Abstract Background Multiple factors contribute to cognitive maintenance and the development of cognitive reserve in aging, including life experiences and behaviors. Among these, education plays a key role, particularly through language-related activities such as reading and writing. Objective This study investigates the impact of Reading and Writing Habits (RWH), alongside educational level and socioeconomic status (SES), on word and pseudoword naming across the lifespan in Brazilian Portuguese. Methods Using a stepwise linear regression model, we analyzed the predictive value of age, SES, education, and RWH on naming performance in young and older adults, utilizing response time and accuracy as dependent variables. Results Results indicate that age, SES, education, and RWH significantly influence naming latencies and accuracy. While education showed the strongest effect on response time, RWH also contributed meaningfully, particularly in populations with limited formal education and low SES. Conclusion These findings suggest that RWH may serve as an important compensatory factor in cognitive processing. Overall, the study highlights the combined role of formal education and lifelong reading and writing habits in supporting language-related cognitive performance and maintaining cognitive reserve, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.
Pacheco et al. (Sat,) studied this question.