This article considers claims now being made about "the adolescent brain". It points out why some of those claims are problematic for methodological, social and philosophical reasons. Attention is given to how some "youth experts" and others have used this research by relying on and reinforcing prejudicial stereotypes about young people as…

Cognitive aging research needs to clarify whether or not there are functional or ability declines with aging and, if so, to understand and mediate these declines. Recent research which has demonstrated declines in cognitive functioning with age has involved episodic memory and rehearsal-independent forms of such memory. It is not known how much of…