Age differences in social cognition: when does decline begin?

Normal ageing is often accompanied by a variety of changes in cognitive abilities, including the interpersonal aspects of cognition (i.e. social cognition). The domain of social cognition includes at least three dimensions: theory of mind, emotion recognition, and empathy. To date, it is not entirely clear how ageing affects social cognition and whether all or only some of these abilities decline in older people. The present study therefore sought to clarify the possible existence of age-related differences in social cognition by examining different age groups. A total of 159 participants were eligible for the study (young adults: 36; adults: 37; middle-aged adults: 45; older adults: 41) and completed a series of validated instruments to assess social cognition. A one-way analysis of covariance for continuous variables was conducted to compare the four age groups on social cognition measures, controlling for the effect of sex. The results showed that older people reported significantly lower scores on all of these measures compared to the other age groups, with the sole exception of empathy. Furthermore, no effect of sex was found. Overall, the present results emphasise the importance of an in-depth examination of social cognitive abilities, particularly in older people.