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Working and ageing
98 Guidance and counselling for mature learners

significant shrinkage in the hippocampus in mid-50s in healthy adults (Raz
et al., 2004). Also, activity of the left hippocampus is lower in older adults than
in younger individuals (Mitchell et al., 2000).

5.7. Cognitive training and job-related performance
in older workers

Age-related changes in cognition do not necessarily translate into job-related
deficits particularly before the age of 60. This is a surprising finding since age
is associated with cognitive decline and cognitive ability is a reliable predictor
of job-related performance (Park, 1994). However, older workers usually have
extensive experience in their job duties and are familiar with the relevant
processes of their profession, which allows them to compensate for lost
cognitive abilities. Another possibility is that some older workers have
developed job-related expertise that is valuable to their profession despite
other cognitive declines. In some cases, older workers have a supporting
professional environment (assistants, colleagues) that undertake tasks and
duties based on specific skills, permitting them to supervise or organise
complex job-related problem-solving. However, research indicates that when
older workers are confronted with novel job demands they take longer to learn,
are less efficient and show less proficiency after training compared to younger
workers (Kubeck et al., 1996; Park, 1994). However, if new tasks are built onto
existing skills older workers are more efficient (Park, 1994). Indeed, recent
involvement with skills related to new job-related demands helps with
performance in older and younger workers. Therefore, it is important to
encourage older workers to engage in lifelong learning to update their skills
continuously and maintain a recent and modern way of thinking in which they
can encompass new skills.
A large body of research highlights the importance of cognitive training
through lifelong learning in successful ageing and increased job-related
performance (Kemper, 1994; Lawrence, 1996; Schaie, 1994). Yet some
workers seem reluctant to learn new skills and find it difficult to maintain high
job-related performance. It is particularly important for careers counsellors to
identify priorities of senior workers in their personal and professional
environments. Optimising efforts on a few selected skills most relevant to the
workerʼs job will increase motivation and performance of older workers (Park,
1994). Considering that stress affects cognitive ageing negatively and given
that older adults experience more uncontrolled stress due to physical and