Development of processing speed in the United States and Taiwan: A brief report

Processing speed is a critical component of intelligence, and an important cognitive ability in the facilitation of human learning. Previous studies have examined the development of processing speed across cultures. This study investigated processing speed performance using collective data from standardized Wechsler scales in the United States and Taiwan from the past two decades. Drawing comparisons between national norms from ages 4 to 80 years, the results revealed that older people in Taiwan recorded slower processing speeds than their US counterparts. Conversely, younger people in Taiwan recorded faster processing speeds than their US counterparts. This evidence shows that physiological, environmental, and genetic factors contribute to group differences in the development of processing speed. •We compared processing speed using collective US and Taiwanese data.•Older Taiwanese people had slower processing speeds than their US peers.•Younger Taiwanese people had faster processing speeds than their US peers.•Physiological, environmental, and genetic factors contribute to these differences.