Influence of training and experience on skill acquisition and maintenance in older adults

Two important questions are addressed in this article. The first concerns w hether performance of well-learned skills is maintained as individuals grow older. The second question concerns whether older adults are able to acqui re new skills. The answer to both questions is "yes"; however, the acquisit ion rate and the final performance level for newly acquired skills is gener ally less for older adults than for younger adults. The article resolves an apparent puzzle of how it is that older adults are capable of successful p erformance of everyday activities, given noted declines in cognitive-abilit y-type tasks shown for performance in laboratory studies. A brief discussio n of age-related training strategies to enhance skill learning is provided.