[Intelligence or relevant knowledge as a prerequisite for strategies in environmental management in old age]

The theoretical part discusses implications of changes in intelligence and cognitive structure for the behavior of adults and elderly individuals. The theory is proposed that knowledge pertaining to the actual environment, rather than intelligence, is the determining factor for the "ability to adapt". Deviations in behavior displayed by elderly individuals are not mainly attributed to an--insignificant--reduction in intelligence, but rather are related to changes in basic knowledge. In a second, empirical part, it is examined whether knowledge of relevant changes in the environment is related to mastery of developmental tasks in old age. A cross-sectional study brought forth results demonstrating that knowledge of change is more significantly related to "mastery of life" than is intelligence. In addition to this, it could be observed that the examined sample succeeded in mastering life outstanding, with alltogether only a minor decrease in knowledge of change, despite a considerable lag in measured fluid intelligence.