Aging and Intelligence

Question 1

What effect does aging have on crystallized and fluid intelligences?

Answer 1

Fluid intelligence decreases and crystallized remain relatively unchanged; few effects, if any, on verbal tasks that measure acquired knowledge and negative impact on nonverbal tasks that require rapid responding and processing of novel stimuli

Question 2

What is a consistent finding of research on aging and intelligence?

Answer 2

Declines in (slower) information processing speed that may account for age-related decrements on variety of cognitive and perceptual tasks

Question 3

What is the “classic aging pattern” on the WAIS?

Answer 3

Little decline on 4 subtests that measure stored knowledge (i.e., Information, Vocabulary, Arithmetic, and Comprehension); moderate decline on other 2 verbal subtests (i.e., Digit Span and Similarities); sharper decline on all 5 performance subtests

Question 4

What is one explanation of why classic aging pattern on WAIS emerges?

Answer 4

Performance on verbal subtests requires crystallized intelligence (knowledge acquired through education and other experiences and relatively unaffected by changes in brain function; Performance on nonverbal subtests depends on fluid intelligence which involves active processing of info and is directly affected by loss of neurons, depletion of certain neurotransmitters, and so on that occur with advancing age

Question 5

What is the substantial drop in all facets of intelligence that occurs months before death called?

Answer 5

The “terminal drop”