E25 - Cognitive Decline & Learning as Older Adults (Interview with Professor Rachel Wu)

In this episode we are excited to bring you our interview with Dr. Rachel Wu, a professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside.  She is a developmental cognitive neuroscientist investigating how we learn across the lifespan. Dr. Wu has received more than two dozen awards and grants, including a Rising Star award from the Association for Psychological Science and an NSF Career award to investigate the role of learning new skills on cognitive and functional growth in older adulthood. Dr. Wu has published over 40 research articles during her tenure at UCR, but she also puts her research into practice. She was a violinist in a rock band for 7 years, she is a commissioned painter, and she tries to master new skills every few years to gain a better understanding of the difficulties in being an adult learner. In our interview (16:58) we discuss whether there is general cognitive decline in the midlife, the lifespan theoretical framework for how we can learn as older adults, a research study carried out by Professor Wu in which it was found that engaged learning by older adults led to long term improvements in cognitive abilities, and practical advice for you can be a successful learner as an adult (and hopefully improve your cognitive abilities later in life).     After the interview (68:00), Alvin and Jack reflect on instances in which we have completed engaged learning and how these experiences fit within the lifespan theoretical framework. Email: [email protected]  Facebook: direct message or send friend request to Jack Eichler