Citation

Rabbitt PMA. Appl. Cogn. Psychol. 1990; 4(4): 225-246.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/acp.2350040402

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The main research goals for applied cognitive gerontology are deceptively simple: When do age changes in cognition first appear? How fast do they then proceed? Are changes 'global' so that all cognitive systems and the skills that they support change at similar rates and to the same extent, or does ageing affect some independent 'modules' and their 'domain-specific' skills before others? We may ask parallel questions about variations in the rates of ageing between individuals: Are there marked individual differences in the ages of onset and in the rates of progression of cognitive ageing? Do all individuals experience the same patterns of cognitive change with age, or are there a variety of distinct patterns with characteristic time-scales and aetiologies? These last questions imply the most interesting issue of all for applied cognitive psychologists: Can we slow or abolish cognitive ageing? A review of the current state of the field can be structured in these terms.

Language: en