Social Cognition and Aging

Abstract

Social cognition is a cognitive domain that helps individuals to make sense of self in relation to others and the environment. This chapter aims to summarize the importance of social cognition in old adults and how social cognition play a role in the life of geriatrics. The first section introduces the topic which is followed by the history of social cognition among various cultures. The next section elaborates on theory of mind which is a major component of social cognition. Section 4 highlights the theories of social cognition along with their advantages and limitations. From Section 5 onwards, the chapter focuses on social cognition among geriatrics. It includes the factors that contributing factors to social cognitive changes in old age, the assessments for measuring and identifying deficits in social cognition among old adults, the common decrements observed in the population, and suitable interventions to maintain and enhance social cognition in geriatrics.