As people age, their memory tends to decline, and this may be of more concern to people than the decline in the body from the neck down.
Short-term memory = working memory
Long-term memory:
Episodic memory - for events, experiences
Semantic memory - for facts, concepts
Procedural memory - for skills, tasks
As age increases, episodic memory declines the most
Semantic memory the second most
Procedural memory the least
Language is less likely to decline than other areas of cognition. People increase vocabulary into their 70s. Memory will change with age, but the ability to comprehend and make replies stays strong. Stokes/dementia can cause vocabulary changes.
One way people cope with memory loss involves interactions with other minds. Cognitive collaboration = questions/interactions with others jog memories. This is why we see a common phenomenon in aging: when spouse or friend dies, there is a loss of some cognitive function.
