Effects of Aging on Cognitive Development
Aging is a natural process that all humans must go through during their lives. Many psychological and physical changes occur in people as they age. Many of these changes impact a person’s development and cognitive functioning. Because each person is unique, they age differently, which means that age-related changes in the brain’s structure and how it functions in cognitive domains are not consistent across the brain as a whole, nor are they consistent for each individual. In other words, some changes brought on by aging may not be experienced by another person. The brain functions similarly to a human computer in terms of information reception and transmission. This paper will assess the effects of aging on cognitive development and provide examples to support its claims.
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Cognitive Advancement
The terms “cognition” and “cognitive function” refer to all mental activities associated with thinking, learning, remembering, and communicating. Normal cognitive changes occur as people age. Diseases can also impact cognition, most notably dementia, which becomes more common with age, beginning around 65. Researchers have shown a strong interest in preventing cognitive decline and dementia. Being mentally active throughout life has been linked to a lower risk of dementia. As a result, it has been proposed that encouraging mental activity in midlife (defined as 40 to 65 years of age in this review) may be an effective way of maintaining good cognitive function as people age (Gates, 2019).
The study of childhood neurological and psychological development is known as cognitive development. Cognitive development is specifically assessed as an indicator of brain development based on the level of conception, perception, information processing, and language. It is widely acknowledged that cognitive development advances with age as human awareness and understanding of the world grows from infancy to childhood and adolescence. Jean Piaget first described the cognitive development process in his Theory of Cognitive Development (Cognitive Development, 2014). Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is divided into four stages: sensory-motor, early childhood, and the first two years of life. The preoperational stage occurs between the ages of two and seven years, the concrete operational stage occurs between the ages of seven and eleven, and the formal-operational stage occurs between eleven and adulthood.
Cognitive Research
As technology advances, the population’s average age rises, as does interest in understanding the cognitive and neural changes accompanying aging (Kensinger & Corkin, 2009). While it is obvious that significant cognitive decline cannot be avoided as we age. This has prompted researchers to investigate what distinguishes older high-performing adults from older low-performing adults (Kensinger & Corkin, 2009). It also allows them to research the difference between successful aging and those suffering from age-related diseases (Kensinger & Corkin, 2009).
Not all cognitive domains and processes are affected in the same way as people age. Problems paying attention and memory problems are the most common and noticeable cognitive declines in older people (Kensinger & Corkin, 2009). Cognitive changes associated with aging may be linked to sensory changes such as vision and hearing (Kensinger & Corkin, 2009). Most people in their 80s have diminished color discrimination and significant hearing loss. For example, if asked to remember certain words dictated in a noisy environment, younger adults perform better than older adults (Kensinger & Corkin, 2009). These deficits can also be attributed to slower performance due to slower auditory processing, which could explain why older adults have poorer memory. It is also possible that some older adults may have a correlation resulting from the shared influence of sensory and cognitive changes (Kensinger & Corkin, 2009).
Cognitive Research
Kaup et al. (2011) discovered that “older adults declined in their cognitive performance over time; however, there was great variability among individuals” in their study. Whereas some people showed a sharp decline in performance, others showed only a gradual decline, others’ cognitive performance remained stable, and the rest improved” (p. 12). This suggests that we may look at the aging brain in a context that is too broad. When researching the aging brain, all factors must be considered. Individual differences in cognitive performance among older adults may, at least in part, be explained by neurobiological factors such as the size and integrity of brain structures, according to Kaup et al. (2011).
Vandenbossche et al. (2014) conducted this study, which discusses the “influence of attentional demand consequence specific learning via the serial reaction time task in young (age 18-25) and aged (age 55-75) adults (Vandenbossche et al., 2014).” This study examines the reaction time to a given stimulus. The reaction times of younger and older people differed according to age. This study examines both groups’ memory and learning abilities. Older people grow diminished abilities in both areas. Both of these studies show that the cognitive process deteriorates with age.
Conclusion
Every person’s physical body and mind lose their ability to function as they once did due to aging. The effects of aging can be seen in all aspects of a person’s life. Aging reduces a person’s ability to use the cognitive process effectively. Aging is a natural part of life, and it impacts cognitive development; there is no reason for healthy people to fear aging because cognitive function declines.
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Reference
Biologydictionary.net Editors. (2014). Cognitive Development. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://biologydictionary.net/cognitive-development/
Gates, N. J. (2019). Computerized cognitive training is used to maintain cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in midlife. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (3). Retrieved from http://contentproxy.phoenix.edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=chh&AN=CD012278&site=eds-live
Kaup, A. R., Mirzakhanian, H., Jeste, D. V., & Eyler, L. T., (2011). A review of the brain structure correlates with successful cognitive aging. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 23(1), 6–15. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/853645474?accountid=35812
Kensinger, E.A., & Corkin, S. (2009). Cognition in aging and age-related disease. Handbook of the neuroscience of aging. 249–256. Retrieved from https://www2.bc.edu/elizabeth kensinger/Kensinger_EncycloNeurosci.pdf
Vandenbossche, Jochen, Coomansi, Daphne, Deroost, KoenHombles and Natacha, (2014). The effect of cognitive aging on implicit sequence learning and dual tasking. Frontiers in Psychology. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00154.
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Question 
Directions:
Due to the increasing percentage of older adult clients in the U.S., healthcare providers must assess and confront their attitudes and perceptions toward older adults.
Effects of Aging on Cognitive Development
In your initial post, address the following:
- Describe ageism and its impact on societal views of older adult clients.
- Explain how ageism can influence the healthcare provisions of older adult clients.
- As a healthcare provider, how can one best assess and confront attitudes, perceptions, behaviors, and biases toward older adults?
Respond to at least one of your peers who have different perspectives than your own.
Please make your initial post by midweek, and respond to at least one other student’s post by the end of the week. Please check the Course Calendar for specific due dates.