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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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The strong connection between sensory and cognitive performance in old age
— not due to sensory acuity reductions operating during cognitive assessment | | Author(s) | Ulman Lindenberger, Hans Scherer, Paul B Baltes |
| Journal title | Psychology and Aging, vol 16, no 2, June 2001 |
| Pages | pp 196-205 |
| Keywords | Sense organ problems ; Cognitive processes ; Mental ageing ; Evaluation ; Correlation ; Germany. |
| Annotation | Cognitive ageing research has documented a strong increase in the co-variation between sensory and cognitive functioning with advancing age. In part, this finding may reflect sensory acuity reductions operating during cognitive assessment. To examine this possibility, the authors administered cognitive tasks used in previous studies to middle-aged people under age-simulation conditions of reduced visual acuity, auditory acuity, or both. Visual acuity was decreased using partial occlusion filters, auditory acuity using headphone-shaped noise protectors. Acuity manipulations reduced visual and auditory acuity in the speech range to values reaching or approximating old-age acuity levels, respectively, but did not lower cognitive performance relative to control conditions. Results speak against assessment-related sensory acuity accounts of the age-related increase in the connection between sensory and cognitive functioning and underscore the need to explore alternative explanations, including a focus on general aspects of brain ageing. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-020111214 A |
| Classmark | BLP: DA: D6: 4C: 49: 767 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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