Paul-B.-Baltes Lecture 2026

Title Learning in older age: A lifespan perspective

Martin Lövdén, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Abstract:

Learning in older age has become increasingly important in contemporary societies characterized by rapid technological change and extended working lives. Beyond its economic relevance, continued learning is essential for maintaining functional independence, wellbeing, and social participation in later life. Yet, despite its importance, scientific understanding of why some older adults learn more successfully than others remains limited. In this talk, I argue that a lifespan psychology perspective is crucial for understanding learning in older age: Late-life learning cannot be understood without considering its developmental origins in childhood. Early differences in cognitive abilities, motivation, and learning environments set individuals on trajectories that shape learning capacity across the entire lifespan, with effects that may even accumulate and amplify over time. Complementary evidence further suggests that even very early-life conditions, including those around birth, may have long-lasting consequences for cognitive functioning and aging. I will present new results leveraging natural experiments and unique longitudinal data from the UGU-LIFE study, which follows approximately 20,000 individuals from age 13 into their 70s. These results demonstrate the remarkable power of early-life conditions for understanding cognitive aging and learning in later life. Together, the findings highlight the need to shift research and policy perspectives toward a truly lifespan approach to learning and cognitive development.

Die Paul-B.-Baltes Lecture geht auf eine gemeinsame Initiative der Psychologie-Institute in Berlin und Potsdam zurück (Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität, Technische Universität, Universität Potsdam, Max-Planck-Institut für Bildungsforschung). Sie ehrt Paul B. Baltes, den ehemaligen Direktor am Max-Planck-Institut für Bildungsforschung in Berlin, für seine herausragenden Beiträge zur Psychologie der Lebensspanne sowie für seine Verdienste um die psychologische Forschung im Berlin-Potsdamer Raum.

Wir würden uns sehr freuen, Sie zur Paul-B.-Baltes Lecture 2026 und zum anschließeneden Empfang begrüßen zu dürfen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen, auch im Auftrag der Initiativgruppe Paul-B.-Baltes Lecture und der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.