salthouse reading adult

Salthouse argument

Age-related cognitive decline has real-world consequences

Processing speed hypothesis

Slower speed underlies many cognitive declines

Complex task vulnerability

Tasks requiring integration show more decline

Everyday cognition

Real-world tasks affected by cognitive aging

Fluid ability decline

Reasoning and problem-solving decrease with age

Working memory decline

Limited capacity affects multitasking

Attention control decline

Difficulty filtering distractions

Driving performance

Slower reaction times increase accident risk

Financial decision-making

Slower analysis may impair complex decisions

Medication management

Memory decline affects adherence

Occupational performance

High-demand jobs reveal declines

Technology adaptation

Learning new tech may take longer

Speed-accuracy tradeoff

Older adults emphasize accuracy over speed

Compensation strategies

Older adults use experience to offset decline

Practice effects

Longitudinal improvements from repeated testing

Cross-sectional limitation

Confounded by cohort differences

Longitudinal limitation

Attrition and selective survival

Everyday problem solving

Often preserved despite decline

Experience-based advantage

Knowledge offsets processing limitations

Individual variability

Not all adults decline at same rate

Selective survival effect

Healthier individuals remain in studies

Real-world complexity

Everyday tasks differ from lab tasks

Neural slowing

Myelin loss contributes to speed decline

Inhibitory decline

Difficulty suppressing irrelevant info

Functional implications

Decline affects independence

Adaptive behavior

Older adults adjust goals and strategies

Compensatory scaffolding

Brain recruits additional regions

Cognitive aging heterogeneity

Wide range of aging outcomes

Validity of lab tests

Lab measures may overestimate decline

Overall conclusion

Cognitive decline exists but is often modest and context-dependent