McCain, Obama, and Some Painful Truths About Aging

When U.S. presidential candidate John McCain had a birthday recently, television talk-show host Jay Leno told McCain that he had planned to get him a birthday cake but that the local fire chief had objected, commenting, "That many candles?"

Indeed, 72-year-old McCain is the oldest person in U.S. history to run for the presidency, and his opponent, 46-year-old Barack Obama, once accused McCain of "losing his bearings," a polite way of saying that McCain is becoming senile. McCain, in turn, sometimes refers to Obama as "that young man with very little experience."

The age issue is one of many that will help decide the upcoming election. What's the truth about it? How much difference does age actually make in competent leadership? Does cognitive ability really decline as we age, and, if so, by how much?

The American public is predictably divided on this issue. Some believe that Obama is indeed too young to assume such high office, even though John F. Kennedy was a mere 43 when he became president. Others insist that McCain is just too old, noting that President Ronald Reagan showed clear signs of Alzheimer's disease during his second term in office, when he was in his late 70s. Barely three years out of office, Reagan's cognitive impairment had become severe.

At 55, having been a research psychologist for 30 years now, I decided to take a dispassionate look at these issues. The process proved to be painful in some respects, particularly when I took an honest look at my own declining abilities. But I have long believed that knowing is better than not knowing, no matter what the pain. And when it comes to the issue of cognitive decline, knowing might also be the best defense.

Here, in brief summary form, is what relevant research says about the usual course of cognitive abilities as we age.

First, let's consider a rather basic ability: learning. Most middle-aged people are aware that their elderly parents are mystified by the latest DVD players, PDAs, and iPods -- and that the quickest way to solve a computer problem is to ask a teenager, or even a child. Do you see the trend here? Indeed, research shows unequivocally that our ability to learn new things peaks during our teen years and declines steadily thereafter. One illustrative study, conducted by Harry Braun and Richard Geiselhart a half-century ago, even showed that classical conditioning -- that most basic of learning processes first studied by Ivan Pavlov in the early 1900s with dogs -- barely occurs at all in elderly humans.

Our ability to acquire new knowledge declines in part because of a decline in most basic memory functions. The deterioration of memory is best illustrated by looking at some old research on what researchers call "incidental" memory -- remembering that occurs automatically and without effort. Mnemonic strategies mastered as we get older can mask memory's decline; when we look at what is remembered accidentally, we get a clearer picture.

Raymond Willoughby of Clark University first studied this phenomenon in 1929. He had people copy pairs of digits and symbols and then -- without first having told his subjects that he was going to do so -- later asked them to recall which symbol had been paired with each digit. Performance on this task improved from childhood to about age 13 and then declined thereafter, and old subjects performed more poorly on this task than children did. Incidental memory was also studied in a simple but ingenious study conducted by Harold E. Jones and his colleagues in which researchers asked people emerging from a cinema to give details about the film they had just seen. Teens and people in their early twenties performed best -- and elderly people could barely remember the name of the movie without looking up at the marquis. As you age, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember things unless you make a concerted effort.

The pattern is the same on classic tests of intelligence -- tests that measure basic reasoning ability, certainly an important ability for a nation's leaders. You may have heard that "IQ" remains relatively stable throughout life, and indeed it does. That's because IQ is a quotient ("Intelligence Quotient") -- a relative measure that expresses your test score in relation to test scores of people your own age. Your IQ stays roughly the same because you stay in roughly the same place with respect to your cohort.

When you look at raw scores, however -- your actual test score before it's expressed in relative terms -- the pattern is distressing. On both the traditional intelligence tests developed by David Wechsler and the more culture-free types of tests developed by J.C. Raven and others, raw scores peak between ages 13 and 15 and decline thereafter. As Wechsler put it, after age 14, increases in mental age in succeeding half-year scores "are so small as to make them unreliable," and the highest mental age we can achieve is fifteen and a half. In other words, IQ, the relative measure, is stable only because virtually everyone in your cohort is deteriorating at about the same rate.

Findings from studies of IQ are consistent with research conducted by Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget and his colleagues and students. Piaget found that the highest level of reasoning, which he called "formal operational thinking," is normally achieved by age 14 or 15 -- if it is ever achieved at all.

You may also have heard that brain size is a poor predictor of intelligence. That's true when you compare species, and this also applies to genders (no one has ever figured out what human males use all that extra brain mass for). But several studies conducted over the past decade or so show that when it comes to individuals, brain size is in fact an excellent predictor of a variety of cognitive abilities. Does brain size follow the pattern we see with intelligence and memory? Indeed it does. A recent MRI study conduced by Eric Courchesne and his colleagues at the University of California San Diego shows that brain size in humans peaks at about age 14 and declines gradually thereafter. By the time a man--such as candidate McCain -- is 70, his brain has shrunk to the size it was when he was about 3. This pattern occurs both for overall brain volume and for the all-important gray matter that contains signaling neurons.

Although not central to the cognition issue, I would be remiss in failing to point out that most of our perceptual and motor capabilities also fit this disturbing pattern: our visual acuity, overall hearing ability, ability to discriminate speech sounds (important during delicate meetings of state), touch sensitivity, and so on. Elderly people sometimes, ahem, face odor challenges because--according to a study conducted in the 1980s -- they lose much of their sense of smell in their 70s and 80s. More to the point, reaction time -- our ability to respond swiftly to sudden events, which is undoubtedly an important competency for leaders -- also follows this pattern. We react to sudden stimuli most quickly in our teens and twenties and quite slowly in old age. (A new study by George Bartzokis and his colleagues at UCLA suggests that some fine motor abilities, such as finger-tapping speed, don't start declining until age 40, but this is more relevant to pianists than presidents.)

Is the news all bad? Fortunately not. Research suggests that we do become "wiser" as we get older, meaning that we can make especially good decisions in areas where we have accumulated a great deal of specialized knowledge -- as long as we don't need to acquire a great deal of new knowledge quickly, that is. In a static world, wisdom has great value, but in a rapidly changing one, it's prudent for the old to make way for the young.

As for the candidates, Obama, as brilliant as he appears to be, has likely started having trouble finding his keys, and McCain, his courage notwithstanding, is probably little more than a ghost of his former cognitive self.

This article originally appeared in the London Times on October 25, 2008.

Epstein is a visiting scholar at the University of California San Diego and the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today magazine. His latest books are The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen and Parsing the Turing Test: Philosophical and Methodological Issues in the Quest for the Thinking Computer.

Comments

[twofish]

Well, I'm less interested in generalities about aging than about these two people. It's clear if you listen to him over time that McCain is losing it. Not to mention his medical history, which he's kept pretty much under wraps (a couple of reporters got to look at hundreds of pages, no notes or copying allowed). The presidency has an amazing amount of stress associated with it, and requires a person of some vigor. Unless, of course, he's delegating everything, like Reagan and, likely, Bush. On this issue, Obama has it all over McCain.

[al1]

can some one tell me what mccain & his surrogates mean by that he is " tested " to be president ?? has he ever been a diplomat / a ambassador or a cabinet level officer like jim baker sect of state etc?? what is it that makes him so tested for this job ??? is that he is 73 years old >> his age ?? or that he flew a few navy jets ?? tell me ?? we all know he was a POW !! flying a jet and being a POW does not qualify him !!

[justmoderate]

Articles like this one can mislead, not because they are inaccurate, but because they imply applications that are not valid. The article is about averages and comparsons between the same individual at different times of life. We cannot conclude that Obama is "smarter" than McCain from the the article, any more than we can conclude that I was a better math student than two briliant girls in my high school class, because some studies suggest that boys are, on average, better than girls at math. Also, neither candidate is running against himself as a younger or older man. At 50, I recognize that there are a lot of 80-year olds who are smarter than I am, and that I am smarter than some 15-year olds.

Obama seems to be a better learner than McCain is, and I suspect that result would not change if their ages were reversed. However, there are more important characteristics in a president. The current president's material flaw is not that he is stupid, but that he and those around him have terrible attitudes, ignoring truth, cravenly promoting divisiveness for political purposes and perceiving that the rich and powerful should be allowed to run roughshod over the poor and vulnerable. Obama is smart, but his more important strength is that he has the proper attitude and personality to handle problems as they come up, in a way that is likely to give good results.

[Woolley]

This article echoes the views of many senior citizens now casting votes in Florida during the early voting phase of this election. Florida senior citizens recognize their own diminishment of their cognitive skills and they know that the times are much too dangerous to entrust the White House to a man in his 70's. Florida will be a landslide victory for Barack Obama and the age issue will be the primary reason for John McCain's defeat.

[Bajafox]

Excellent article.
Knowing this facts we have to understand why the REPUBLICANS (NEOCONSERVATIVES) were happy to have MCCAIN as a candidate. Since they manipulated GW they were looking forward to manipulate MCCAIN and PALIN. This can already be proven by checking how they "managed" Sarah Palin. Does anybody still believe GW was governing?
Do not kid yourselves - the dark forces of the NEOCONSERVATIVES took care of manipulating GW who still up to now believes GOD tells him what he has to do.
It is unbelievable but this PRESIDENT has no second thoughts about the mess he has caused. Let us see if the thread of the lawyer who wants to sue him after leaving office becomes reality.
I sure hope so!
Please do not forget that the REPUBLICANS wanted to impeach Clinton for his sexual missteps. More than 4000 Americans have been killed so far in Irak and more than 100000 Iraquies speak for themselves to make the case for MURDER.

[tedbear]

I wish he'd forget he is running for president!
Maybe he could forget who Sarah Palin is and what she is doing in his campaign!

[ItsJen]

Now that's funny.

[NationalTreasure]

what is not funnyis the long national mnightmare of the McCain/Palin campaign what a train wreck

[joceeco]

What this article means is, MCCain is toast!

[CatoTheCensor]

That's it, we're electing a 13- to- 15-year-old. Princess Amidala...paging Princess Amidala...

[Pattycakes90]

I worked in the aging field for the past 20 years and what you say is very true. Now that I am 60 and my husband is 59, we cannot imagine taking on the presidency at this stage in our life...with or without the experience. I think John McCain is a good man, but his time for the presidency was 8 years ago.

[biglover]

I agree with you pattycakes90 except that I don't think JohnMcCain is a good man. He is an old man but not a good man.

I have maintained this position all along as I watched McCain stumble. I am 64 and I have worked as a Legal Secretary all of my adult life. It is a very demanding job to say the least and I have been noticing that I just can't remember the things that were second nature to me. The pressure is getting too much. I find myself getting very flustered over things I never even gave a second thought to before.

There is a reason they suggest people retire at 65.

[fem56]

I have heard that boys peak out in these areas around 17 and girls, earlier in the areas mentioned but I certainly wouldn't want them running the world. Sounds like we need people of all ages in government Older people for their wisdom and experience and yound people for their ability to learn new thing. Of course the complicating factor is how each person uses what they have been given in life.

[dreadylocks]

This reminds me of an exchange in Harvey Fierstein's film Torch Song Trilogy. Arnold(Harvey) is criticizing his former partner because he's middle aged and still hasn't told his parents that he's gay:
"Arnold:
I told my parents I was gay when I was 14.

His friend:
You knew you were gay when you were 14?

Arnold:
Honey, when I was 14 I knew everything. Senility set in sometime later."

[Pingolo]

maaaaan... this is kind of depressing.... I swear I can feel my brain shrinking as I type

[starlady7]

This is too funny!!! Your post is the best laugh I have had all morning!!!

[jezseeca]

Thanks, Dr. E!

[leopoldmozart]

1. First of all, cognitive ability isn't very strongly associated with brain size. If everyone's brains are shrinking, and thus losing function somewhat equally, why do people who pursue education their entire lives suffer far less cognitive decline than the educated? Does reading make your brain big? Obviously, the complexity and plasticity of the neural connections is far more important than size. The implication that a 70 year old man's brain is somewhat equivalent to a 3 year old's is ridiculous.

2. Second of all, all of the studies I've read concerning cognitive loss due to aging are making claims about the AVERAGE intelligence score. For example, one study I've read measuring mental score changes in people from age 62 to 75 showed, indeed, that on average they suffered loss. However, one third of the subjects experienced either no change or an increase in cognitive ability over those years. Our goal is thus to be part of that 1/3 by continuing our education, not smoking, and maintaining good health and good relationships.

3. All that being said, it is obvious that McCain has suffered serious mental decline over the last 8 years. I actually supported him for president back then. But now...I'm sorry...

[leopoldmozart]

Oops. I meant to say that those who pursue education their entire lives stay smarter than the UNeducated. I guess I had a senior moment there...

[4everdem]

Age became an issue when he picked Sarah Palin as a running mate. That woman in charge of the country sends "a cold chill down my spine".

Nuff said.