Midlife Influences Upon Intellectual Functioning in Old Age

Evidence is presented from the Seattle Longitudinal Study to show that cognitive style and other life style variables in midlife can predict part of the individual differences in pattern and rate of ability decline in old age. Differential importance of certain predictor variables are examined as a function of the extent of actul ability decline at various ages. During early middle age attitudinal flexibility maintains high level of function on the fluid abilities and on motor-cognitive flexibility. High performance on the latter variables at midlife as well as an engaged life style and the absence of family dissolution appear to be critical for the maintenance of high levels of ability performance from middle into old age.