Ulman Lindenberger (Berlin)

“Heterogeneity in cognitive aging”

24 November, 2011

6.30 p.m. - 8.00 p.m.

Venue:

Berlin School of Mind & Brain

Luisenstraße 56, Haus 1, 2nd floor

FESTSAAL

10117 Berlin

Abstract:

The heterogeneity of behavioral change in adulthood poses conceptual and methodological challenges but also permits insights into the mechanisms and modifiability of cognitive development. I will elaborate these claims in four steps. First, I will propose that common genetic polymorphisms contribute to individual differences in behavioral change. Second, I will note that functional brain imaging studies have tended to neglect individual differences in old age. When differences are considered, similarities in brain activation patterns between younger and high-performing older adults come to the fore, suggesting that preservation may represent a more viable model of successful cognitive aging than compensation. Third, I will report new findings on the experimental modifiability of cognitive abilities, und link them to theoretical considerations on adult cognitive plasticity. I will end with a plea for multivariate within-person research designs that link short-term variability to long-term change to capture the causal dynamics of behavioral change.