Experimental Psychology And Human Aging

This book is a major revision and extension of my earlier book, Experimental Psychology and Human Aging, which appeared in 1982. The intervening years have seen a remarkable expansion of psychological research on human aging, especially on topics dealing with cognition. They have also seen research on cognitive aging gain increasing importance within the mainstream of basic cognitive research. As my lecture notes for my course in the psychology of aging grew, so did my apprehension regarding the task ahead of me in revis ing the first edition. The research explosion in cognitive aging forced several major changes in content from the first to the second edition. Two chapters on learning and memory in the first edition were necessarily expanded to six chapters in the present edition. Similarly, the single prior chapter on percep tion and attention became two chapters, as did the single prior chapter on thinking. Another change from the first edition is in the addition of some review of the effects of abnormal aging on various cognitive processes, parti cularly in regard to memory functioning. To keep the revision within reason able length, some sacrifices had to be made. The multiple chapters on metho dology and theory in the first edition were condensed into the present, single chapter. However, the major topics from the first edition were retained and, in fact, added to by the inclusion of important topics and issues that emerged over the past eight years.

For some time now, the study of cognitive development has been far and away the most active discipline within developmental psychology. Although there would be much disagreement as to the exact proportion of papers published in developmental journals that could be considered cognitive, 50% seems like a conservative estimate. Hence, a series of scholarly books to be devoted to work in cognitive development is especially appropriate at this time. The Springer Series in Cognitive Development contains two basic types of books, namely, edited collections of original chapters by several authors, and original volumes written by one author or a small group of authors. The flagship for the Springer Series is a serial publication of the "advances" type, carrying the subtitle Progress in Cognitive Development Research. Volumes in the Progress sequence are strongly thematic, in that each is limited to some well-defined domain of cognitive-developmental research (e. g. , logical and mathematical development, semantic development). All Progress volumes are edited collections. Editors of such books, upon consultation with the Series Editor, may elect to have their works published either as contributions to the Progress sequence or as separate volumes. All books written by one author or a small group of authors will be published as separate volumes within the series. A fairly broad definition of cognitive development is being used in the selection of books for this series.

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Shows how ageing processes affect human performance: sensory and perceptual, memory, spatial reasoning, problem-solving, physical performance, and workplace performance.

What are the fundamental mechanisms of decision making, processing speed, memory and cognitive control? How do these give rise to individual differences, and how do they change as people age? How are these mechanisms implemented in neural unctions, in particular the functions of the frontal lobe? How do they relate to the demands of everyday, 'real life' behaviour? Over almost five decades, Pat Rabbitt has been among the most distinguished of British cognitive psychologists. His work has been widely influential in theories of mental speed, cognitive control and aging, influencing research in experimental psychology, neuropsychology and individual differences. This volume, dedicated to Pat Rabbitt, brings together a distinguished group of 16 contributors actively pursuing research in the fields of speed, memory, and control, and the application of these fields to individual differences and aging. With the latest work from senior figures in the field, and a focus on fundamental topics in both teaching and research, the book will be valuable to students and scientists in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

Presented in this volume is a discussion of current literature and theoretical issues relating to three aspects of late-life age-related cognitive change. Firstly, evidence regarding aging and the basic mental processes of attention, motor control, memory, language, problem-solving, and intelligence are presented. Secondly, the role of personal traits such as personality and self-efficacy in the aging of cognitive function are developed, along with self-awareness of cognitive processes and age changes in the monitoring of these processes. Thirdly, consideration is given to the study of interventions to delay or remediate the cognitive declines of aging.

The brain contains many distinct functional and anatomical regions. Despite these differences, brain tissues are sufficiently uniform in the fact that they can engage in various types of processing. How can functionally different kinds of processes, such as verbal memory and reasoning, visual and auditory memory, and mental imagery, all be supported by the relatively uniform electrochemical activity of a brain's neurons? How are they appropriately segregated and integrated as needed? In Aging, Representation, and Thought, Matthew J. Sharps provides an empirically based, functional answer to what is, from the standpoint of modern cognitive psychology, a critical theoretical issue.Sharps argues that the crucial factor is the degree to which information is subjected to processing that is more gestalt or feature-intensive in nature. Sharps shows that purely gestalt processing deals with information in large "chunks," providing for relatively little incisive analysis. Purely feature-intensive processing, on the other hand, tends to ignore the overall nature and context of information in favor of comparatively minute analyses. It provides for relatively comprehensive analysis, but also for slow, cumbersome processing. Neither process, however, works in isolation, and Sharps demonstrates how information processing occurs on a continuum between the two extremes.Sharps' theoretical perspective is amply borne out by the results of specific experiments in all of the cognitive realms he addresses. He provides relatively comprehensive explanations for a variety of phenomena including the diminution of specific cognitive processes with age, and errors in eyewitness memory, reasoning, and decision-making at all levels of human activity. Aging, Representation, and Thought will be of interest to psychologists, students of adult development and aging, and management specialists.