You often hear the phrase \u201cYou\u2019re never too young to learn.\u201d At the same time, people say that learning new things at an older age is difficult. But is that actually true? What does developmental (neuro)science say about this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is some truth to this since young children, especially babies, seem to acquire new skills effortlessly. Our brain reaches its largest size around the age of seven and then steadily becomes smaller (in volume) \u2014 about one sugar cube\u2019s worth of brain every five years. But does this mean we can\u2019t learn anything new? Fortunately not: research shows that adults and older adults are, in many cases, able to learn new skills just as well as younger people and children \u2014 but that it may take a little longer and require a bit more effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That difference in time and effort is partly due to cognitive factors. For example, on average, our reaction speed (how quickly you can respond) and our \u201cworking memory\u201d (how easily you can remember e.g. random numbers) slowly decline from around age thirty. This explains why older people may have to work slightly harder and longer to learn the same thing. And for some skills you indeed need to be young \u2014 take, for instance, learning a language that sounds very different from your own. We know that in order to distinguish or produce certain sounds well, you must be exposed to them at a young age (<2 years). If that is not the case, a trained ear can always hear that someone did not grow up with that language. Yet such skills are more of an exception to the rule since we can still learn a great many things perfectly well. So why does it still feel so much harder?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is because, in addition to these cognitive differences, there are also other important factors that play a role. In childhood we have the luxury (even if it may not have felt that way at the time!) of spending entire days solely on learning new skills. In adulthood, learning (e.g. a new language) often has to compete for attention with other responsibilities, from work and relationships to caregiving duties. All in all, it will often feel much more difficult to learn something new, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean we are truly worse at learning. With the same amount of attention, motivation, and opportunity, many older adults can learn certain things (almost) as well as children. In short: you do indeed learn faster and more easily when you\u2019re young, but lifelong learning is possible for everyone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dutch: https:\/\/npo.nl\/start\/afspelen\/veroudering_1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dutch: https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.nl\/wetenschap\/a43334311\/waarom-ons-lichaam-veroudert<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dutch: https:\/\/www.tijdschriftdepsycholoog.nl\/artikelen\/het-verloop-van-cognitieve-veroudering\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dutch: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GGDmtnnOxPQ<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.who.int\/initiatives\/decade-of-healthy-ageing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You often hear the phrase \u201cYou\u2019re never too young to learn.\u201d At the same time, people say that learning new things at an older age is difficult. But is that actually true? What does developmental (neuro)science say about this? Do … Lees verder