The Role of Cognitive Stimulation on the Relations Between Age and Cognitive Functioning

• Published in: Psychology and aging Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 548 - 557
• Main Authors: Salthouse, Timothy A, Berish, Diane E, Miles, James D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-12-2002
• Subjects: Adult; Adult. Elderly; Age Differences; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Aging - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition Disorders - prevention & control; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive functioning; Developmental psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Stimulation; Task Performance and Analysis; Human; Senescence; Education level; Young adult; Sex; Cognitive ability; Adult; Stimulation; Cognition; Elderly; Age
• ISSN: 0882-7974; 1939-1498
• DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.17.4.548

To make a convincing argument that cognitive stimulation moderates age trends in cognition there must be (a) a negative relation between age and level of cognitive stimulation, (b) a positive relation between level of cognitive stimulation and level of cognitive functioning, and (c) evidence of an interaction between age and cognitive stimulation in the prediction of cognitive functioning. These conditions were investigated in a study in which 204 adults between 20 and 91 years of age completed an activity inventory and performed a variety of cognitive tasks. Only the 1st condition received empirical support, and, thus, the results of this study provide little evidence for the hypothesis that cognitive stimulation preserves or enhances cognitive functioning that would otherwise decline.