Cognition in Normal Aging

Abstract

As interest in aging and the aged has increased, thoughts about the relationship between cognition and aging have undergone repeated revisions. At mid-century, the dominant perspective on this topic was expressed by David Wechsler (1958): “Nearly all studies... have shown that most human abilities... decline progressively after... ages 18 and 25” (p. 135). By the early to mid-1970s, the notion of inescapable age-related decline was being strongly challenged, with titles such as “Aging and IQ: The Myth of the Twilight Years” being used in reviews of the literature (Baltes & Schaie, 1974). Contemporary approaches emphasize the diversity of aging—cognition relations, plasticity in old-age abilities, and the marked individual differences that exist among older people.