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Maintaining Competence in the Face of Resource Limitations: The Role of Schema Complexity in Aging and Communication

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Generative Mental Processes and Cognitive Resources

Abstract

Research shows that older persons have generally lower levels of processing resources (e.g., working memory capacity, processing speed) and that these processing limitations have a negative impact on language production/comprehension in older persons. On the other hand, the practical communication competence of older persons shows either no age-related deficit or better performance than that of younger people. This chapter first reviews the literature establishing age-related language processing deficits and that on age-related language competence. It then examines how social knowledge may serve to counteract the impact of processing limitations on communication competence in aging. In particular, research on age-related differences in the complexity of age stereotype schemas is reviewed along with that investigating age-related differences in the production of competent persuasive messages to older targets. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications for processing limitations research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA

    Mary Lee Hummert

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  1. Mary Lee Hummert
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Correspondence to Mary Lee Hummert .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Potsdam, Germany

    Ulrich von Hecker

  2. University of Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Stephan Dutke

  3. Warsaw School of Advanced Social Psychology, Poland

    Grzegorz Sedek

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Hummert, M.L. (2000). Maintaining Competence in the Face of Resource Limitations: The Role of Schema Complexity in Aging and Communication. In: von Hecker, U., Dutke, S., Sedek, G. (eds) Generative Mental Processes and Cognitive Resources. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4373-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4373-8_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5880-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4373-8

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