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Effects of Aging on Cognitive Development

University of Phoenix
April 2, 2016
Psych 640

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The effects of aging on the cognitive development of humans progressively grows as an

individual ages. From birth, the human mind begins to rapidly acquire knowledge and
understanding through thought, experiences, and the senses. From processes such as knowledge,
attention, memory, judgment, reasoning, problem Solving, decisions making, comprehension,
and productions of language in individual's cognitive development is vast. These cognitive
processes use existing knowledge to build upon new knowledge. There is a point in an
individual's life where cognitive development begins to decline as we age. Although, the points
in which an individual begins this cognitive decline differs. "These determinants of the
differences in age-related cognitive decline are not fully understood and vary." (Deary et al.,
2009) This article will evaluate the aging effects on cognitive development as we discover the
differences age can have on this development.
Medical
Evaluating the Impact of age itself on cognitive development, "excluding mild cognitive
impairment or specific cognitive decline syndromes"(Deary et al., 2009) but looking at age itself,
it is apparent that this is a huge problem and major health concern, especially for elderly adults.
As one article puts it, "Cognitive decline is among the most feared aspects of growing old. It is
also the most costly, in terms of the financial, personal and societal burdens." (Deary et al., 2009)
Cognitive decline can lead to serious illness, dementia, and even death as age progresses. Age is
the most contributing factor when it comes to cognitive decline as it can be seen throughout this
paper. A lot of research has gone into learning more about cognitive failure in aging adults to
build a better understanding and eventually develop treatments that can be used to enhance and
prolong healthy cognition. "Age-related cognitive changes are attributable, at least in part, to

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general medical conditions that are commonly found in older adults. Approximately four out of
five over 65 have at least one or more chronic medical conditions."( Waldstein, 2000) Older
adults are more prone to medical conditions and their detrimental health effects, this would be
why age is one of the most contributing factors to cognitive development and decline. Another
thing that is known about the effects of aging on cognitive development is that prior intelligence
plays a role on how fast and when this declines begins to happen. Similar to the old saying my
grandfather always said, " if you don't use it, you lose it",
Intellect
Intelligence traits from early life tend to affect the health of an individual as they grow
older. The result of this can either lead to healthy cognition as an individual ages or it can reveal
a decline. Just because someone is old or above 65 does not necessarily mean that their cognitive
abilities are affected yet. There are too many determinants that still require research. As one
article claims, "There is little age-associated decline in some mental functions"(Deary et al.,
2009) For example, general knowledge and vocabulary. Individuals tend to see little affect in this
area. However, there are some mental abilities that start this decline near middle age, no matter
who you are. Such as memory, reasoning skills, and processing speed. This is just a fact of life as
a person ages and cannot be avoided. As a person's ages, there tends to be a decline in one mental
function, if this occurs, more likely, others tend to follow eventually. Slowed processing speed is
one example of this. It tends to relate to a great deal of why cognitive decline occurs as we age.
Research has found though, "People differ greatly in the degree to which their brains decline
with age." (Deary et al., 2009) One thing is for sure, identifying these declines in intellect or

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medical conditions when they happen can aid in the improvement and stability of cognition as an
individual ages.
Education and Lifestyle
Some other contributing factors to cognitive development as we age is an individual's
overall education, diet, and lifestyle choices. Studies have found, "Less healthful lifestyles tend
to be found among individuals with lower levels of education and/or socioeconomic status.
Examples of such lifestyle factors include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, illicit drug
use, dietary factors, and physical inactivity."( Waldstein, 2000) Diet and Lifestyle can play a
substantial part in the way we age and maintain cognition.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are various variables that individuals need to be concerned with as
they age in order to maintain healthy cognition. Medical conditions can pose a serious health risk
and can play a detrimental part in the aging process and cognitive develop. Intelligence is a key
factor to maintain as an individual ages in order to maintain cognition. Healthy lifestyle and diet
is also vital in the development and maintenance of an individual's cognition, especially as they
get older. These are just some of the areas that affects cognitive development as people age. To
keep our abilities healthy, we must use them and work to improve upon them throughout the
course of life.

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References
Deary, I. J., Corley, J., Gow, A., Harris, S., Houlihan, L. M., Marioni, R. E., Penke, L. (2009,
August 6). Age-associated cognitive decline. Retrieved from
http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/1/135.full
Waldstein, S. R. (2000). Health Effects on Cognitive Aging - The Aging Mind - NCBI
Bookshelf. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44823/