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The Importance of Studying the Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging Across Cultures
Angela Gutchess1, Yong Sheng Tan2, James Qian1
1Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
It is now widely appreciated that culture can shape cognition and neural engagement. However, research investigating the effects of culture across the adult lifespan, with a focus on cognitive aging, is lacking. In this article, we consider why this integration of topics is useful and discuss the ways in which culture has been proposed to affect cognition and the cognitive neuroscience of aging. The literature thus far is reviewed from the perspectives of long-term memory and decision-making, which broadly encompass information processing in the brain and reflect a person's worldview and resulting actions. We argue for the importance of integrating aging into the study of cultural neuroscience, making the case from two different perspectives: the importance of studying cultural influences over the trajectory of the adult lifespan and the importance of understanding the cognitive neuroscience of aging across cultural groups. We discuss challenges and opportunities for future research, concluding that studying the cognitive neuroscience of aging across cultures has the potential to broaden understanding of the factors that contribute to successful cognitive aging as well as age-related decline and pathology.
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