The effect of normal aging on route learning ability was investigated,
employing a complex, real-life route. Performance was not related to
gender or education but was strongly related to age. Difficulty learni
ng the route (i.e., total errors across three repeated trials) increas
ed monotonically in successive age groups. Decline became particularly
apparent in the 60- to 69-year-old group and was even more pronounced
in the 70+ group, which averaged more than four times as many errors
as the youngest group (18 to 39 years) on each of the three trials. In
addition to normal age-related decline, defective route learning was
seen in subjects in the oldest groups. The findings indicate that an e
cologically valid test may be especially sensitive to age-related decl
ine in route learning ability.