The traditional thinking that only in children the brain is more attuned to the perception of information is refuted. This process does not disappear anywhere with age, but gradually the degree of information absorption is somewhat reduced.
Our brain is adapted to intensive cognition of the world in childhood, and therefore the highest degree of assimilation of incoming information at this age is justified. However, at some point, this increased absorption decreases due to less need, the scientists who conducted the study note.
A definite point in life where this happens, however, cannot be named, since the process is gradual, according to a new study published in the publication Psychological Science. Participants in the study by University College London were divided into four age groups and tested on two basic skills.
The testing took place in three stages. This was once at the start of the study, the second time seven weeks later, and the third time nine months after that. The problems presented to the study participants tested math and logic skills and reported general learning ability. It turned out that ten-year-old children do not surpass thirty-year-old adults in these tasks, but after this age there is a slight decrease in the intensity of many processes.
In other words, the results were exactly the opposite of what one would expect if the assessment was approached with traditional ideas about learning ability. The data obtained indicated that the brain skills used to learn about the world in childhood do not disappear with age, only the degree decreases, which disputes the current opinion, the authors of the study emphasize in their work.
For example, the functioning of the prefrontal cortex does not change significantly with age. Most brain functions gradually improve throughout life, which is why it is easier for a 30-year-old to solve a puzzle than a 10-year-old, although this is not the only reason. This has a positive effect on academic performance, because students often study better than schoolchildren.
Feelinger Tatiana
