K. Warner Schaie

The book analyzes the Seattle Longitudinal Study, which Professor Schaie began as a graudate student in the 1950s. The study has been impressive in its methodological sophistication, inclusion of a broad array of variables related to intellectual development, and attention to individual differences in intellectual aging. Up to the 1950s, studies of intelligence focused on children and college students, and the popular notion was that intelligence peaked at age 16 and declined in older adults in a uniform way. In his early work, Professor Schaie discovered that that dominant concept of intelligence was simplistic and that there are many variations in terms of when intelligence peaks and declines, as well as many different factors that affect a person's intelligence. Important practical questions are raised, such as: At what age do developmental peaks occur, and what are the generational differences and within-generation age changes? How do you establish sufficient competence for independent living?

Adult cognitive development is one of the most important, yet neglected aspects in the study of human psychology. Although the development of cognition and intelligence during childhood and adolescence is of great interest to researchers, educators, and parents, they assume that thisdevelopment stops progressing in any significant manner when people reach adulthood. In fact, cognition and intelligence do continue to progress in very significant ways. In Developmental Influences on Adult Intelligence, Warner Schaie lays out the reasons why we should continue to study cognitivedevelopment in adulthood, and presents the history, latest data, and results from the Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS), which now extends to over 45 years. The SLS is organized around five questions: Does intelligence change uniformly throughout adulthood, or are there different life-course-abilitypatterns?

"This volume focuses on the ways in which the life course of individuals is affected by the historical contexts in which they live. Editors Schaie and Elder, along with contributors, explore the following pivotal concerns: how historical changes, such as immigration, affect the life course; the impact of historical transitions within societies, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union; the linking mechanisms, such as how coming of age in wartime affected young people during World War II. One of the goals of this volume is to help readers gain a better understanding of the immediate and long-range effects of historical events on lives and aging. To stimulate thought and discussion, each chapter is followed by two insightful commentaries"--Provided by the Publisher.