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Empirical evidence based on traditional models of abstract problem solving and decision making demonstrates decline in performance as adults grow older. However, researchers have become increasingly dissatisfied with this theoretical and methodological approach as the sole means for assessing adult intellectual functioning. In response to these concerns, a growing body of research has emerged that assesses the skills and knowledge necessary for successful functioning in an everyday context. In contrast to research demonstrating a decline in abstract problem solving, problem-solving competence in adulthood and aging is maintained in socio-emotional or everyday types of situations. This is particularly evident when researchers consider the ways in which an individual perceives and structures the problem situation. In other words, problem-solving efficacy may not simply be a function of how many more …