Features of Social Cognition in Late Adulthood

The paper presents outcomes of researches on the central component of social cognition - theory of mind in late adulthood. The outcomes show that, in normal aging, in advanced adulthood (55-74 years) as well as in old age (75-90 years) there are several qualitative changes in the affective (understanding and differentiation of emotions) and cognitive (understanding irony and deceit) components of theory of mind. Also, at these ages individuals may develop various forms of theory of mind deficits. They may encounter difficulties with reading facial expressions and recognizing other people's emotions. It becomes harder for them to recognize negative emotions (such as sorrow, fear, anger) than positive ones (joy). The paper describes features of pragmatic interpretation of events and understanding of deceit and irony in late adulthood.