HLM Exam #3 Flashcards
(120 cards)
How does semantic memory change with old age?
Semantic memory is preserved over aging
Performance declines with age for…
1) speed of processing
2) working memory
3) long term memory
When does age-related memory decline start?
your 20s
considerations with timed studies
Older adults take 1.5x as long to do all tasks as younger adults so timed studies may need to be adjusted to compensate for this
- problem: this may cancel out the effect so this is hard
Designs for aging studies
1) cross sectional: compare compare 20yrs to 60 yrs
2) longitudinal: follow people across lifespan
Problems with cross-sectional designs
1) individual differences (variability across people)
2) cohort effects: major life events can influence results
3) correlational: you can not manipulate age so can not say cause and effect
4) confounding variables: can not be sure age is causing the effects you see (may be education or economic status)
5) physical health: older adults are overall less healthy and may be on medications that confound effects or have visual or auditory problems
Problems with longitudinal designs
1) practice effects: you may get better at a task as you practice over the years
2) drop-out effects: lose power
3) very expensive and requires commitment
STM and aging (+ how it is tested)
- STM generally declines with age
- tested with the Brown-peterson distractor paradigm
Episodic Memory and Aging (+ how it is tested)
study: recall 2 lists of unrelated words
- number of items recalled decreased with age
- however there is quite a bit of variability so it may not just be age
Individual variation in age and memory
- there is a strong decline in cognitive performance right before death (changes depending on lifespan for individuals)
- major life events: can cause a dip in memory but some people can recover (cognitive resilience)
Types of test and age
- free recall: age-related decline
- recognition: little to no age-related decline
Remembering vs. knowing and age
- remembering decreases with age
False Recall and age
worse memory for real events, more false recall
- hard to remember where they got information from
Presentation time and aging
- older adults: make many errors for quickly presented words
- if you slow presentation down, older adults have the biggest benefit
Self-pacing and aging
- older adults are aware that they need more time to complete cognitive tasks so if it is self paced, they will take this time (metacognition)
- different from children who recognize a task is harder but do not allot more time
Aging and Prospective Memory
- event based memory is in tact
- time based memory: challenging for older adults
Aging and Implicit Memory
no decline in implicit memory
Perspectives for why age-related memory decline occurs
1) speed of processing: we know this declines with age and we know speed of processing affects memory
2) reduced processing resources: deficits in attention - hard to engage in demanding tasks
3) automatic vs. controlled processing: related to attention / focus (recall requires control and this declines with age whereas recognition is automatic and does not decline)
4) contextual / environmental support: recognition vs. recall (what cues are you given?)
5) inhibition: hard time ignoring distracting information
- all of these are related to the frontal lobe
Neurology of aging
- frontal cortex most involved
- orbital frontal cortex: most involved with age
- overall cortical volume declines with age (drives attention, focus, general processing and resources)
How do we prevent age-related effects from happening?
- this is a cumulative effect: older = more time for habits
- behavioral, environmental and genetic factors
- behavioral factors: diet, exercise, social engagement
Functional threshold
when you can no longer live along
exercise and cognition
cardiovascular exercise improves cognition (most in executive, controlled, and spatial processing + speed of processing)
Collective Memory
a representation of the past that is shared by members of a group
- membership often forms a part of the individual’s identity
Individual memory
based on personal experience
- it can be shaped by the social group you are in but is specific to you