General Intelligence

In measures of intelligence, older adults display what is called the "classic aging pattern". Performance scores which measure problem solving ability tend to decline with age. Verbal scores which measure learning knowledge such as comprehension, arithmetic, and vocabulary, tend to remain stable. Considerable debate continues regarding the point at which declines occur and the magnitude of the declines. Relatively little decline in performance occurs prior to age 50. Substantial declines appear to occur after age 70.