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Age-Related Changes in Abilities

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Encyclopedia of Geropsychology

Synonyms

Aptitudes; Cognitive abilities; Intellectual development; Intelligence

Definition

Cognitive abilities are defined as a person’s mental capacity to do or act; broadly considered, cognitive abilities include attention, reasoning abilities, memory, and knowledge (Salthouse 2012).

Answers to questions about the development of cognitive abilities with age have implications for work performance, socioeconomic success (i.e., income and education, SES), and even mortality (the likelihood of mortality at earlier ages increases at lower ability levels, even after controlling for SES) (Salthouse 2012). Cognitive ability facilitates the execution of an array of tasks associated with a successful life, such as registering and completing courses in school, completing job applications and successful execution of job tasks, and simply getting from one place to another. Although not the only important factor, cognitive ability is a central determinant of life success.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA

    Margaret E. Beier & Jacqueline M. Gilberto

Authors
  1. Margaret E. Beier
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  2. Jacqueline M. Gilberto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret E. Beier .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Nancy A. Pachana

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© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Beier, M.E., Gilberto, J.M. (2015). Age-Related Changes in Abilities. In: Pachana, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_26-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_26-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-287-080-3

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