![]() (Image: Motortions Films/Shutterstock)Įven subliminal cues that remind older adults of the negative stereotype can worsen memory performance. What is often portrayed as an inevitable decline in cognitive skills with age is, in fact, far more a function of societal stereotypes than actual biological processes. It tells us that negative stereotypes have a much stronger impact on cognitive abilities than any inherent biological processes. This study illustrates a really important finding. Older adults who read the article emphasizing the negative effects of aging on memory only remembered 44% of the words. Older adults who read the neutral or positive article remembered about 57% of the words so, basically, they did the same as the younger adults. But for older adults, the article really mattered. Regardless of which article they’d read, younger adults remembered about 60% of the words on the test. People in all three groups then completed a standard memory task in which they studied a list of 30 words for two minutes and then had to write down as many words as they remembered. A third, neutral, article contained no specific information about the memory-age link. Another article emphasized more positive findings about the memory-age link, sharing that the degree of memory loss is to a certain extent under control of the environment and the individual. One of these articles emphasized the typical age-related decline in memory. For example, researchers in one study asked older adults, ages 62 to 84, and younger adults, ages 18 to 30, to read one of three fake newspapers articles. Unfortunately, these negative expectations about aging can have real and serious consequences, even though they aren’t accurate. There is even a distinct name for the supposed memory loss that occurs with age: ‘Senior moments’. However, messages in magazines, television shows and movies overwhelmingly suggest that aging means becoming more forgetful and befuddled. So, aging seems to have an impact on speed of processing, but not on our overall mental abilities. This article comes directly from content in the video series Introduction to Psychology. Even among people in late adulthood, those 85 and older, only about 30% develop dementia. Only about 3% of people ages 65 to 74 have dementia, and only about 19% of those between ages 75 and 84. But it’s important to remember that dementia is not an inevitable part of the aging process, although it does get more common at older ages. ![]() ![]() Someone with dementia may have trouble with many common daily life tasks, such as finding their way home after taking a short walk. People with dementia experience a general and typically gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember. In fact, only a relatively small number of older adults develop dementia, which is a neurocognitive psychological disorder, and not a normal part of cognitive development. Dementia in PeopleĪlthough we often associate aging with memory loss, this is not typical or normal, especially for people younger than 85. In fact, the peak age for this type of skill occurs in the late 60s or early 70s. This type of intelligence describes the ability to use skills, knowledge, and experience. However, the good news is that older adults score just as well, and sometimes even better than younger people on tests of crystallized intelligence. Younger people not only tend to have faster reaction times but also have less information stored. So, when we are asked for information, it may take us longer to find, to retrieve, that information. What causes these declines in thinking? One explanation is that with age, we have more stuff to remember. Psychologists refer to these types of skills that are stronger in our younger years as fluid intelligence. With age, we tend to solve problems more slowly than when we were younger and have some trouble remembering information. (Image: Pathdoc/Shutterstock) Fluid Intelligence and Crystallized Intelligence Negative stereotypes have a much stronger impact on cognitive abilities than any inherent biological processes. ![]() Although researchers aren’t yet sure what leads to these different peaks, it may be a result of changes in brain structure that occur naturally with age. Different skills peak at different ages you are better at some things at a given age, but worse at others. Sanderson, Amherst College Shifts in cognitive skills and abilities continue beyond adolescence and extend across the life span. ![]()
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