Thinking, Young and Old: Cognitive Job Demands and Strain Across the Lifespan

The literature on cognitive job demands across the lifespan is fragmented and lacking a coherent theoretical framework. This article presents a review of the theoretical approaches and empirical findings on how cognitive job demands relate to strain across the lifespan. We position the demands-strain relationship within the broader context of the selection, optimization and compensation model of self-regulation. Then, by integrating principles of developmental cognitive science with the job demands-resources model, we describe, distinguish, and classify 8 forms of cognitive demands (time pressure, role ambiguity, choice-based role conflict, solution-based role conflict, creative problem-solving, complex problem-solving, vigilance, and awareness) according to whether they rely primarily on fluid cognitive abilities or on crystallized cognitive abilities, which each show systematic trajectories of growth and decline across the lifespan. This classification helps to explain why studies detect disparate effects of age in the relationship between cognitive demands and strain and provides a much needed theoretical integration of age differences in the effects of common cognitive demands at work.