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430 Chapter
12
Development
MEMORY CHANGES IN LATE ADULTHOOD:
ARE OLDER ADULTS FORGETFUL?
One of the characteristics most frequently attributed to late adulthood is
forgetfulness. How accurate is this assumption?
Most evidence suggests that memory change is not an inevitable part
of the aging process. For instance, research shows that older people in
cultures in which older adults are held in high esteem, such as mainland
China, are less likely to show memory losses than those living in cultures
in which the expectation is that memory will decline. Similarly, when older
people in Western societies are reminded of the advantages of age (for
example, “age brings wisdom”), they tend to do better on tests of memory
(Levy, 1996; Hess, Hinson, & Statham, 2004; Dixon, Rust, & Feltmate, 2007).
Even when people show memory declines during late adulthood, their
defi cits are limited to certain types of memory. For instance, losses tend to
be limited to episodic memories that relate to specifi c experiences in peo-
ple’s lives. Other types of memories, such as semantic memories (that refer
to general knowledge and facts) and implicit memories (memories of which
we are not consciously aware) are largely unaffected by age (Fleischman et
al., 2004; Mitchell & Schmitt, 2006; St. Jacques & Levine, 2007).
Declines in episodic memories can often be traced to changes in older
adults’ lives. For instance, it is not surprising that a retired person, who
may no longer face the same kind of consistent intellectual challenges
encountered on the job, may have less practice in using memory or even
be less motivated to remember things, which leads to an apparent decline
in memory. Even in cases in which long-term memory declines, older
adults can profi t from training that targets memory skills (Fritsch et al.,
2007; West, Bagwell, & Dark-Freudeman, 2007).
In the past, older adults with severe cases of memory decline accompanied by
other cognitive diffi culties were said to suffer from senility. Senility is a broad, impre-
cise term typically applied to older adults who experience progressive deterioration
of mental abilities, including memory loss, disorientation to time and place, and
general confusion. Once thought to be an inevitable state that accompanies aging,
senility is now viewed by most gerontologists as a label that has outlived its useful-
ness. Rather than senility being the cause of certain symptoms, the symptoms are
deemed to be caused by some other factor.
Some cases of memory loss, however, are produced by actual disease. For
instance, Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that leads to a gradual
and irreversible decline in cognitive abilities. More than 5 million Americans have
the disease, and one in eight people age 65 and older are affl icted. Unless a cure is
found, some 14 million people will experience Alzheimer’s by 2050 (Feinberg, 2002;
Hurt et al., 2005; Rogers, 2007; Alzheimer’s Association, 2009).
Alzheimer’s occurs when production of the beta amyloid precursor protein goes
awry, producing large clumps of cells that trigger infl ammation and deterioration of
nerve cells. The brain shrinks, neurons die, and several areas of the hippocampus
and frontal and temporal lobes deteriorate. So far, there is no effective treatment
(Wolfe, 2006; Medeiros et al., 2007; Behrens, Lendon, & Roe, 2009).
In other cases, cognitive declines may be caused by temporary anxiety and
depression, which can be treated successfully, or may even be due to overmedication.
The danger is that people with such symptoms may be left untreated, thereby con-
tinuing their decline (Selkoe, 1997; Sachs-Ericsson et al., 2005).
In sum, declines in cognitive functioning in late adulthood are, for the most
part, not inevitable. The key to maintaining cognitive skills may lie in intellectual
stimulation. Like the rest of us, older adults need a stimulating environment in
order to hone and maintain their skills (Bosma et al., 2003; Glisky, 2007; Hertzog
et al., 2008).
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