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Cognitive Ageing and Psychological Growth†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Gisela Labouvie-Vief  and
Fredda Blanchard-Fields
Gisela Labouvie-Vief
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202.
Fredda Blanchard-Fields
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202.
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Abstract

The present paper argues that some apparent deficits found in cognitive ageing may result from models that focus on youth-centered, formal-logical standards of thinking. An alternative model of adult development is proposed which explains these apparent deficits in terms of progressive reorganizations where decline in performance may be a consequence of the growth of more complex and highly differentiated skills. More specifically, the contextualization of formal logic or the reintegration of logic and affect found in older adult thinking is seen to represent a mature level of cognitive differentiation characterized by an autonomous, socially-oriented, and dialectical mode of reasoning. This theoretical perspective is substantiated by a review of the literature evidencing this kind of progression. Future research implications are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , July 1982 , pp. 183 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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