Week 5 Flashcards
What is memory
The ability to recollect faces, names, events and experiences is critical to personhood
What are the two typse of memory
Short term memory (holds information up to 30 seconds )
Long term memory (beyond 30 seconds)
What is the process of information processing
Input from the enviroment then into sensory register into short term memory and eventually into long term memory
What is short term memory limited in
Capacity
What is the short term memory divided into
Primary memory and working memory
What is primary memory
A receptacle that keeps and retrieves information in the same format it is received so you remeber a phone number long enough to punch younger and older adults do not differ much in primary memory
What is working memory and the two loops
Responsible for storing processing and manipulating information phonological loop for speech based information spoken words and visuospatial loop for vision based information images and written words older age is associated with reduced working memory
What is long-term memory
Unlimited and information can be retained for weeks,years,decades humans are unconscious of information stored in the long-term memory but they can retrieve it whena. need arises
What are the two types of long term memory
Prospoective long-term memory- stores information about future actives and events doctors appointment paying bills, marriage cermonines there are age differences
Past long term meory- stores info about past events activties
What are the 3 categories of past long-term memory
Procedular memory
Semantic memory
Episodic memory
What is procedural memory
Stores information about skills acquired over the life time driving, games and there is no age difference but older adults may be slower
What is semantic memory
Stores general knowledge meaning of words Canadas captial city no age difference but slower
Episodic memory
Store information about past events oe expereienced tied to particular times and places year of graduation there is an age decline
What are some examples of episodic memory problems starting
Where the care keys or sungalsses are
Grandaughters or grandsons name or birthday
to turn off the stove after cooking
information sources
Why do younger adults have better epsiodic memory than older adults
Encoding process - memory traces attached to information before depositing long term memory store older pepole encode by rate rehersal or reptition and younger people by elaboration which is catergortization easier to remeber information that has been categorized than information rehereased
What are other reasons why younger adults have better episodic memory
Production deficiency - older adults suffer from a production deficiency or a reduced ability to retireve information spontaneously
Slowed retrieval process- older adutls have a reduced ability to recall information from their long term memory
Self evalutation vs objective test of memory
Older adults are more likely than younger adults to rate their memory as faliling and report everyday forgetfulness but their performance in tests is often higher than in self-reports memory loss to other aging issues
What are general patterns of memory loss
Age gradient in memory
Older wome have more information retention ability than older men
Gender gradient does not hold true in countires with tradational roled
Eudcated older adults
Physically active older adults
Physical health problems
What are examples of external mnemonics
Calandars
Reminder notes
Bookmarks
Cooking timeers
medication organizers
What are examples of internal menemonics
Taught in memory traning classes
Matt is fat
Involves lots of cognitve resources
What is intellectual functioning
Capacity to sustain critical mental activies such as learning reasoning abstract thinking and problem solving
What is intelligence classfied as by sternberg
3 things
Contextual (varries across cultures and time periods)
Experinetal (varries according to personal expereinces approached to un-familar problems)
Information process ( varries according to different cogntive resources procesing speed)
What is fluid intelligence
Raw intelligence based on the integrity of the central neverous system it is a biological give independent of sociocultural influence
What is crystalized intelligence
Function of education experience and exposure ot sociocultural influence
How can fluid and crystalized intelgience be classfied as
Fluid is the hardware the mechanics and crystalized is the software and neither can function without the other fluid shows a decline with advanced age
What are some examples of psychometric tests
Primary mental abilties test PMS
WAIS-R test
IQ
What are test items
Arthimetic reasoning
Ability to follow directions
Problem-solving skills
Does intelligence or intellectual functioning decline with age
Earlier cross-sectional studies show lower test scores for older adults compared to younger adults
But cross sectional is bad way to examine later on longitudatle studies refuted the claim and there were different intellecutal trajectories
What are the different intellectual trajectories
Non wester cultures attribute intelligence to old age
Women decline earlier on fluid intelligence
Men decline earlier on crystalized intelligence
What does the life course perspective suggest
Intellecutal development never ceases and that there are gains and looses in intellecutal bailities along the way
Early life and young adulthood –> gains in intellectual abilities are greate than losses
Middel age gains and loose are equal
Old age- loosses are outstrip gains
Wha are factors associated with intellecutal function
Absence of severe sensory deficits
Absence of serious chronic disease
Above avearge socioecnomic status
Intimate social relationships
Sataisfactions with life
Active sitmulating life
What is the disuse hypothesi of cogntive aging
The brain and its functioning can get rusty if they are not regulary used or excersised and that brain plasticity and that other cogntive traning can improve intellectual functioning in old age
What does cognitive traning include
Reading
Games
Social engagments
