Age-related decline in route learning ability

The effect of normal aging on route learning ability was investigated, employing a complex, real-life route. Performance was not related to gender or education but was strongly related to age. Difficulty learning the route (i.e., total errors across three repeated trials) increased monotonically in successive age groups. Decline became particularly apparent in the 60- to 69-year-old group and was even more pronounced in the 70+ group, which averaged more than four times as many errors as the youngest group (18 to 39 years) on each of the three trials. In addition to normal age-related decline, defective route learning was seen in subjects in the oldest groups. The findings indicate that an ecologically valid test may be especially sensitive to age-related decline in route learning ability.