The gap in brain performance between the young and old is closing, in part because the IQ gains once seen in each new generation appear to have stalled, a study suggests.
Ever since scientists began measuring cognitive functions such as short-term memory, younger people have performed better, on average, than older ones. This reflects how abilities such as cognitive speed, which measures how quickly people can take in information and respond, fade with age.
But the gap has also been influenced by what is known as the Flynn effect. Identified in the 1980s, it describes how through the 20th century each new cohort of young adults tended to score slightly higher than the last in IQ tests, with the improvements thought to be caused by
