Question

what changes commonly occur in midlife in cognitive functioning, memory , and intelligence. what is the role of advancing age on memory?

Answer 1

In middle aged people, most of the mental abilities are still at their peak. Contrary to popular opinions, the middle aged person may be better in some of the cognitive processes than younger people. Studies have shown that middle aged people are more positive in their thinking and are more calm. They may also have better abilities in dealing with practical matters than young people. But, in some areas, middle aged people are not doing so well, such as, there is decline in fluid intelligence, which deals with responding quickly to a new problem or situation

Memory starts to decline during middle age, and the capacity to process memory also decreases. Studies have shown that memory loss starts from the age of 40-45. Another study has shown that memory starts to decline steady from the age 30. The hippocampus is the region in the brain that stores and forms memories. As people age, they start to lose the neurons, and shrinkage of hippocampus happens, which leads to the decline in memory.