Osher Perspectives
Does learning become poorer in aging, or is it just different?
Martin F. Kaplan, Ph.D.
Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Getting older is something we all seek. Without going into the advantages, note the bottom line, as expressed by Maurice Chevalier (only seniors would know who he was!) when asked how he felt about growing old: “It’s fine, when you consider the alternative”. But does achieving seniority mean that we have to give up, or even curtail using our intellectual abilities to reason and learn? No. It has been shown that aging produces some losses, but with the proper conditions, it need not interfere with learning.
The general rule is that for each obstacle aging might throw at us (and remember, there are wide individual differences in the gradual loss of some abilities) there are things we can do to compensate so that we can learn material well as when we were younger. Just as with any skill, continual exercise keeps learning at optimal levels. Let us look at some of the issues that have been identified in learning and aging to see their resolution.
- “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. This is true….for dogs. But for the rest of us, older people can learn new information, and new skills. Many of us have adapted, for example, to the new world of computer literacy, internet surfing, and the like, and no longer use the Smith-Coronas of our youth.
- Sometimes older people feel less confidence in learning new things, but often this is because they haven’t been in a classroom in a long time, or because they are aware of the stereotype and fall into a self-fulfilling prophesy.
- Perhaps the best-documented loss in aging is that it takes longer to understand and think about what is being learned. Sometimes this is coupled with hearing loss. This means that learning situations for older people should be self-paced. The methods common to traditional college classes are heavily dependant on time pressure: complete assignments by such and such a time, finish a test in 50 minutes, read this by tomorrow, and so on. But education without such time pressures, that is, where the learner works independently at his/her own pace and does not have the assignments and tests typically required of younger learners, can be just as beneficial to the motivated older learner.
- For older learners, active, participatory learning may be more beneficial (and enjoyable) than traditional, lecture-based learning.
- Older learners already know more than when they were young. This can be an advantage if they are given the opportunity to reflect on new information to see how it integrates with what they already know. Given time between learning sessions to reflect, i.e., without the time and requirement pressures involved in traditional college courses, they can take full advantage of their superiority in stored knowledge and experiences.
- A supportive learning environment, with positive feedback and encouragement, is beneficial, provided that older learners are treated like adults. This environment is facilitated when competition and “measuring up” are minimized by eliminating testing and degree requirements.
Intellective activity and learning are not compromised in our later years given the right circumstances. Continual practice in learning improves our capacity, while absence of the pressure to learn for a college degree and a vocation is a plus for seniors.
Other deficits to consider:
Reaction time slows.
Vision – size and illumination important.
Hearing:
- narrowing of pitch perception
- volume deficit
- takes longer to translate meaning of sound.
Memory span decreases. Not so for judgment, knowledge, vocabulary and general information. Many memory deficits (short term) are not due to memory loss per se, but to strength of acquisition (learning). Less so that people can’t remember what they learn, but that learning is slowed in the first place. E.g., speeded learning vs. self-pacing. Memory will be facilitated if attention is given to the acquisition phase – emphasizing importance of what is being learned, pointing out its relationship to prior knowledge, and helping to integrate it with prior knowledge. Particularly difficult, though, is the integration of knowledge that contradicts prior knowledge and experience (“old habits die hard”). This will require particular attention. In short, memory is enhanced if motivation is high and there is opportunity to actively integrate new knowledge with old during the learning phase.
