Elderly Can Be Trained to Respond As Quickly as Young Adults to Some Brain Tasks

Both children and the elderly have slower response times when it comes to making quick decisions in some settings. However, recent research suggests that much of that slower response is a conscious choice to emphasize accuracy over speed. For example, healthy older people can be trained to react faster in some decision-making tasks without hurting their accuracy, meaning that their cognitive skills in this area aren’t so different from younger adults.

“Many people think that it is just natural for older people’s brains to slow down as they age, but we’re finding that isn’t always true,” said Roger Ratcliff, professor of psychology at The Ohio State University and co-author of the studies. “At least in some situations, 70-year-olds may have response times similar to those of 25-year-olds.” For more information, click here to read the full release.