A hypothetical construct of "cognitive reserve" is widely used to explain how, in the face of neurodegenerative changes that are similar in nature and extent, individuals vary considerably in the severity of cognitive aging and clinical dementia. Intelligence, education and occupational level are believed to be major active components of cognitive reserve. Here, we summarize the main features o...

aging has negative effects on motor and cognitive functions, therefore finding appropriate strategies to prevent the decline of these functions is necessary. it seems that cardiovascular fitness obtained by aerobic activity is a physiological mediator that explains the relationship between physical activity and improved cognitive performance. the aim of this research was to assess the effects o...

Behavioral studies have suggested some intriguing differences across cultures in cognitive processes such as attention to context, the use of categorization, stereotypes about aging, and metamemory judgments. Moreover, there is behavioral evidence to suggest that, with age, cultural differences in cognition become less pronounced, likely due to decreased cognitive resources that may result in m...

We investigated the influence of attentional demands on sequence-specific learning by means of the serial reaction time task (Nissen and Bullemer, 1987) in young (age 18-25) and aged (age 55-75) adults. Participants had to respond as fast as possible to a stimulus presented in one of four horizontal locations by pressing a key corresponding to the spatial position of the stimulus. During the tr...

This chapter offers a sociological perspective on cognition, human development, and aging. The sociological lens brings into focus several questions that receive relatively little attention in the prevailing discourses of cognitive aging yet are fundamental to an adequate understanding of age, cognition, and their interrelationship. These questions concern both the explanandum (the phenomenon t...

Retracing a recently traveled route is a frequent navigation task when learning novel routes or exploring unfamiliar environments. In the present study we utilized virtual environments technology to investigate age-related differences in repeating and retracing a learned route. In the training phase of the experiment participants were guided along a route consisting of multiple intersections ea...

Bilinguals use two different language systems to mediate not only social communication, but also cognitive processes. Potential differences between bilinguals and monolinguals in task-solving strategies and patterns of cognitive decline during normal and abnormal aging have been suggested. Main contribution A research review of the area suggests that normal aging is associated with increased ...