Week 4 Flashcards
T/F: Normal aging includes an increased ability to problem solve and increased reasoning, verbal skills, speed of processing, psychomotor skills, and memory.
False. Normal aging leads to cognitive changes in problem solving memory, psychomotor, verbal skills, reasoning, speed of processing, verbal skills, memory
What is very long term memory (remote) and how does it change with age?
Ability to remember experiences from childhood. Usually pretty stable with age
What is working memory and how does it change with age?
Simultaneously holding information in head (storage) and using it to perform a task (processing). Overall retained over time, but may decrease a little with age. Decrease in storage capacity has been documented, which may contribute to overall decline in memory with age
Well learned knowledge that you remember over a long period of time
Long term memory
How does long term memory (secondary memory) change with age?
A. Tends to largely decrease with age
B. Tends to increase with age
C. Remains pretty stable with age
C. Long term memory remains pretty stable with age. However, there may be issues moving from STM to LTM (encoding process). It may take a while to code this information.
Following through with steps to get to a tv program is an example of…
Problem solving memory
T/F: The verbal performance split in the WAIS (Weschsler Adult Intelligence Scale) dictates that the verbal scale (vocab, general info, verbal comprehension and reasoning) shows earlier and more significant decline than performance scale (speed and accuracy in problem solving) and perceptual abilities
False. Performance scale (speed and accuracy in problem solving) and perceptual abilities show earlier and more significant decline than verbal scale
Involves physical action and declines with age, usually in the early 50’s.
psychomotor skills. Done repeatedly over time and usually you don’t have to think about doing it e.g., riding a bike, tying shoes.
This is ability to process info. Begins to decline in the 50’s.
Speed of processing
Difficulty following and remembering content of a fast-paced tv program or movie is an example of decline in…
Speed of processing!
T/F: Large changes in verbal skills tend to develop in later life
False. Minor changes in verbal skills begin later in life
T/F: With aging, there is commonly a decline in speed and efficiency of problem solving
True.
T/F: Reasoning is thought to be retained with age.
True. While tests show that older adults do worse than younger adults on reasoning, this may say more about outside factors e.g., test, testing environment
T/F: Some research shows a slowing down in intelligence starting at 25 and continuing through the 70s and 80s
True
The ability to adapt to and use new information (new information, problem solving, reasoning). How does this change with age?
Fluid Intelligence. May be decline with age.
Practical skills and knowledge of the person accumulated over a long period of time e.g., social roles, how to act in social situations. Change with age?
Crystalized intelligence. Remains stable with age
The Ability to quickly and accurately compare letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns is _________. How does this change with age?
Perceptual speed. The ability to compare things slows with age (cognitive slowing)
T/F: Abstract reasoning is retained with age
False. Abstract reasoning (measures your lateral thinking skills or fluid intelligence, which are your ability to quickly identify patterns, logical rules and trends in new data, integrate this information, and apply it to solve problems) slows with age, but must take testing factors into account
T/F: The ability to focus on and attend to info (attention) is essential in memory
True
Changes in memory and other areas of cognitive function that may be seen in healthy, older adults of at least avg. intelligence functioning
Mild Cognitive Impairments, previously known as age-associated memory impairments. Impairments involves relatively deficient performance in learning and recalling info, with complaints of memory impairments in daily life. ADLs relatively well preserved
T/F: Many older adults with mild cognitive impairments remain stable without developing dementia
True
T/F: Overall, cognitive function declines in older adults throughout the lifespan
False. Overall, there is a relatively stable cognitive function in older adults throughout the lifespan. Must consider context.
T/F: Current research in industrial gerontology shoes little decline overall in the performance of healthy older adults in the workplace
True. Increasing job satisfaction, job involvement and commitment, and decreased turnover rates associated with aging worker
The greatest amount of age related vocational deficits are seen in which jobs?
Greatest amount of age related vocational deficits seen in physically challenging jobs e.g., manual labor, some blue-collar jobs.
Where is the least decline in vocations visible?
Least decline where skills and info require formal education e.g., teaching
T/F: Studies show that older workers are usually unable to meet demands of work, despite if physically able and adequate time allowed for acquisition of new info and skills
FALSE. More training or time to adapt will help them integrate newly learned habits into routine
This is a term used to account for situation in which there is a lack of environmental demand, thus causing a decline in intelligence and secondary memory
Use it or lose it, baby!
T/F: Birth year/cohort can have effects on cognitive abilities or test performance
True. E.g., educational opportunities, life experience, access to medical care, occupational opportunities
Concept suggesting that some people have more reserve capacity in cognitive function, allowing them to delay signs of cognitive loss due to normal aging or conditions like alzheimers
Cognitive reserve
What may increase cognitive reserve capacity?
Cognitively stimulating activities e.g., reading or playing car games, learning new things, read new books
Which of these cognitive instance will most likely not affect vocational performance?
A. Decline in fluid intelligence (obtaining new info and adapting to it)
B. Increased cautiousness
C. Decreased processing speed (using info to perform tasks)
D. Decline in secondary memory (long term)
E. Crystallized intelligence
E. Crystallized intelligence. This is retained with age.
Job training for adults should include:
Training sessions must involve info of relevance and interest to older adult, feedback on success to bolster self-confidence and maintain motivation, more time to learn new skills, mnemonic strategies to enhance material to be learned
What kind of strategies can be helpful for older adults to overcome memory changes?
Mnemonic strategies. They can help increase coding from STM –> LTM so the individual can better adapt to new work.
T/F: In healthy older adults with normal cognitive changes, deficits in ADLs and IADLs are inevitable
False. It is not likely that cognitive changes bring about significant deficits in ADLs and IADLs. Normal age-related changes shouldn’t affect someone who has been performing the same activity for 40-50 years.
What is the exception to the rule that activities should not be affected by normal cognitive changes associated with aging?
If cognitive changes including slowing processing speed and memory changes, participation in activities may be affected e.g., trouble with challenging card games like bridge/cribbage. However, these changes shouldn’t lead to an inability to engage in activities. Instead, may use adaptive strategy e.g., making motes, additional time, engage in meaningful activity
T/F: It is almost impossible for older adults to learn new leisure and recreational skills
False! There is no reason adults cannot learn new skills or info to engage in new leisure activities.
How can leisure activities help to maintain cognitive functions in older adults?
Leisure activities that stimulate the older adult on a social, cognitive, and physical note can help maintain cognitive functions
If a person gives up something he/she truly loves, it could be a sign of…
Major depression or cognitive decline/dementia
How does free recall change with age?
With age, free recall may decline (one’s own ability to retrieve info without a cue)
How do changes in one’s ability to recall vs. recognize differ?
With age, free recall (one’s ability to to retrieve info without cue from memory) may decline. But recognition remains relatively intact. For example, person may recognize someone easily, but not necessarily recall their name. They recognize person by sensing individual and comparing it to own memory bank to see if match and recognize person instantly, but can’t recall from memory who person is.
What sort of formal and informal methods of interventions/adaptations may help compensate for age-related memory changes?
- Memory aids e.g., reminders, lists, med management devices
- Formal training, however follow through with strategies is low
Changes in this area of cognition may affect these daily activities:
- Difficulty remembering newly learned facts e.g., phone numbers, associating faces and names (memory recall)
- Problems in workplace if job requires high level of memorization
- Misplacing objects, forgetting appointments
Age-related changes in memory may affect these daily activities