Jan 14 Late Adulthood

As adults age, one way to help understand the intellectual capacity of older adults is to use the information processing theory. This includes breaking down cognition into steps of input, storage, program, and output. Some of these steps in the process decline while others do not. Most intellectual abilities show little change as we age from early and middle adulthood. However, as we continue to grow older eventually everything slows down. Inductive reasoning, number ability, and word fluency begins to slow at age 60. Some scientists believe that decline in these areas doesn't happen until age 80, some say at age 50. But they all agree on one thing, that people do not think as quickly or remember as well at age 80 as they did when they were 40. Scientists give two reasons for why this happens, too much interference and not enough inhibition. Interference refers to reduced sensory input. Reduced sensory input affects cognition by increasing the power of interference. Interference is thought to be a major impediment to effective and efficient cognition in the elderly. Less information is being perceived by the mind and some vital information is being obscured. Memory is also effected. As we age, elderly people tend to have difficult with their working memory, the memory that keeps information in the mind for a few seconds while it processes it. After reading all of this and learning about aging can inhibit our cognitive abilities I think that it is important that we should monitor and watch over our elderly grandparents and neighbors to make sure they are doing ok. Sometimes that means helping them drive to the grocery store, doctor appointments or helping them with everyday chores.