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Syntactic Processing in Older Adults

Language and Cognitive Science / 2021,6(1): 60−87 / 2022-04-21 712 643

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• Authors: Yanqin      Yang¹      and      Shengnan      Wu²     
• Information:

  1. Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, China;
  2. School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China

• Keywords: age; behavioral studies; neurocognitive studies; syntax; theoretical models
• Abstract: In the past 40 years, there has been a growing body of research using different methods investigating whether syntactic processing declines with age. To date, however, studies have provided conflicting results. Here we present a review of the relevant studies and theories, in chronological order, to illustrate the development of focus, methods, and models across the four decades. From this review, one can see that older adults’ syntactic processing involves a complex process which may be influenced by many factors, such as syntactic complexities, individual differences, and languages. And the interpretation of syntax is difficult to separate from other cognitive factors such as working memory. But similar neural changes found in imaging studies suggest that, with advanced technologies and better research designs, researchers do not have far to go to find out the nature of age-related syntactic processing. In addition, the recently devised comprehensive model, based on all previous studies about cognition, shows a systematic illustration of the change in cognition across age and provides suggestions for the prevention of cognitive decay. This model is enlightening for age-related syntactic processing, although it still needs the support of further evidence from syntactic studies.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.35534/lcs.0601004
• Cite:

  Yanqin Yang，Shengnan Wu．Syntactic Processing in Older Adults［J］．Language and Cognitive Science，2021，6（1）：60−87．