final - readings Flashcards

Question

sustained attention

Answer 1

Participants must respond when they see a particular target out of a continuous stream of stimuli   Older adults typically have more difficulty with these tasks  

Answer 2

Attentional Resources   - Regards attention as process of reflecting allocation of cognitive resources   - Dedicating certain proportion of mental operations to that object  - Older adults have greater difficulty   - Don't have same amount of energy available for cognitive operations   Inhibitory Deficit Hypothesis   - Aging reduces ability to inhibit or tune out irrelevant information   - Older and middle aged adults perform better when they have fewer distractions  - One of them being their own concern over how they are performing   - The more you worry about personal performance, the less you are able to concentrate on the task  - Experience can compensate for age related changes in sustained attention

Answer 3

Young adults who play video games have improved attentional capacity   - Can make finer grained distinctions; better decisions   - Better able to focus attention, can ignore distractions and irrelevant information   Can be used to enhance a variety of skills  - Peripheral vision   - Multiple targets   Could also have effect on older adults

Answer 4

Changes in cognitive functions such as reaction time and attention threaten impairment of ability to perform vital tasks in older adults   Visual changes that can impair performance   - Increased sensitivity to glare   - Difficulty seeing in dark   Medications taken by older adults can have side effects that can affect driving ability   - Drowsiness   + Confusion   Crashes involving older adults generally occur at intersections   - Left turns   - More difficult by older drivers when they have to merge or yield to oncoming traffic   Younger drivers more likely to drink and drive, drive while distracted   Many older drivers take precautions to account for impairments and decrease in cognitive abilities   - Not driving during rush hour, night or bad weather   - Leaving greater distances between cars  Older drivers also have more experience   - More cautious and can predict the behaviours of other drivers in certain scenarios   - Pulling out of parking spot without signalling, controlling car to avoid spinning in ice  Adults decisions about whether to continue to drive depends on  - Ability to find alternative transport  - Perceived health   - What driving means to their identity, ability to stay connected to the outside world  Age and gender related to attitudes about driving   - Older participants = more concerns about driving, less comfort  May also incorporate social attitudes about driving   - Prejudice from young people  There is hope that with an increase in technology, we can better adapt to the needs of older drivers  

Answer 5

Keeps information temporarily available and active in consciousness   Use working memory when learning new information, recalling information you have previously learned   4 components of working memory: - auditory memory - visuospatial memory - episodic buffer - central executive Research shows working memory is greatest in young adulthood, decreases over time   Adaptations and compensatory mechanisms can come into play to make up for losses according to the scaffolding theory   Default network   - Circuit of brain active while brain is at rest   - Older adults show less activation of default network

Answer 6

Memory for what you hear   Held within phonological loop  Can be rehearsed by repeating material over and over

Answer 7

Memory for information you see 

Answer 8

Recalling information from long term memory   Brings it temporarily into working memory 

Answer 9

Rely on when deciding how to allocate cognitive resources to a particular task

Answer 10

LT memory includes information including recent past  Process includes encoding, storage and retrieval   Encode: when we first learn it, kept in long term storage and retrieved when needed 

Answer 11

``` episodic memory source memory false memory tip of the tongue memory prospective memory ```

Answer 12

``` flashbulb memory semantic memory procedural memory implicit memory autobiographical memory ```

Answer 13

LT memory for events  Fundamental to everyday tasks  Intentional and incidental learning   What you did last night  decline w age

Answer 14

Difficulty forming and retrieving links   Between an item and source   'who said what'   declines w age

Answer 15

Remembering something that never happened   declines w age

Answer 16

Unable to remember information you once knew   Trying to remember names etc declines w age

Answer 17

Recalling events to do in the future   Taking medication  declines w age

Answer 18

Recalling important and distinctive events  Weddings, deaths, disasters, attacks  As likely as younger adults to remember these  doesnt decline w age

Answer 19

Ability to recall word meanings and factual information   doesnt decline w age

Answer 20

Recalling actions in how to do certain tasks   Riding a bike  doesnt decline w age

Answer 21

Memories/information that we take on without intending to do so  doesnt decline w age

Answer 22

Recalling information from your own past  doesnt decline w age

Answer 23

Memory in later adulthood related to a variety of health related behaviours  - Smoking  - Fish high in omega 3  - Vitamin B12  Aerobic exercise can contribute to increases in brain areas  Stress can interfere with memory performance 

Answer 24

Research focused on understanding how cognitive aging is influenced by individual beliefs and social contexts  Individual beliefs (how you think about your memory) may play an important role in addition to your age   Memory self-efficacy: form of self efficacy refers to confidence you have in your memory  -- Degree to which you can successfully complete a memory task   Stereotype threat: suggests that people perform in ways consistent with negative stereotypes of the group to which they see themselves as belonging to  --- Identification of negative images with aging interferes with memory performance in older adults  Lowers their feelings of self efficacy  

Answer 25

Reflects far less quantifiable phenomenon   Adults can become increasingly capable of dealing with higher level conceptual issues   - Conventional tests (measurement of mechanics of intelligence) did not capture these abilities  Central element of Wisdom Model   - Proposes wise people are experts in pragmatics of intelligence   - -----> Can apply their abilities to solution of real life problems  

Answer 26

(Baltes)  After realizing traditional view of intelligence only focused on mechanics of intelligence   Involving cognitive operations   - Speed  - Working memory   - Fluid intelligence  

Answer 27

Might come up with meaning that incorporates indiv knowledge of ways of the world and understanding how other people feel, think and behave 

Answer 28

Wisdom is form of expert knowledge in pragmatics of life  Evolves in later years of life for many people   - Aware of culture shaping lives and personalities  = life-span contextualism   Wise people = less likely to judge others  - Greater appreciation for individual differences and values, life experiences and beliefs   = value relativism   - Also have rich base of facutal and declarative knowledge  - ---- Extensive background of procedural knowledge   - ----They know how things work   - Able to recognize uncertainty = fact of life 

Answer 29

Another study with a more representative population   Stories with social problems involving different ethnic groups   Finding supported view:   - Older adults are better able to take on multiple perspectives   - Try to compromise   - Recognize limitations of knowledge   Cultural influences display role in development of wisdom over the years  - Same study, Japanese participants showed more wisdom   - Weaker differences between older adults in the group    

Answer 30

Higher wisdom ranking = higher life satisfaction  Lower negative effect   Less depressive thoughts  Better social relationships 