In a recent study, Cid-Fernandez et al. (2014) tested attentional performance in 3 age groups: young (21–29 years old), middle-aged (51–64 years old), and older adults (65–84 years old). The task used in this study involved presenting both visual and auditory cues to the participants, and they were required to pay attention to the visual cues while ignoring the auditory cues (for task details, ...

OBJECTIVES We argue that age is a descriptive, and not explanatory, variable and consequently cannot account for the cognitive changes that often occur with aging. Once age is removed from consideration, other truly causal explanations for "cognitive aging" must be identified. We argue that health and disease represent an important class of explanatory variables for age-related cognitive change...

What is successful ageing? Current opinion is that “cognitive vitality is essential to quality of life . . . in old age.” This depends substantially on people’s cognitive ability from early life, and on how much they decline from their cognitive peak in young adulthood. Early cognitive ability also affects physical health and even survival to old age. But surely happiness and satisfaction with ...

Abstract Declines in cognitive functioning with increased age, on average and individually, is well documented demonstrated to be related genetics a variety of life course risk factors, many which are modifiable. Related population aging the phenomenon Flynn effect, finding increasing test scores across successive cohorts young adults (e.g., 1987). This cohort effect has been repeatedly observe...

It has been suggested that work characteristics, such as mental demands, job control, and occupational complexity, are prospectively related to cognitive function. However, current evidence on links between psychosocial working conditions and cognitive change over time is inconsistent. In this study, we applied the effort-reward imbalance model that allows to build on previous research on menta...

Cognitive aging has positive and negative effects on mental abilities. With time and experience, we gain new knowledge and skills. We become wiser. However, for most adults cognitive aging also brings slower mental processing, reduced mental flexibility, increased susceptibility to distraction, and more difficulty learning new things. As an example, the amount of detail recalled from a short st...