Abstract
In this introduction to a set of five papers, a rationale for examining personality and social factors in relation to intellectual aging is presented. It is argued that identification of links between personality, social, and cognitive factors may be useful for explaining and predicting variations in the course of intellectual aging. In addition, such work may provide clues for designing effective intervention programs. A plea is made for more collaboration among personality/social and cognitive/experimental researchers to facilitate integration of theoretical perspectives and empirical findings.