In aging, which aspects decline leading to poorer task performance?

• A. Processing speed only; memory unaffected.
• B. Only updating.
• C. Updating, shifting, and inhibition.
• D. Only inhibition.

Answer: (C)

In aging, multiple executive-control processes in working memory tend to decline, which together leads to poorer task performance. Within the working memory framework, updating is the ability to monitor and revise the information held in working memory; shifting is the capacity to switch flexibly between tasks or mental sets; inhibition is the skill of suppressing irrelevant or distracting information and responses. As people age, performance on tasks that rely on updating, shifting, and inhibition often worsens, so everyday and laboratory tasks that require holding and updating information, changing rules, or resisting interference become more challenging. That’s why the best answer includes all three: updating, shifting, and inhibition. The other options miss one or more of these vulnerable components, and aging also affects more than just processing speed or a single function, making those choices incomplete.