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Aging seniors mentally fit: study
August 19, 2009
Aging seniors have a longer memory than previously thought, finds a new study led by Ryerson University psychologist Dr. Lixia Yang.
That old saying, "your mind as is sharp as a steel trap", seems to hold true for seniors well into their 80s, according to a new study by led by a Ryerson University researcher.
In a study published in this month's issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, Dr. Lixia Yang of Ryerson University and her co-author, Ralf Krampe of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany, found that seniors were able to retain 50 per cent of concepts they learned almost a year ago.
"This finding was astonishing," says Dr. Yang, who is the study's lead author and heads up the Cognitive Aging Lab at Ryerson's Department of Psychology. "We always assumed that seniors would have great difficulty in grasping new concepts and maintaining what they've learned. But our research demonstrates this is not always the case."
Forty-seven seniors in their 70s and 80s completed a series of tests that measured three areas that normally decline with age: reasoning, processing speed and visual attention. They then repeated the same tests eight months later in a follow-up study. For example, to test the older adults' visual attention, one test involved finding "target" letters, like the letter "D" with dots above and below, among other letters with similar patterns as fast as possible.
"This study suggests that seniors' minds are still sharp, and they can be productive members of the workplace, as long as they receive appropriate training," says Dr. Yang.
The study was funded by Ryerson University and the Max-Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany.
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Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative career-focused education, offering close to 100 PhD, master's, and undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Arts; the Faculty of Communication & Design; the Faculty of Community Services; the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science; and the Ted Rogers School of Management. Ryerson University has graduate and undergraduate enrolment of 25,000 students. With more than 68,000 registrations annually, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education.
CONTACT:
Suelan Toye
Public Affairs
Ryerson University
Office: 416-979-5000 x 7161
stoye@ryerson.ca
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