[Social conditions and intelligence in old age].

There is a complex structure of conditions which are accepted to be of effect on development of intelligence in old age. We turned particularly to the socioeconomic conditions with their stimulating or depriving attributes. With a pathanalytic model we were able to explain about 38% of variance of intellectual performance at the first measurement point of the Bonn Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). With this model we took into consideration the family environment of the aged BLSA people (60-75 yrs.) at their youth as well as some indicators of the aged peoples' socioeconomic status (educational and occupational level) in their later life history.