The Effect of Aging on Question-Asking, Divergent Thinking, and Problem-Solving Abilities

Question asking, an important but understudied form of information-seeking behavior, is related to problem-solving and creative abilities. Studies show that problem-solving and creative abilities decrease when we age. Yet not much is known about how question-asking ability changes. In the current study, we investigated aging and question asking, creativity, and problem-solving in three age groups: younger (ages 20–40), middle-aged (ages 40–60), and older (ages 60–80) adults. We measured question-asking via a creative questions task, creativity via a creative uses task, and problem-solving with a task which requires solving real-life dilemmas. All participants (n = 321) completed these tasks, which were rated for question originality, object use originality and dilemma solution originality and quality (usefulness). We find that middle-aged and older-age groups were significantly less original in their questions than younger adults, and that older age dilemma solutions were less original than younger adults. Conversely, older age adults generated more original uses for objects compared to younger and middle-aged adults. Thus, with age, our questions become less original, while our functional ideas become more original. This may be due to a trade-off between fluid and crystalized intelligence. These results advance our understanding of the role of aging in information-seeking behavior.