Ch.4: Cognitive Changes, Intelligence and Wisdom Flashcards
Cognition is thinking and mental processes. These processes include: (6)
- Attention
- Memory (remembering)
- Language processing
- Decision making
- Problem solving
- Intelligence
Cognition
Information processing
Social cognition
Attitudes, attributions, group dynamics
The information processing model is based on three assumptions:
- People are active participants in the process
- Both quantitative and qualitative aspects of performance can be examined
- Information is processed through a series of hypothetical stages or stores
Information Processing framework
Sensory store –> Working memory –> Long-term memory (Episodic memory, Semantic memory, Procedural memory)
Sensory store
- Sensory store is where new, incoming information is first registered
- Memory details are dependent on how much attention is given to the stimuli
- If attention is given, then the info is passed to the next stage of memory
Working memory
- Working memory plays an active, critical, and central role in encoding, storage, and retrieval
- Limited capacity, about seven chunks
- storage and processing functions
- coordinating function
Example of a working memory task
Computational span
Long term memory
- the ability to remember extensive amounts of information from 20 seconds to a few hours to decades
Examples of long term memory (categories) (4)
- Explicit and implicit memory
- Episodic memory
- Semantic memory
- Procedural memory
Explicit memory
deliberately going into your memory and pulling out that information
Implicit memory
memory without awareness
not digging in
Episodic memory
- recalling information from a specific event or time
- like a personal diary
Semantic memory
- learning and remembering the meaning of words and concepts
- internal encyclopedia or dictionary
Procedural memory
- memory used unconsciously, motor memory, memory for processes
- it just comes to you; don’t have to think about it
Remote memory
- information that must be kept for a very long time
- also called tertiary memory
Autobiographical memory
- remembering information and events form one’s own life
- flashbulb memories
Flashbulb memories
- episodic because it happened in a moment in time
- also autobiographical because it happened to you
- they are also remote: from a long time ago
We see ___________ and ____________ differences in cognition when we compare older and younger adults
quantitative and qualitative
Positivity effect
- refers to a relative preference in older adults (compared to younger adults) for positive over negative material in cognitive processing
TRUE or FALSE
Older people are processing emotional info. differently than younger people
TRUE
Working memory capacity hypothesis
- cognitive basis of age differences in memory and language processing
- decline in working memory capacity is what’s making older people do worse in cognitive tasks
Age-variance can be accounted for by taking into account ____________ in working memory capacity
age differences
Digit span backwards have more working memory component than _____________
digit span forward
Older adults, presented with multiple tasks, do poorly compared to younger
TRUE or FALSE
TRUE
Evidence of age-related decline in working memory is not entirely clear, but there is evidence these differences relate to performance on _______________________
more complex cognitive tasks
Baddeley’s model of working memory
- is one of the most influential in the field
- Central executive, Phonological loop, Episodic buffer, Visuospatial sketchpad
These two concepts of the Baddeley’s model are modality-specific “slave systems”
Phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad
Phonological loop
from what you hear
Visuospatial sketchpad
from what you see
Episodic buffer
holds information from phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad
Central executive
- controls and coordinates the other three components of working memory (phonological loop, episodic buffer, visuospatial sketchpad)
- research suggests that the central executive is the aspect of working memory most vulnerable to age-related declines
- biggest problem for older people
Why is working memory decreasing?
Because of reduced speed
Speed Deficit Hypothesis
- decline in processing speed
- speed matters
- age-variance can be accounted for by taking into account decline in processing speed
Psychomotor speed
- amount of time taken to:
process a signal
prepare a response
execute that response
Ex: reaction time studies
Reaction time _____________(increases/decreases) with age
increases
Why is reaction time increasing with age?
- It reflects biological aging:
- Our neuronal transmission is slowing
- Loss of information between synapses
- Increase noise of nervous system
Speed Deficit hypothesis (Salthouse)
- idea that because you’re getting slower, that’s why you’re doing worse on these cognitive tasks
Reduction in CNS capacity -> Limited energy for cognitive processes -> Decreased working memory