As Americans live longer, we are becoming more and more interested in the ways that age effects the body. One of the effects that we have documented in recent years is the fact that older people tend to perform less well on intelligence tests than do younger people. This has been so well documented, that this difference is usually taken into account individuals are assigned a standardized IQ. Thus, older people can perform less well on an intelligence test than they did when they were in their 20s without showing any drop in IQ. We simply assume that older people will perform less well. Why? What is it about the aging process that affects our intelligence?
The answer is not so simple. While it is true that older people generally perform worse on intelligence tests than do younger people, it is unclear why this is. A lot of people claim that it is the result of the aging process. It has been well documented that old age effects coordination and speed. As early as 30 years old, a lot of people begin losing some of their ability to process visual information. The simple fact that it is harder for older people to see intelligence quizzes, hear instructions, or make decisions quickly may also effect their performance.
It is deceiving to say that intelligence declines with age, however, because there are many types of intelligence. What people lose in their abilities to process information, they make up for with all of the information they have accumulated over their lives. Until their memory begins to fail, they can use their experience to fill in some of the gaps. They no longer need to be as good at problem solving, because they are used to life and have experience to match almost any problem that may arise. Some researchers explain that this is why great mathematicians usually do their best work at a younger age when compared to historians and writers. That excess life experience is more beneficial in certain fields than it is in math.
There is certainly some effect of age upon intelligence, but the widespread discrepancy we see in intelligence between the elderly and the young may be more a result of culture. Over the last hundred years, human beings have made tremendous technological advances that have allowed us to live longer, healthier lives while having more educational opportunities, more free time, and more money. This is true not just in Western countries, but in countries around the world where the standard of living has increased significantly in just a few generations. These are all significant factors upon intelligence. As our standard of living increases, intelligence usually follows.
If researchers really wanted to study the effects of age upon intelligence, they need to test the same group of individuals as they age. Some researchers have done this, but many just compare people who are in their 20s to people in their 70s. It is not a fair comparison, however, because the people in their twenties were raised at a point in time that was more conducive for mental development. After all, we see that people who are disadvantaged in terms of wealth or education perform less well than people who are more advantaged. Why then do we compare the elderly, those who had fewer opportunities, to the young, who have had more opportunities?
This generation will probably find that its children, those born in the age of media saturation and ever increasing pace of lifestyle, will perform better than we do. More and more of the factors that are needed for success in early childhood development are becoming more and more prevalent in our society. It is a trend that started years ago and one that is likely to consider for some time to come.
