Getting older doesn’t mean losing the ability to make decisions, according to research by the UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth and the MetLife Mature Market Institute.
The study researched the connection between cognitive health, aging, and decision-making capacity using healthy men and women in their 50s, 60s and 70s.
Researchers found that although participants each stage had about the same strategic learning abilities, the oldest participant group did slightly better, were more conscientious, remained vigilant, and avoided being hyper-vigilant.
“The study findings are a crucial first step to move beyond age as a demographic factor used to explain impaired decision-making,” said Dr. Sandra Chapman, founder and chief director of the Center for Brain Health in a statement. “Policies and practices that focus exclusively on age-related declines in decision-making will unnecessarily curtail the autonomy of older adults with preserved cognitive function. Age is not a disease, therefore noticeable drops in mental decline warrant medical attention to determine cause and best course of action. Maximizing cognitive potential is possible across the lifespan.”
According to the press release, the study also found:
Healthy aging adults show no decline in decision-making. Increased age alone—from the early 50s through the late 70s—was not a key factor in predicting impaired decision-making capacity.
Strategic learning capacity may actually increase with age. Those in their 70s performed at least as well as the 50s age group on a cognitive measure of strategic learning.
Strategic learners are less likely to fall victim to bias toward riskier options. Participants who performed well in sifting important information on the strategic learning measure, a tool used by researchers, made more logically consistent financial decisions.
Conscientious decision-making intensifies with age. A self-assessment revealed older decision-makers were more careful and organized than those in the younger age group.
Risk tolerance can be linked to cognitive ability. Overall, men and women performed equally at logically consistent decision-making and at strategic learning.
source: healthcare.dmagazine
The study researched the connection between cognitive health, aging, and decision-making capacity using healthy men and women in their 50s, 60s and 70s.
Researchers found that although participants each stage had about the same strategic learning abilities, the oldest participant group did slightly better, were more conscientious, remained vigilant, and avoided being hyper-vigilant.
“The study findings are a crucial first step to move beyond age as a demographic factor used to explain impaired decision-making,” said Dr. Sandra Chapman, founder and chief director of the Center for Brain Health in a statement. “Policies and practices that focus exclusively on age-related declines in decision-making will unnecessarily curtail the autonomy of older adults with preserved cognitive function. Age is not a disease, therefore noticeable drops in mental decline warrant medical attention to determine cause and best course of action. Maximizing cognitive potential is possible across the lifespan.”
According to the press release, the study also found:
Healthy aging adults show no decline in decision-making. Increased age alone—from the early 50s through the late 70s—was not a key factor in predicting impaired decision-making capacity.
Strategic learning capacity may actually increase with age. Those in their 70s performed at least as well as the 50s age group on a cognitive measure of strategic learning.
Strategic learners are less likely to fall victim to bias toward riskier options. Participants who performed well in sifting important information on the strategic learning measure, a tool used by researchers, made more logically consistent financial decisions.
Conscientious decision-making intensifies with age. A self-assessment revealed older decision-makers were more careful and organized than those in the younger age group.
Risk tolerance can be linked to cognitive ability. Overall, men and women performed equally at logically consistent decision-making and at strategic learning.
source: healthcare.dmagazine
