chapter 18

Question 1

cognitive mechanics

Answer 1

the “hardware” of the mind, reflecting the neurophysiological architecture of the brain; involve the speed and accuracy of the processes involving sensory input, visual and motor memory, discrimination, comparison, and categorization

Question 2

cognitive pragmatics

Answer 2

the culture-based “software programs” of the mind; include reading and writing skills, language comprehension, educational qualifications, professional skills, and the type of knowledge about the self and life skills that help us to master life

Question 3

selective attention

Answer 3

focusing on a specific aspect of experience that is relevant while ignoring others that are irrelevant

Question 4

divided attention

Answer 4

concentrating on more than one activity at the same time

Question 5

sustained attention

Answer 5

focused and extended engagement with an object, task, event, or other aspect of the environment

Question 6

executive attention

Answer 6

aspects of thinking that involve planning actions, allocating attention to goals, detection and compensating for error, monitoring progress on tasks, and dealing with novel or difficult circumstances

Question 7

explicit memory

Answer 7

memory of facts and experiences that individuals consciously know and can state

Question 8

implicit memory

Answer 8

memory without conscious recollection; involves skills and routine procedures the are automatically performed

Question 9

episodic memory

Answer 9

the retention of information about the where and when of life’s happenings

Question 10

semantic memory

Answer 10

a person’s knowledge about the world – including one’s field of expertise, general academic knowledge of the sort learned in school, and “everyday knowledge”

Question 11

source memory

Answer 11

the ability to remember where one learned something

Question 12

prospective memory

Answer 12

remembering to do something in the future

Question 13

wisdom

Answer 13

expert knowledge about the practical aspects of life that permits excellent judgment about important matters

Question 14

terminal decline

Answer 14

cognitive functioning may be more linked to distance from each or cognition-related pathology than to distance from birth

Question 15

major depression

Answer 15

a mood disorder in which the individual is deeply unhappy, demoralized, self-deragotory, and bored

Question 16

dementia

Answer 16

a global term for any neurological disorder in which the primary symptoms include a deterioration of mental functioning

Question 17

Alzheimer disease

Answer 17

a progressive, irreversible brain disorder characterized by a gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and eventually, physical function

Question 18

Parkinson disease

Answer 18

a chronic, progressive disease characterized by muscle tremors, slowing of movement, and partial facial paralysis