Aging, cognition, and culture: a neuroscientific perspective

Behavioral studies have suggested some intriguing differences across cultures in cognitive processes such as attention to context, the use of categorization, stereotypes about aging, and metamemory judgments. Moreover, there is behavioral evidence to suggest that, with age, cultural differences in cognition become less pronounced, likely due to decreased cognitive resources that may result in more similarity across cultures in cognition. The study of the neuroscience of aging, culture and cognition, although in its infancy, potentially provides insight into the contributions of experience and neurobiology to cognitive function. We review initial findings of cross-cultural behavioral aging research in light of cognitive neuroscience of aging research and consider the methodological challenges and benefits of adding a cross-cultural dimension to the study of the cognitive neuroscience of aging.