ABSTRACT
Participation in the discourse world in its varied forms is essential to effective functioning throughout the adult lifespan. Adult development is characterized by multidimensional change in cognition, encompassing both gain and, which can impact the way in which language and discourse are processed. Understanding how discourse processing functions in late life is not only a matter of scientific accuracy, but also of interest in translational applications for promoting effective communication. Domain-specific knowledge also shows stability into late life, as well as the capacity to grow, dependent on the habitual engagement with the domain. Discourse context can facilitate processing for older adults through a number of routes. Age differences in memory for information from text are well documented, whereas evidence for age differences in comprehension is more mixed. An approach to understanding the complexity depends on an appreciation of both the multifaceted nature of aging as well as of discourse processing, and how these map onto one another.
