The dramatic increase during the 20th century in the number of people reaching old age has helped to continue a long tradition of research into the effects of ageing on human cognition. In the past the plurality of humans departed, by current standards, early in life with sound mind. While the modern individual is no longer troubled with small pox or polio, he is however, in a race between death and mental deterioration. To live is to be doomed to an unalterable fate of mental antiquity, checking out a decrepit, feeble-minded, old man. Until somewhat recently, this was the imagery tied to the ageing process in the mind of laymen and scientists alike. They believed with the onset of older age, i.e. after the developmental peak of say 40, there was a slow decline of all mental functioning. However, recent research indicates, through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), "some types of language processing may be performed more efficiently in older individuals"......
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