Is One Generation Sharper Than the Next?
Photo/S. Peter Lopez
The study, published in the current issue of the journal Psychology and Aging, found that individuals in their 70s today performed better on cognitive tests than individuals the same age tested 16 years ago.
In a test of word recall comparing contemporary 74-year-olds with a group the same age in the early 1990s, the present-day group performed as well as the older generation when they were 59.
On a measure of reasoning skills using letter and word sequences, contemporary 74-year-olds performed at the level of the previous generation when they were 62.
“Our research indicates that more recent generations may have a leg up on cognitive aging processes,” said Elizabeth Zelinski, lead author and holder of the Rita and Edward Polusky Chair in Education and Aging at USC.
“We think things will be even better for the baby boomers, who are even more educated than the pre-World War II generation,” she added. “Older adults now and in the future will be better mentally equipped to stay employed and engaged in our information-sensitive culture.”
A difference in educational level between successive generations is only one possible explanation, Zelinski said. Older adults also may be performing more activities involving the types of mental abilities tested in the study.
More intellectual stimulation overall may be another factor, Zelinski said, citing the 2005 book Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today’s Pop Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter, by Steven Johnson. The book argues that movies, video games and television are becoming more sophisticated and in turn making people more intelligent.
The findings have implications for elders in the work force who often are forced into retirement due to perceived age-related mental deterioration.
The study suggests that for occupations requiring strong reasoning and memory abilities, future older adults should have the functional ability to remain productively employed into their 70s.
The study suggests that “the declines shown for elders in aging studies of the past do not apply to contemporary older adults,” Zelinski said.
Data was provided by the Long Beach Longitudinal Study, which examines generations of elders in order to identify age-related changes in mental functioning. Participants are volunteers residing in the communities of Long Beach and Orange County. Data was matched from two groups of participants at the same age but tested 16 years apart.
The study was co-authored by Robert Kennison of California State University, Los Angeles.
This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes on Aging.
Latest stories
- USC Price School Celebrates Naming Gift February 9, 2012 2:45 PM
- George Will Shares His Perspective on Politics February 9, 2012 1:10 PM
- Life on the Rez February 9, 2012 12:10 PM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries