobiography before they took their vows—which Snowdon et al. then used to characterize which nuns had high/low linguistic ability through linguistic complexity and idea density. Continue reading “Snowdon et al. (1996) Critique: “Linguistic Ability in Early Life and Cognitive Function and Alzheimer’s Disease in Late Life: Findings from the Nun Study””