Changing Minds
How Aging Affects Language and How Language Affects Aging
By Richard Roberts, Roger Kreuz | Publisher: MIT Press
About the book
Why language ability remains resilient and how it shapes our lives.
We acquire our native language, seemingly without effort, in infancy and early childhood. Language is our constant companion throughout our lifetime, even as we age. Indeed, compared with other aspects of cognition, language seems to be fairly resilient through the process of aging. In Changing Minds, Roger Kreuz and Richard Roberts examine how aging affects language—and how language affects aging.
Kreuz and Roberts report that what appear to be changes in an older person's language ability are actually produced by declines in such other cognitive processes as memory and perception. Some language abilities, including vocabulary size and writing ability, may even improve with age. And certain language activities—including reading fiction and engaging in conversation—may even help us live fuller and healthier lives.
Kreuz and Roberts explain the cognitive processes underlying our language ability, exploring in particular how changes in these processes lead to changes in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They consider, among other things, the inability to produce a word that's on the tip of your tongue—and suggest that the increasing incidence of this with age may be the result of a surfeit of world knowledge. For example, older people can be better storytellers, and (something to remember at a family reunion) their perceived tendency toward off-topic verbosity may actually reflect communicative goals.
Editions of Changing Minds
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780262042598
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780262539586
- EBook
- ISBN 9780262353526
- EBook
- ISBN 9780262353533
- EBook
- ISBN 9780262353540
Read an Excerpt
Why language ability remains resilient and how it shapes our lives.
We acquire our native language, seemingly without effort, in infancy and early childhood. Language is our constant companion throughout our lifetime, even as we age. Indeed, compared with other aspects of cognition, language seems to be fairly resilient through the process of aging. In Changing Minds, Roger Kreuz and Richard Roberts examine how aging affects language—and how language affects aging.
Kreuz and Roberts report that what appear to be changes in an older person's language ability are actually produced by declines in such other cognitive processes as memory and perception. Some language abilities, including vocabulary size and writing ability, may even improve with age. And certain language activities—including reading fiction and engaging in conversation—may even help us live fuller and healthier lives.
Kreuz and Roberts explain the cognitive processes underlying our language ability, exploring in particular how changes in these processes lead to changes in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They consider, among other things, the inability to produce a word that's on the tip of your tongue—and suggest that the increasing incidence of this with age may be the result of a surfeit of world knowledge. For example, older people can be better storytellers, and (something to remember at a family reunion) their perceived tendency toward off-topic verbosity may actually reflect communicative goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Changing Minds about?
Why language ability remains resilient and how it shapes our lives.
We acquire our native language, seemingly without effort, in infancy and early childhood. Language is our constant companion throughout our lifetime, even as we age. Indeed, compared with other aspects of cognition, language seems to be fairly resilient through the process of aging. In Changing Minds, Roger Kreuz and Richard Roberts examine how aging affects language—and how language affects aging.
Kreuz and Roberts report that what appear to be changes in an older person's language ability are actually produced by declines in such other cognitive processes as memory and perception. Some language abilities, including vocabulary size and writing ability, may even improve with age. And certain language activities—including reading fiction and engaging in conversation—may even help us live fuller and healthier lives.
Kreuz and Roberts explain the cognitive processes underlying our language ability, exploring in particular how changes in these processes lead to changes in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They consider, among other things, the inability to produce a word that's on the tip of your tongue—and suggest that the increasing incidence of this with age may be the result of a surfeit of world knowledge. For example, older people can be better storytellers, and (something to remember at a family reunion) their perceived tendency toward off-topic verbosity may actually reflect communicative goals.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Changing Minds?
Society and Social Sciences > Psychology > Cognition and cognitive psychology
Where can I read a sample of Changing Minds?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780262042598
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Changing Minds?
Richard Roberts, Roger Kreuz
Who is the Publisher of the book Changing Minds?
MIT Press
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Changing Minds is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780262042598) and paperback(ISBN 9780262539586) and ebook(ISBN 9780262353526) and ebook(ISBN 9780262353533) and ebook(ISBN 9780262353540)
Where can I buy Changing Minds online or support local independent bookshops?
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Where can I buy Changing Minds?