Chapter 17 Flashcards
What are some advantages and disadvantages of studying aging and memory using cross-sectional studies?
Advantages: Quick data collection, easy comparison of different age groups.
Disadvantages: Can’t track individual changes over time, cohort effects.
What are some advantages and disadvantages of studying aging and memory using longitudinal studies?
Advantages: Tracks changes within individuals over time.
Disadvantages: Time-consuming, expensive, potential participant dropout.
What aspects of episodic memory become worse with age?
Declines in both retrospective and prospective memory, especially in recalling specific events.
What are some major neurological changes that occur with old age that can affect memory?
Shrinkage of the hippocampus, changes in neurotransmitter levels, and slower neural processing.
What are the dominant theories of age-related changes in memory? How do they overlap and differ?
Overlap: Decline in processing speed, working memory, and inhibition.
Differences: Some focus on biological changes (e.g., neurofibrillary tangles), others on cognitive factors (e.g., reduced attention).
What changes in emotional processing occur with aging? How do they impact memory?
Older adults tend to focus more on positive emotions, leading to better memory for positive events.
How are short-term/working memory abilities affected by the natural aging process? What are the implications?
Decline in short-term/working memory, making it harder to hold and manipulate information
What changes in long-term memory occur in older adults that cause them to forget more often?
Slower retrieval, difficulty with new information, but older adults can effectively forget unwanted memories.
How does aging affect autobiographical memories in older adults?
Older adults may have more difficulty recalling detailed autobiographical events, but emotional memories remain stronger.
What problems do older adults experience with metamemory processing?
Older adults may struggle with assessing their own memory ability and may overestimate or underestimate their memory performance.
How does aging affect memory and reality in legal settings?
Memory inaccuracies and difficulties distinguishing between fact and perception may arise, leading to legal challenges.
What role do social attitudes and stereotypes play in age-related memory problems?
Negative stereotypes can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, where older adults may expect memory decline and perform worse.
What aspects of episodic memory remain intact into old age?
Older adults tend to retain memory for general life events and emotional memories.
How does the natural aging process affect nondeclarative memories?
Nondeclarative memories (e.g., procedural memory) remain largely intact, though motor skills may decline slightly.
Why does semantic memory improve in older adults?
Accumulation of knowledge over time, with more practice in retrieving semantic information, leads to better performance in older adults.
How are higher-level processing and memory affected by old age?
Slower processing speeds and reduced cognitive flexibility, affecting the ability to process complex information.
What can you do to help preserve your memory ability when you age?
Engage in physical and mental exercises, maintain a healthy diet, stay socially active, and manage stress.
What are the characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease? What parts of the brain are affected? How is memory affected?
Characteristics: Progressive cognitive decline.
Affected brain areas: Hippocampus and cortex.
Memory impact: Severe short-term memory loss, difficulty recalling recent events.
What are some subcortical dementias? What parts of the brain are affected? How is memory affected?
Examples: Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease.
Affected brain areas: Basal ganglia.
Memory impact: Issues with motor memory and procedural memory.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
A neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive cognitive decline, particularly affecting memory.
What are amyloid plaques?
Abnormal clumps of protein that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and disrupt neural function.
What is a cross-sectional study?
A research design that compares people of different ages at one point in time.
What is dementia?
A group of cognitive disorders characterized by memory loss, confusion, and changes in behavior.
What is Huntington’s disease?
A genetic neurodegenerative disease that causes motor control issues and cognitive decline.
What are neurofibrillary tangles?
Twisted fibers of a protein that accumulate inside brain cells, commonly found in Alzheimer’s disease.
What is the inhibition theory?
The theory that aging leads to reduced ability to inhibit irrelevant or distracting information, affecting memory performance.
What is a longitudinal study?
A research design that follows the same group of individuals over an extended period to observe changes over time.
What is multiple sclerosis (MS)?
A chronic disease that affects the central nervous system, causing a variety of cognitive and physical issues.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
A neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and can also impair memory and cognitive functions.
What are speed theories?
Theories that suggest age-related cognitive decline is due to slower processing speeds in older adults.
What is the positivity effect?
The tendency for older adults to focus more on positive information and memories than negative ones.
