Explaining Changes in Brain–Behavior Relations

Question 1

3 most prominent theories and models to organize and explain research findings

Answer 1

P-FIT, CRUNCH model, STAC-r model

(the primary reason for greater activation in different brain regions, such as the different patterns within the prefrontal cortex, is the need for the recruitment and involvement of additional brain structures and processes in order to successfully execute cognitive functions as one grows older)

Question 2

P-FIT

Answer 2

Parieto-frontal integratoins theory - proposes that intelligence comes from a distributed and integrated network of neurons in the parietal and frontal areas of the brain (predicts a type of intelligence called fluid intelligence that includes skills like spatial and matrix reasoning)

Question 3

CRUNCH model

Answer 3

Compensation-related utilization of neural ciruits hypothesis - describes how the aging brain adapts to neurological decline by recruiting additional neural circuits to perform tasks (predicts that older adults will reach their “crunch limit,” or cognitive resource limit, quicker than younger adults)

Question 4

STAC-r model

Answer 4

Scaffolding theory of cognitive aging-revised - based on the idea that age-related changes in one’s ability to function reflect a life-long process of compensating for cognitive decline by recruiting additional brain areas, and takes life-course factors that enhave or deplete neural resources into account
(suggests that the reason older adults can still perform at high levels despite neuronal deterioration is because they create and rely on a backup neural pathway)

Question 5

CRUNCH model’s two options to perform tasks & definitions

Answer 5

more of the same - when task demands are increased, more activation can be found in the same brain region that is activated for processing easier tasks (more popular in younger adults)

supplementary processes - when different brain regions are activated to compensate for lacking or insufficient processing resources

Question 6

Default network of the brain

Answer 6

the regions of the brain that are most active when one is at rest

Question 7

scaffold

Answer 7

neurological shift from effortful processing to overlearning (less effortful processing) that happens in a young adult results from a temporary, broader, dispersed network

Question 8

Neural stem cells

Answer 8

cells in the brain and spinal cord that are thought to give rise to the broad array of specialized cells in the central nervous system, including both neurons and glial