As people age, it is believed that brain activity becomes sluggish and some people become not as quick to think and react as they once were.
Researchers in Germany found this belief was partially true. Published in the monthly scientific journal Nature Human Behaviour, their study found that the brain’s processing speed begins to decline after the age of 60, but not so much before then.
Mischa von Krause, a research psychologist with Heidelberg University, led a team in constructing an online study to examine people’s cognitive response speed and accuracy. The study involved over 1.2 million participants aged 10 through 80. They were separated into several groups according to their age. Then each participant was asked to categorize words or images as they briefly appeared on a screen. Their responses were provided using keystrokes while the researchers measured the speed and accuracy of the responses….