Final answer:
Jean Piaget riding a bicycle in old age likely exemplifies the retention of cognitive and physical abilities over a lifetime, underscoring the resilience of certain functions with age.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fact that Jean Piaget rode a bicycle at a very advanced age might suggest that, contrary to the notion that cognitive abilities inexorably decline as we grow older, certain cognitive and physical abilities, like knowing how to ride a bike, can remain intact. Piaget, himself renowned for his research on cognitive development, proposed that cognitive abilities develop through specific stages during infancy to adulthood. However, later research suggests that cognitive abilities are quite resilient. Studies indicate that both mental and physical activities can help maintain cognitive functions and delay cognitive decline later in life. Thus, the anecdote about Piaget's bicycle riding capabilities does not indicate a lack of cognitive development, but rather can be seen as an example of how certain abilities and knowledge, such as the skill to ride a bicycle, are retained into advanced age.