Encyclopedia of Geropsychology

2017 Edition
| Editors: Nancy A. Pachana

Sensory Effects on Cognition in Later Life

  • Karen Z. H. Li
  • Halina Bruce
  • Victoria Nieborowska
Reference work entry
First Online:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-082-7_153
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Synonyms

Audition; Cognition; Movement; Vision

Definition

This entry reviews the interacting relationships between sensory (audition, vision) and sensorimotor (gross and fine motor) aging and cognitive aging. Evidence from experimental age-simulation, clinical, intervention, and neuroimaging approaches is summarized, along with major theories linking sensory/sensorimotor aging to cognition.

Background

The impact of sensory aging on cognitive status is a growing focus of research (Salthouse 2010; Scialfa 2002; Schneider and Pichora-Fuller 2000). On this topic, the visual and auditory systems have been most closely examined given that these are the two predominant sources of environmental input for further perceptual and cognitive analysis. For instance, the integrity of signals entering the cognitive system via auditory or visual channels, if compromised or degraded by aging, have been shown to impede efficient cognitive processing of that information due to a need to engage in...

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References

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Karen Z. H. Li
    • 1
  • Halina Bruce
    • 1
  • Victoria Nieborowska
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of PsychologyCenter for Research in Human Development, Concordia UniversityMontréalCanada