James E. Birren

Achieving and maintaining cognitive vitality with aging.

Cognitive vitality is essential to quality of life and survival in old age. With normal aging, cognitive changes such as slowed speed of processing are common, but there is substantial interindividual variability, and cognitive decline is clearly not inevitable. In this review, we focus on recent research investigating the association of various lifestyle factors and medical comorbidities with cognitive aging. Most of these factors are potentially modifiable or manageable, and some are protective. For example, animal and human studies suggest that lifelong learning, mental and physical exercise, continuing social engagement, stress reduction, and proper nutrition may be important factors in promoting cognitive vitality in aging. Manageable medical comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, also contribute to cognitive decline in older persons. Other comorbidities such as smoking and excess alcohol intake may contribute to cognitive decline, and avoiding these activities may promote cognitive vitality in aging. Various therapeutics, including cognitive enhancers and protective agents such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, may eventually prove useful as adjuncts for the prevention and treatment of cognitive decline with aging. The data presented in this review should interest physicians who provide preventive care management to middle-aged and older individuals who seek to maintain cognitive vitality with aging.

Autobiographical Memory and the Narrative Self over the Life Span

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights two areas of growing contemporary interest in the psychology of aging: autobiographical memory and the narrative self. The recall of autobiographical memories over the life span is a dynamic process. Older people remember relatively more memories from adolescence and early adulthood, than from other periods of life. In general, people also remember more positive events than negative events over the life span. The affect of past and future perspective changes with age―young adults recall relatively more negative events from their past than they expect from the future, whereas older people recall their past more positively and view their future more negatively. Evidence shows that memories recalled by men are more oriented toward work and womens memories toward health and family. The recall of autobiographical memory is a dynamic process related to age and gender.

A history of geropsychology in autobiography

This comprehensive resource features more than 400 projections and colour illustrations augmented by MRI images for added detail to enhance the anatomy and positioning presentations.

Rules and reason in the forced retirement of commercial airline pilots at age 60

Abstract In this salute to Tom Singleton, a logic to discuss a mandatory retirement age is suggested. Mandatory retirement in airline pilots is examined as a framework for the discussion. In the thirty-five years since the age 60 mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots was adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration, many changes have occurred in life expectancy, mortality and morbidity rates, economic conditions, and in the nature of flying itself that impact upon that decision. It is suggested that the policymakers look at the following three general areas as criteria when adjusting the age of mandatory retirement: actual job performance, information processing capacity and physical capacity. Information processing and physical capacity provide information about the necessary, but not sufficient conditions that must be met in order to fly an aircraft. Actual job performance is the final measure of a pilots ability to fly at any age.

The Age Revolution: Benefits and Concerns

The demographic changes in the age structure of developed societies in this century are without precedent in history. It is not surprising that there is much uncertainty in anticipating appropriate adaptations to the changing size of the different age segments. There is not only uncertainty in developed countries, who already face dramatic shifts in the age of their populations but also in developing countries who face rapid age changes in the next century. Uncertainty exists at all levels of societies, institutions, as well as in individuals themselves. This paper will review the background of the changes. It will present some options to reduce intergenerational conflict and to use the growing populations of older persons for the benefit of society, community, and family.