Language and Ageing Flashcards
how many people are over 60?
almost 1 in 10
how many people will be over 60 by 2025?
1 in 5
this will outnumber children aged below 14 by 2050
what research has become increasingly important?
due to increased lifespan, research on healthy ageing decline and strategies to maintain cognitive and brain health is more important
dominant view of language and ageing
no decline in understanding language
some decline in language production with age
recent evidence view of language and ageing
decline in almost all core aspects of understanding and production of language, with room for individual variability
speaking- what declines with age?
production of complex syntactic structures
- caused by decline in implicit memory, which is used to determine linguistic contexts
longitudinal decline in ______ __________ between 74-78
grammatical complexity
age-related differences in word finding abilities
- percentage of TOT states is higher for older adults
- older adults had access to less correct phonological information during TOT states
shows evidence of decline in some core aspects of speaking
understanding language- how does this decrease with age?
accuracy of detecting syntactic mistakes decreases
reaction time of understanding language increases
- evidence of age-related performance differences in syntactic comprehension
what is decline in syntactic comprehension related to?
decline in working memory and processing speed
biomarkers of healthy ageing
- physiological function
- endocrine function
- physical capability
- cognitive function
- immune function
which lifestyle factors impact brain health and cognition over the lifespan?
sleep, diet, exercise, and cognitive training
when is the sharpest decline in activity levels?
75-84 (48% less active)
85+ (26% active)
how can training fitness influence cognition>
speed hypothesis
visuospatial hypothesis
controlled-processing hypothesis
executive-control hypothesis
speed hypothesis
fitness effects are observed in RT or finger-tapping tasks
looks at low-level CNS function, which is uncontaminated by strategies or high-level cognition
visuospatial hypothesis
fitness effects are observed in visuospatial tasks, as these processes are more susceptible to ageing than verbal skills
controlled-processing hypothesis
these tasks are more sensitive to fitness differences with age, than tasks that can be executed by automatic processing
executive-control hypothesis
improvements in fitness are reflected in enhanced executive-control processes such as:
- coordination
- inhibition scheduling
- planning
- working memory
what can regular aerobic exercise offset?
the age-related decline in blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCAy) in healthy humans
what are higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels associated with?
greater grey matter volume in the PFC and hippocampus
how can higher aerobic fitness levels improve speaking?
reduce TOT probability in older adults
what should further research consider for individual differences?
impact of exercise on brain structure, brain function, and cognition
which cognitive domains experience a sharp decline with age?
- inductive reasoning
- spatial orientation
- perceptual speed
- verbal memory
which cognitive domains experience a gradual decline with age?
- numeric ability
which cognitive domains remain fairly consistent with age?
- verbal ability
compensation hypothesis
older adults engage greater volumes of brain tissue relative to young adults, which serve as compensatory mechanisms to aid cognitive performance and counteract age-related decline
how can the compensation hypothesis explain bilateralisation with age?
age-related differences are strongest in non-dominant hemispheres for specific cognitive functions
explains why activation often appears more bilateral with age
when can changes in brain activity be classed as beneficial/compensatory?
if this change contributes to successful performance
oscillatory activity
synchronous and coherent electrical activity of neuron groups
is there evidence for compensation in ageing? what more research is needed?
some evidence, but more research is needed to explore relationship between brain, behaviour, and individual differences
