The role of social representations on embodied and situated cognitive aging: The example of the transition to retirement

Aging is a complex process characterized by physical, psychological, and social changes. The interactions between these different aspects are naturally explained by embodied and situated approaches to cognition that offer a global, integrated, and unified understanding of aging. They propose a dynamic cognition emerging from the interaction of sensory-motor perceptions (embodied aspect) and the context of the present situation (situated aspect). However, very few studies have focused on this situated aspect of cognition in the study of cognitive aging. Yet, aging is also a social process, associated with many representations, often negative, that have effects on health and cognition. Stereotype embodiment theory proposes that representations of aging are internalized by everyone over time, gradually modifying intrapersonal behaviors. This article proposes that the cognitive changes observed in aging are partly the result of physical changes, related to repeated behavioral changes, caused by the effect of representations of aging. However, unlike other forms of stigmatization, the factors of belonging to the social group of the elderly are neither clear nor static. Only the transition to retirement seems to constitute a key stage in social aging. Therefore, the transition to retirement represents a unique situation to study the impact of a major social and physical context change on cognitive functioning. It would act as a catalyst for the effect of representations of aging by marking the social transitions toward aging and retirement. Different perspectives of applied research are also discussed, around prevention interventions and preparation for retirement.