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Age and cognitive functioning

from Psychology, health and illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

By
David R. Shaffer  and
Gail M. Williamson
Edited by
Susan Ayers ,
Andrew Baum ,
Chris McManus ,
Stanton Newman ,
Kenneth Wallston ,
John Weinman  and
Robert West
David R. Shaffer
Affiliation:
University of Georgia
Gail M. Williamson
Affiliation:
University of Georgia
Susan Ayers
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Andrew Baum
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Chris McManus
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
Stanton Newman
Affiliation:
University College and Middlesex School of Medicine
Kenneth Wallston
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
John Weinman
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's
Robert West
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Ageing and cognitive functioning: an overview

Attitudes about ageing reflect many negative stereotypes about the intellectual prowess of our senior citizens (Center for the Advancement of Health, 1998). Are older people as cognitively deficient as is commonly assumed? Are they significantly less capable than middle-aged or younger adults of profiting from classroom instruction, solving everyday problems such as remembering to turn off the oven after removing a roast, or learning to operate such new technologies as computers, DVD players, or ATM machines?

Study of the abilities to learn, remember, and solve problems has a long history in psychology and is arguably the most thoroughly investigated aspect of adult development and ageing (Siegelman & Rider, 2003). One reason for this emphasis is that cognitive functioning in adulthood has so many important implications for the quality of ordinary people's lives. Furthermore, cognitive functioning can play a major role in how people feel about themselves as they age. Middle-aged adults occasionally claim that they have experienced a ‘senior moment’ after forgetting someone's name, their own telephone number, or a step in a well practiced procedure such as recording a programme on their VCR. Although such comments may be offered in a humorous light, they also may reflect a deep-seated concern that many middle-aged and older adults have about losing their memories (Whitbourne, 2005) (see ‘Dementias’).

Indeed, older adults have reasons for suspecting that their cognitive powers are declining.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 15 - 20
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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