The aim of the present article is to offer a broad overview of usual methods and dominant theories in the field, in order to make unfamiliar readers more aware of the current state of the art in this domain and to show how it can support future investigation on learning and adaptation in older adults. As our understanding of the aging process is closely linked to the methods used to investigate it, a first part is devoted to usual methods in this field and their potential limitations. It also highlights the necessity of a deeper involvement of older adults in all steps of research to have a richer understanding of the reality of aging, including social and cultural aspects. The second part presents predominant theories of the field, starting from a biological level (i.e., processing resources) to reach a psychosocial level (i.e., regulation's processes). The benefice of environmental support to aging in place, such as assistive technologies, as well as the wish of older adults to continue to learn new things is discussed in the conclusion.

本文的目的是对该领域的常用方法和主导理论进行广泛的概述，以使不熟悉的读者更加了解该领域的最新技术水平，并展示它如何支持未来的研究老年人的学习和适应。由于我们对老化过程的理解与用于研究它的方法密切相关，因此第一部分专门介绍该领域的常用方法及其潜在局限性。它还强调了让老年人更深入地参与所有研究步骤的必要性，以便更深入地了解老龄化的现实，包括社会和文化方面。第二部分介绍了该领域的主要理论，从生物学层面（即处理资源）到心理社会层面（即监管）进程）。结论中讨论了环境支持对就地老龄化的好处，例如辅助技术，以及老年人继续学习新事物的愿望。