Chapter 7: Higher Order Cognition

Question 1

What is Executive Functioning

Answer 1

• higher-order cognitive skills that play a role in making decisions, planning, allocate mental resources
• depends on speed
• related to many everyday tasks
• contributes to intelligence

Question 2

Neuropsychological Assessment

Answer 2

• trail making test: frontal lobe
• Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: WCST
• CANTAB: large battery (22 subsets), computerized

Question 3

Intelligence tests

Answer 3

• WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale)

- PMAT

Question 4

What is WAIS? What are the 4 Indixes?

Answer 4

• intelligence test for adults
• 4 indixes
  1. verbal comprehension index (vocabulary, similarities, information)
  2. perceptual reasoning index (matrix reasoning, visual puzzles, block design)
  3. working memory index (digit span, arithmetic)
  4. precessing speed index (symbol search, coding )

Question 5

What is the PMAT test?

Answer 5

• primary mental abilities test
• thurstone
• primarily for research
• looks at verbal comprehension, reasoning, perceptual speed, numerical ability, word fluency, associative memory, spatial visualization

Question 6

Aging and Executive Functioning: Additional tests

Answer 6

• task switching (eg, cognitive flexibility, odd then even)

- verbal fluency

Question 7

Aging and Executive Functioning: Age-related decline

Answer 7

• older adult may not be aware of these

- verbal fluency: greater tendency to perseverate, especially those with lower vocab/education

Question 8

Aging and Executive Functioning: Compensation

Answer 8

• exercise

- video game playing (exergaming, mixed violence, transferability)

Question 9

what is the earliest research in intelligence

Answer 9

• classic aging pattern (decline in the performance sub-tests beyond age 65 on WAIS)
• cross-sectional vs longitudinal designs

Question 10

Theoretical Perspectives of Intelligence

Answer 10

• Spearman, g (general) factor underlies intelligence and can be assessed through a variety of tests

Question 11

What is Fluid Intelligence (Gf)

Answer 11

• flexible and adaptive thinking draw inferences, understands relationships between concepts
• innate: independent of experience
• ability to reason and solve problems in unique and novel situations

Question 12

What is Crystallized Intelligence (Gc)

Answer 12

• knowledge: life experience and education in a particular culture
• verbal ability, comprehension, general knowledge
• based partly on fluid intelligence

Question 13

What is the Dual Component model- Baltes

Answer 13

Mechanics of intelligence- neurophysiology (low level- perceptual speed, spatial orientation), decline with age
Pragmatics of Intelligence- acquired knowledge (verbal, wisdom, practical), improve with age

Question 14

How does Intelligence change with age in general?

Answer 14

• fluid intelligence declines throughout adulthood (brain changes, less practical has an impact, processing speed)
• crystalized intelligence improves/ is stable
• learning continues but becomes more difficult
• individual differences increase for crystallized intelligence

Question 15

What is the Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS)

Answer 15

• PMAT
• sequential designs
• cross-sectional findings differed from longitudinal and initial analyses ( classic aging pattern- age, cohort, time of measurement )
• Gf declined faster than Gc
• Large individual differences

Question 16

Cohort Effects for studying Intelligence

Answer 16

• quality of education
• technology
• complexity of work
• changes in gender roles

Question 17

Moderators of Intellectual change (Health)

Answer 17

• health: with age more severe health problems which leads to greater decrease In intelligence (arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis)
• smoking, alcohol abstinence, lack of exercise, low fruits and related to lower scores

Question 18

Moderators of Intellectual change (Brain Activation)

Answer 18

• prefrontal cortex and fluid intelligence
• lower fluid: more functions over time
• Stronger link with crystallized

Question 19

Moderators of Intellectual change (Personality)

Answer 19

• bad: anxious
• Positives: open to new experiences, flexible
• environmental-enrichment hypothesis: when you are more open, less decline in fluid intelligence

Question 20

Making sense of the moderators of intellectual change

Answer 20

• hard to determine cause and effect
• niche picking
• genetic factors play a large role in overall individual differences in IQ but environment plays large role in rate of decline

Question 21

How to improve fluid intelligence

Answer 21

• training in test taking

Question 22

Inductive Reasoning training

Answer 22

• gains for up to 7 years

- SLS sample

Question 23

ACTIVE project

Answer 23

• improvements in memory, reasoning, speed for up to 10 years

Question 24

Wisdom

Answer 24

-more closely related to pragmatic intelligence: apply intelligence to real -world

Question 25

What is the Berlin Wisdom Paradigm by Baltes

Answer 25

• expert knowledge In the fundamental pragmatics of life

good Judgement

Question 26

To become wise…

Answer 26

1. general personal characteristics (open to new experiences, flexible, ambiguity, neither strongly extro or intro)
2. Specific life experiences
3. maybe age

Question 27

Life planning problems

Answer 27

older- multiple perspectives, compromise recognize limitations

• scores distinct from fluid intelligence
• may be culturally different

Question 28

Baltes- 5 Criteria for wisdom- related performance

Answer 28

• factual knowledge
• procedural knowledge
• value relativism
• management of uncertainty
• lifespan contextualism

Question 29

“wisdom” score related to?

Answer 29

• life satisfaction
• affect
• social relationships
  depressive thoughts