week 5

Question 1

how is the SOC model used for memory?

Answer 1

well-maintained memory skills can be used to compensate for those skills that are maintained less well. Benefit from effective use of external aides and internal training.

Question 2

how is the Ecological model used for memory?

Answer 2

Environmental factors can play a role in older adults’ memory functioning. (i.e. Calendar of activities, extra time for processing)

Question 3

how is the SOC model used for problem solving?

Answer 3

Useful for considering how older adults use cognitive processes in the everyday world and what strategies they employ when solving problems, making creative contributions, making decisions, and forming impressions.

Question 4

how is the ecological model used for problem solving?

Answer 4

Environment based. Alternatives introduced in a structured and organized manner; make use of tacit knowledge gathered from the actions and indirect statements of others (new info).

Question 5

what is the sensory store?

Answer 5

to be processed information must go through sensory store, which holds the info for a fraction of a second. the sensory store for older adults may be quicker phase than younger adults - in older adults, information could be lost in the sensory store

differences in the sensory store do not account for the larger age-related differences on other tests of memory

Question 6

what is the short-term store?

Answer 6

if information doesn’t fade too quickly from the sensory store, it enters the short-term memory store where it is held for up to 30 seconds

has a limited memory capacity as far as how many items of information can be held at a given time. if this capacity is exceeded, some items being held will be displaced as additional items are entered into the short term store

Question 7

what is the capacity of short term memory

Answer 7

it is believed that the capacity of short term memory is 7 -/+ 2 items

Question 8

what are the types of short term memory? describe them

Answer 8

primary: passive; holds information in the same form in which it was entered. e.g. something you are asked to repeat back immediately

working memory: holding information and actively processing and manipulating it

Question 9

describe the age-related decline in sensory memory and short-term memory

Answer 9

age-related differences in sensory memory are minimal. Similarly, there is little or no age-related decline in short-term primary memory.

However, older adults usually have more difficulty than young adults with working memory, probably because they must actively manipulate the information held there

Question 10

what is long term memory?

Answer 10

according to the information processing model, items of information entered into the long-term memory store remain there well beyond 30 seconds

information can be maintained in this memory store for years.

capacity of the long-term store appears to be unlimited

the information in our long-term store is not always in our conscious awareness. items are retrieved out of the long-term store as needed

Question 11

what are the 3 categories of long-term store?

Answer 11

procedural: allows us to acquire skills that we usually demonstrate indirectly by action.

semantic: general knowledge/world knowledge e.g. knowing your mother’s maiden name

episodic: memory for events and experiences that occurred at a specific place or time

Question 12

what are the stages of processing in episodic memory

Answer 12

encoding: related to input or placing memory traces into the long-term store

storage: refers to retaining memory traces in the long-term store.
- little reason to believe that memory traces will be lost from the long-term store with normal aging

retrieval: related to output or recovering memory traces from the long-term store when needed

Question 13

what are the types of memory in everyday life?

Answer 13

prospective: remembering to perform action at a designated future point. critical in determining older adults’ ability to maintain their independence

implicit: memory without any deliberate recollection. implicit memory is inferred when such prior exposure affects subsequent test performance or some other kind of behavior or reaction even without the individual’s realizing it

discourse: memory for extended language materials. crucial for every day functioning

Question 14

describe memory training

Answer 14

mnemonics refers to techniques that help improve memory

Question 15

what is metamemory? how is it in older adults?

Answer 15

refers to an inherent understanding of memory

despite older adults’ lesser ability to gauge their test readiness, they are similar to young adults in their general knowledge of how memory works and their beliefs about which memory tasks would be easy and which ones would be difficult

Question 16

what does schaie’s model of cognitive/intellectual development believe

Answer 16

we use our cognitive/intellectual capabilities for whatever purposes are most meaningful, or relevant, for our particular stage of life

Question 17

what are the sequential stages of development of schaie’s model? describe them

Answer 17

acquisitive stage: try to gain as much knowledge and acquire as many skills as possible to prepare ourselves for participation in society

achieving stage: in the young adult years, we shift from acquiring a broad base of knowledge for its own sake to focusing on applying the knowledge we have acquired. use this acquired knowledge to establish ourselves as independent, competent members of society and to achieve our long-term goals

responsible/executive stage: identified mainly with middle adulthood, we use our knowledge and skills for the purpose of care and concern for others. taking on responsibility for a spouse and possibly offspring

reorganizational stage: young-old individuals apply their cognitive competence to two tasks: (a) restructuring their lives for the years of retirement and (b) planning for a time when they may have to give up some of their independence

reintegrative stage: associated with older adulthood, we become more selective about how we expend our cognitive efforts. less motivated to acquire large amounts of new information, and we don’t want to “waste time” on tasks and pursuits that have little meaning for us or put forth much effort to solve problems that do not seem relevant to our own lives.

legacy-creating stage: individuals anticipate the end of life. It is not uncommon for them to reminisce about their past or engage in life review.

Question 18

what is wisdom?

Answer 18

to display wisdom is to behave in admirable, moral ways

could be defined as expert knowledge and insight about the fundamental pragmatics of life

wisdom encompasses cognitive aspects—expert factual and procedural knowledge. it is knowing what you do not have and being able to make good use of what you do have. understanding limitations

an important aspect of wisdom is “problem finding”

wisdom is similar to post formal thinking. it calls for an appreciation that truth is not absolute; rather, truth may differ depending upon the perspective one takes.

Question 19

what are the 3 components of intelligence? describe them

Answer 19

analytic intelligence is closely related to academic intelligence. However, analytic intelligence can be applied to problems outside the academic arena

practical component of intelligence, which includes the tacit knowledge described in the preceding section, is useful for obtaining what one wants in the real world.

creative intelligence connotes divergent thinking, or being able to generate many answers to a question and to find novel, insightful solutions to a problem.

Question 20

what is the swan-song phenomenon?

Answer 20

resurgence in creative output stemming from a final burst in creative activity in the sixth and seventh decades following a post peak decline in the rate of creative productivity

Question 21

describe the decline in intelligence (creative, etc) in aging

Answer 21

in the humanities, productivity tends to remain stable over the adult life span, whereas productivity tends to fall off in the decade of the 60s in the sciences and even earlier in the arts

in many academic fields, the specific age at which a peak occurs may depend upon the age when a career is launched. Individuals who enter a career after mid-life often have a later peak of productivity and a higher rate of output in their older years.

Question 22

describe the processing strategies. which one are older adults more likely to use

Answer 22

bottom up processing: collecting and integrating new information

top-down processing: relying on prior knowledge and experience

the older women relied more on top-down processing, seeking less information and making their final decision more quickly. Many older women said they did not want to delay the decision because it was important to get treatment before the cancer had time to spread

Question 23

what are the two types of cognitive operations used when forming impressions? describe them

Answer 23

category-based: rely on previously formed schemas. once a target is identified as a member of a certain category (e.g., college professor), perceivers base their impression of that target on the schema they already have about the characteristics of that category

piecemeal: construct a unique and possibly a more accurate representation of a target by integrating individual items of information (such as physical characteristics, specific behaviors, stated likes and dislikes, motivations, and goals)

Question 24

what are the 3 levels of moral reasoning? describe them

Answer 24

Level 1 Preconventional (typical of children aged 4–10): Moral judgments are made with an eye to obtaining a reward or avoiding punishment.

Level 2 Conventional (commencing sometime after the age of 10): Moral judgments are made on the basis of pleasing others, being “nice,” “good,” doing one’s duty and what is expected, and maintaining the social order.

Level 3 Postconventional (commencing in adolescence or young adulthood, but not necessarily reached by everyone): Morality is fully internalized. Moral judgments are based on abstract ethical principles as opposed to concrete rules, with the recognition that conflict may exist between the laws and expectations of society and universal ethical principles such as justice, compassion, and equality.

Question 25

how is the SOC model used in cognitive processes?

Answer 25

for considering how older adults use cognitive processes in the everyday world and what strategies they employ when solving problems, making creative contributions, making decisions, and forming impressions.

Question 26

how is the ecological model used for cognitive processes?

Answer 26

framework for determining which environments are likely to foster the highest level of adaptive functioning for older adults

If older adults make final decisions without considering all the alternatives, they may benefit from having an array of alternatives introduced in a structured and organized manner.