The Aging Mind

Reviews / Votes

"...without a doubt the most author-itative and readable introduction to cognitive ageing to have been published in many a year. The interaction between ageing and memory, intel-ligence, wisdom, the senses, and attention are dealt with in an exemplary manner. Concepts and ?ndings that leave other authors struggling to explain, even to someone with a doctorate, are here made clear and obvious. However, there is no hint what-soever of dumbing down. The book could be safely recommended as a principal textbook for an under-graduate course or as a primer for a postgraduate degree...simply to regard this as a textbook is like arguing that Lady Chatterley's Lover offers some useful tips on estate management. The book is a joy and delight to read . . . It is what many popular science books should be but aren't-it actually informs at a deep level and does not just deliver a few factoids dressed up in populist froth'
" - Ian Stuart-Hamilton, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology


"...Rabbit's goal in writing this book is to provide a summary of what is known about cognitive aging and to show that the last half century of research does more than confirm that aging produces a steady decline in cognition, with the ntent being to provide an "owner's manual" of sorts about cognition to the reader... As a conversation about cognitive aging, this book meets its goal, and so it is useful for the lay reader or novice needing to know a little more about how cognition will change with age. " - Donna J. LaVoie, PsycCRITIQUES


"This book is unusual: though it is chock full of data discussions, tables, and graphs, it targets general readers - i.e., those who wonder or worry about themselves or their aging relatives, especially parents - as well as an academic audience. The 26 chapters are organized into sections that define aging and explore memory, the senses, intelligence and wisdom, living with aging, and aging well. The chapters are brief and focused, and the prose is often funny and always candid. Rabbitt's good humor in the face of his own aging is delightful; despite some regrettable changes, he makes a convincing case that growing old well beats the alternative. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers." - D.S. Dunn, Moravian College, Pennsylvania, USA, in CHOICE, July 2015


"It was refreshing to read a book with such a vast array of topics reflecting all areas of human ability. When one thinks of a book on ageing, it is usually memory and physical changes that spring to mind, but not so much of other more obscure topics, such as how time perception changes with age. After reading this book, you will gain a full and interesting overview of what occurs as we grow older." - Anne Torrens-Burton in The Psychologist


"I find the concepts of ageing particularly appealing, especially the information on processing speed. It was refreshing to read a book with such a vast array of topics reflecting all areas of human ability. When one thinks of a book on ageing, it is usually memory and physical changes that spring to mind, but not so much of other more obscure topics, such as how time perception changes with age. After reading this book, you will gain a full and interesting overview of what occurs as we grow older." - Anna Torrens- Burton who is a PhD student at Swansea University, AFC


"Drawing on his vast experience of work in cognitive gerontology, Professor Rabbitt provides a scholarly, yet accessible, account of the changes that we can all expect to experience as we grow older. A must-read for anyone studying the psychology of aging, those working with older people, or, indeed, anyone who is not as young as they used to be." - Steve Jones, Department of Psychology, Leeds Trinity University, UK


"Pat Rabbitt has distilled a lifetime of scientific research into an 'owner's manual,' debunking myths and unmasking inconvenient truths about aging. He is witty, pithy, and wise." - Susan Kemper, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, USA