Does engaging in mentally stimulating activities through the lifespan benefit cognitive ability in old age?

This is an essay in the unit “the developing mind” for 3rd year psychology student You will be assessed on: • the adequacy of your reading of the literature on the topic •the relevance of your answer to the set question • your ability to construct a logical argument considering alternative points of view •your appropriate use of empirical evidence to back up your case •your appropriate critique of relevant literature •how convincing your conclusions are (not what they are) •the clarity of your writing Suggested reading: Chan, D. Shafto, M., Kievit, R., Matthews, F., Spink, M., Valenzuela, M., & Cam-CAN, R. (2018). Lifestyle activities in mid-life contribute to cognitive reserve in late-life, independent of education, occupation, and late-life activities. Neurobiology of Aging, 70, 180-183. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.06.012 Ihle, A., Ghisletta, P., Ballhausen, N., Fagot, D., Vallet, F., Baeriswyl, M., Sauter, J., Oris, M., Maurer, J., & Kliegel, M. (2018). The role of cognitive reserve accumulated in midlife for the relation between chronic diseases and cognitive decline in old age: A longitudinal follow-up across six years. Neuropsychologia, 121, 37-46. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.10.013 Treves, T. A., Parmet, Y., Klimovitsky, S., & Korczyn, A. D. (2016). The effect of schooling on reported age of onset of cognitive decline: A collaborative study. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 34, 86-88. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2016.05.013