Description: What sort of activities make for healthier mental aging? Read this article and find out about some possibilities.
Source: Mentally Challenging Activities Key to a Healthy Aging Mind
Date: January 15, 2016
Photo Credit: americanbedu.com
Links: Article Link — http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160115100906.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmind_brain%2Fpsychology+%28Psychology+News+–+ScienceDaily%29
So here is a research question. Are older people who engage in mentally challenging hobbies or activities able to do so because they are mentally adept or does engagement in those activities make or keep them mentally adept? What sort of study design would be required to test this question and what would the result be? Read the article linked above and find out.
Questions for Discussion:
- What sort of study design is needed to address the question raised above?
- Are there limitations to the interpretability and applicability of the research study discussed in the article?
- What implications would this line of research (assuming it turns out to be replicable) have for advice on cognitive aging?
References (Read Further):
Ian M. McDonough, Sara Haber, Gérard N. Bischof, Denise C. Park. The Synapse Project: Engagement in mentally challenging activities enhances neural efficiency. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 2015; 33 (6): 865 http://content.iospress.com/articles/restorative-neurology-and-neuroscience/rnn150533
