Midterm- Lecture 6 (Ch.4) Flashcards
What is the definition of intelligence?
Visible indicator of cognitive processes
How efficient various cognitive processes are in working together behind the scenes to process info in a variety of ways
What is psychometrics?
Field of psych that studies the measurement of human abilities such as intelligence
What is the IQ (intelligence quotient)?
Stable with age
A way in which we measure the general capacity of intelligence
Scale score
- 100 is normal
- above 100 are above average
- below 100 are below average
What is a g rating?
Measurable intelligence capacity
Describes how we cognitively approach various tasks
What does an IQ subtest measure?
Measurement of verbal comprehension, perceptional reasoning, working memory and processing speed
Does aging have an effect of intelligence?
Some decline in intelligence
Less severe than thought
Becomes substantial well in your 80s
What is the Flynn effect?
Named after a psychologist James Flynn
Average IQ had increased steadily over the 20th century
Argues that the increase is main due to changes in modern life
Advanced in education, greater use of tech, and more people being engaged in intellectually demanding work
What is crystallized intelligence?
Knowledge based on experience, culture and education
Can continue to grow well into the 60s
Gradual decline in 70s
Ex: reason about real life problems, life skills or finding items in grocery store
Measured by vocab and verbal comprehension on standardized tests
What is fluid intelligence?
Biological process
Basic set of abilities believed to be more under the influence of biological processes
Test of memory measures fluid intelligence
Adaptation to new situations
Nonverbal fluid declines with age before verbal or crystallized intelligence
Decline at about 35-40
Can anything be done to reverse the moderate decline in IQ shown in longitudinal studies?
Component training- Specific exercises geared towards specific intellectual ability components
Ex: inductive reasoning
Or
Physical exercise
Is intelligence a predictor of health and longevity?
Yes
What is the definition of memory?
The ability to retain or store info and retrieve it when needed
Age 65 notice some decline in memory
What is the sensory store?
Refers to the initial step as info is picked up by the senses and processed briefly by the perceptual system
What is the short term store?
2nd step
Info is held for several seconds and either discarded or encoded for storage in the long term store
What is the long term store?
Info can be housed for years
What is short term memory?
Important for performing nearly all other cognitive tasks
The ability to hold info in mind for a brief period of time
Referred to as primary memory
Passive maintenance of info
Can be measured by Digit Span Test/ Task
Stable over time
What is working memory?
Amount of info held in mind while performing some type of operation on it
Associated with performing almost all other cognitive tasks
Central component of executive functioning
Critical for math problems
Declines as you age (spatial, locations)
What does executive function represent?
Processes involved in regulating attention and determining what to do with all of the info
Declines in older adults
What is declarative memory or explicit memory?
Knowledge consciously aware of and can be tested by word recall tests or recognition memory
2 types:
- semantic
- episodic
What is semantic declarative memory?
Knowledge of language, rules, and concepts
Fairly stable before age 75 and can increase through 70s
Segment of long term store that contains factual info
Word finding failures- word is at tip of my tongue
Name retrieval’s
Increase than decreases
What is episodic declarative memory?
Ability to recall events
Declines relatively slow and gradual through age 90
Segment of long term store that contains info about sequences of events
Begins to decline in late teens and early 20s
Decline faster
What is non-declarative or procedural memory?
Responsible for skill learning and retention
Little changes as we age other than task requiring speed for performance
Ex: riding a bike/ driving/ tying your shoes
Can be declarative and non declarative
Depends on motor systems
Skill learned becomes mental process
Not available non conscious awareness
What is prospective memory?
Remembering to do something later
Task specific
Declines with age
Linked to executive functioning that declines with age
Ex: taking medication
What can you do to slow decline in memory abilities?
Training-
improves memory function but it doesn’t do away with decline completely
External memory aides-
Making lists, taking notes, timers
What does contextual perspective of memory believe?
Traditional lab studies fail to consider that cognitive processes take place within the context of our lives
What is the adaptive nature of cognition?
As we age our life changes and how we adapt our cognitive styles to fit those changes is a measure of successful aging
What is a stereotype threat?
Negative stereotypes of aging and memory ability
Contextual factor
Get anxiety if they are put in a position that confirms stereotype
What is the choice type of decision adults are frequently recruited to make across life span?
Choosing among a set of alternatives that have multiple attributes
Older people use less info and took less time than younger people to make their choice (with no difference between the choices)
What is the emotional regulation type of decision adults are frequently recruited to make across life span?
Older adults often show better decision making skills than younger adults especially when interpersonal problems are confronted
Use an avoidant denial strategy- evaluate a criticism is valid
What is the positivity bias type of decision adults are frequently recruited to make across life span?
Tendency for older adults to remember emotionally positive stimuli over emotionally negative stimuli
Social emotional selectivity theory- explanation for older adults use of positivity bias
What are individual health differences in cognitive changes?
Vision and hearing loss- 93% of variance in IQ measures
Chronic disease- Alzheimer’s, obesity + high blood pressure, thyroid disease, cardiovascular
Medication- side effects (strongly metabolize)
What is the common cause hypothesis or brain aging?
Age related changes in brain (white matter) might be considered the over arching commonality that links the decline of intellectual abilities with decline in sensory abilities in older adults
What are the 2 individual genetic differences in cognitive changes?
Heritability scores
Conflictive ability- found to be among most heritable behavioral traits
What is heritability scores?
Measure the strength of genetic influences at play
What are individual demographic and sociobiographical history differences in cognitive changes?
Gender differences- women have advantage in episodic memory, verbal tasks and maintenance in brain waves
Military
Sociobiographical history
What is the sociobiographical history?
Level of professional prestige, social position, and income experienced throughout ones life
What are individual schooling differences in cognitive changes?
Formal education
Measuring tests
What is formal education?
Predicts the rate of cognitive decline
Less decline is found with more formal years of education
What are measuring tests?
Some tests used to measure cognitive ability may actually be measuring education level instead
What are individual intellectual activity differences in cognitive changes?
Studies have shown that cognitive processes are preserved in later adulthood for people who exercise those processes regularly through such activities (playing chess and cross word puzzles)
Read, travel, take classes, social, have hobbies
How does cardiovascular aerobic exercise help cognition?
Promotes cell growth in brain structures increases cognitive ability
What are individual subjective evaluation of decline differences in cognitive changes?
Our own opinion of our cognitive abilities
What is medication adherence?
The ability of patients to follow their physicians instructions about taking their prescribed medication in the right dosage at the right time and for the right length of time
Biggest and preventable problem
1/2 of older adults do not adhere to physicians orders
Higher death rates and QOL
What is lack of adherence linked to?
Economic status, side effects, quality of doctor and client relationship
Cognitive issues- prospective memory problems
Does social support decline with age?
Yes
Did social media and cell phone use decline with age?
No it increased
Email used to speak with grand children
Can e-readers and electronic games be used to assist with cognitive abilities?
Yes, more adults use these because of more advantages
Wii- address cognitive and physical activity
What age groups are more likely to be involved in MVA?
Under age of 20
Over 70
What is the useful field of view?
Area of the visual field that can be processed in one glance
Reduced in older adults
Older adults 2x more likely to be in MVA than normal field of view
What are examples of cognitive gains?
New stages of understanding
Increase wisdom
Finding new ways to perform old tasks
Improving certain skills because of the loss of others
Learning to work with partners as collaborators
What was the psychologist name who argued cognitive changes can be losses and gains?
Roger Dickson
What are the 2 sub types of knowledge/ memory?
1) declarative
2) nondeclarative
True or false: most adults over age 56 will notice some memory decline
True
What factors affect age related cognitive changes?
Vision/ hearing loss
Chronic disease
Genetics
Diet/ nutrition
Military advantage
Medications
Socioeconomic status
Gender differences
