Interrupted Learning across the Lifespan

Continued learning opportunities are important for adaptation across the lifespan. Interrupted learning (e.g., "summer slide") is a known, critical issue for childhood education. This perspective piece proposes that adulthood could be a period of prolonged interrupted learning with reduced learning opportunities, despite the known importance of lifelong learning. This idea goes beyond calls for healthy older adults to lead an active life to maintain cognitive abilities and to maintain basic functional skills by highlighting important lifespan circumstances that may hinder or facilitate adaptation in new and changing environments. We explore how research on interrupted learning in childhood could be applied to later adulthood and how changes in learning are viewed differently for children and adults. In addition, research on increasing abilities during childhood generally focuses on specific skills (e.g., reading, math), whereas cognitive aging research focuses on more general cognitive abilities related to attention and memory. Finally, given that interrupted learning occurs unevenly across different ages, abilities, and resources, more can be investigated in terms of who interrupted learning affects across the lifespan, and the neural underpinnings of interrupted learning. Acknowledging and addressing interrupted learning across the lifespan may promote long-term thriving and avoid preventable deficits and decline.

Optimizing cognitive interventions to improve real-world function for healthy older adults

Healthy aging requires acquiring new functional skills for adaptation in a dynamic environment. Cognitive interventions with older adults have largely focused on improving broad cognitive abilities, aiming for transfer to functional effects. By contrast, interventions focusing directly on acquiring new functional skills can address current real-world issues, including the need for reskilling and reducing the digital divide, especially for underserved communities. In doing so, we may better understand how aspects of age-related learning and cognitive and functional decline may be due to suboptimal learning circumstances rather than senescence. In this opinion paper, we highlight key aspects for designing long-lasting, real-world interventions to improve functional skills, and potentially transfer to cognitive effects, for older adults. This approach could help build more inclusive theories of cognitive aging, while progressing the field toward developing more effective and useful interventions.

Learning Barriers, Engagement, and Interests Among Low-Income Latino Older Adults: Highlighting the Privilege of Learning and Retirement

ObjectivesEngagement in learning new skills can potentially foster cognitive and functional growth among low-income Latinos, a population at high risk for developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. However, they may face unique barriers to learning. The present qualitative study identified learning barriers, learning engagement, and learning interests among low-income Latino older adults.MethodsTwenty Spanish-speaking participants were interviewed utilizing a semi-structured interview protocol. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.ResultsSome of the identified barriers include lacking good health, finances, learning opportunities, technology, proficiency in English, transportation, and motivation. Participants were most interested in learning technology, English, sewing skills, and culinary arts to primarily improve their financial situation.DiscussionThese findings highlight the privilege of prioritizing leisure activities for novel skill learning in old age for those with more financial resources. Our findings promote the need to provide tailored novel skill learning opportunities for underserved populations.

Older adults' views on training tools to prevent cognitive decline

Computerized training platforms could be an accessible means for older adults to maintain cognitive health, and several such tools are already commercially available. However, it remains unclear whether older adults use these tools if training is not externally prescribed. We explored older adults' self-initiated experiences with cognitive training. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 community-dwelling adults aged 58-85 years, comprising university retirees (N = 8) and public housing residents (N = 5). Interviews were analyzed by thematic analysis. No participants voluntarily used cognitive training, and those who had done so previously reported negative experiences. Several factors shaped older adults' engagement with cognitive training, especially a preference for stimulating activities that are organic and inherently enjoyable. We reveal a mismatch between older adults' priorities and the interventions currently available and uncover issues of access and interest among low-income and minority individuals. We suggest ways to better align future interventions with older adults' priorities.

A contemporary review of employee retirement

As societies in many developed countries grapple with the rapid aging trend of the population, the research field of retirement has gained increasing attention. Considering the extensive scope of psychological research on retirement, in this article we focus on providing a review of recent advancements, especially those that have not been covered in existing reviews. We structure our review around four primary empirical themes in alignment with the temporal process model of retirement: retirement planning, retirement decision-making, bridge employment, as well as retirement transition and adjustment. We conclude this review with a discussion on potential future research directions.

Effects of Cognitive Training on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: The Moderating Role of Social Determinants of Health

Objective: We examined whether social determinants of health (SDoH) are associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) risk and the effects of cognitive training over a 20-year follow-up period. Methods: Data were obtained from 1605 participants in ACTIVE. SDoH measures were created using baseline data at the individual and neighborhood level. Incident ADRD was defined using administrative claims data (1999-2019). Cause-specific hazard models estimated associations between SDoH and claims-based diagnosed ADRD. Results: Higher scores on neighborhood and built environment were associated with lower ADRD risk. Trained participants obtained a greater degree of protection from ADRD when they had higher scores for SDoH domains associated with health care and education access. However, there were fewer significant SDoH moderation effects on cognitive training than expected. Discussion: Future work should continue to explore culturally tailored cognitive training interventions to reduce ADRD risk associated with SDoH that disproportionately affects racially diverse aging populations.

Cognitive and Functional Improvement via Novel Skill Learning for Low-Income Minoritized Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Prior research has demonstrated beneficial outcomes for learning new skills in older adulthood, including increased cognitive and functional abilities, which help prevent age-related declines and foster healthy aging. However, these studies largely have included participants not typically considered at risk for cognitive and functional decline (i.e., White, highly educated, higher income). Cognitive and functional disparities exist among minoritized racial and ethnic individuals, particularly Black and Latinx populations, because of a lifetime of inequalities associated with low socioeconomic status, low education, and discrimination. This theoretical paper proposes a potential pathway in which such disparities could be mitigated by increasing cognitive and functional abilities via novel skill learning in these at-risk populations in middle and later life to prevent decline. We also discuss indirect barriers (e.g., financial and health issues), direct barriers (e.g., limited learning opportunities), and motivational barriers (e.g., self-beliefs, values) that these adults may encounter. We further highlight that addressing these barriers to novel skill learning by providing appropriate resources is necessary to maximize the feasibility and potential effectiveness of this pathway. Lastly, we encourage future research to test this pathway and help inform policymakers and existing learning programs to implement better ways of promoting lifelong learning in an inclusive and equitable manner to prevent decline.

Cognitive and metacognitive, motivational, and resource considerations for learning new skills across the lifespan

Across the lifespan, learners have to tackle the challenges of learning new skills. These skills can range from abilities needed for survival, such as learning languages, learning to walk during infancy, and learning new software for a job in adulthood, to abilities related to leisure and hobbies. As the learner progresses through novice to expert stages, there are cognitive and metacognitive, motivational, and resource considerations for learning new skills. In terms of cognitive considerations, fluid and crystallized abilities as well as executive functions interact to help the learner process and retain information related to the skills. In terms of metacognitive considerations, knowing what to learn and how to learn are important for novel skill learning. In terms of motivational considerations, changes in individuals' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation throughout the lifespan impact their pursuit of novel skill learning, and declines in motivation can be buffered through the cultivation of grit, growth mindset, self-efficacy, and other personal factors. In terms of resource considerations, there are many tools that learners can use to acquire new skills, but allocation and availability of these resources differ based on life stage and socioeconomic status. Taken together, these considerations may provide learners with the best chance at acquiring new skills across the lifespan. Further research investigating these three factors, particularly among older adult learners, and their interactive effects could help increase our understanding of their impacts on skill learning and inform future cognitive interventions that can be tailored to learners' unique needs. This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Cognitive Development Psychology > Development and Aging Psychology > Learning.