BbL trial

1. CHAPTER 5:
COGNITIVE CHANGES
WITH AGING
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Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Intelligence and Aging

Intelligence
– the theoretical limit of an individual’s
performance

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
– an individual’s relative abilities in making
judgments, in comprehension, and in
reasoning
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Age-Related Intelligence
Changes
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Peak performance varies by test
Performance on timed tests declines
Performance on non-timed test remains stable
until the 80s
Rarely decline in all five primary mental abilities
(PMA)
High scorers continue to do well even among
oldest-old
Declines in tests of fluid intelligence begin earlier
than in crystallized intelligence
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4. Problems in the Measurement of
Cognitive Function
Many studies are of cross-sectional design
not longitudinal approaches
 Historical factors may have greater effect
on intelligence scores than age per se
 Attrition- Subject and Selective

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5. FIGURE 5.1 Proportion of Individuals Who Maintain
Scores on Multiple Abilities
SOURCE: K. W. Schaie, The hazards of cognitive aging, The Gerontologist 29 (1989): 484–493.
Reprinted with permission.
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Factors that May Influence
Intelligence in Adulthood
Biological/Structural changes in the brain
 Educational attainment
 Involvement in complex work
 Cardiovascular disease
 Hypertension
 Sensory deficits
 Occupational level
 Nutritional deficiencies
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Process of Learning and
Memory

Learning
– Process by which new information is encoded

Memory
– Secondary (long-term) memory
 permanent memory store
 Iconic and echoic memory
– Primary (working) memory
 Temporary stage of holding information
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. The Information Processing
Model
Conceptual model of how learning and
memory take place
 Aging appears to reduce efficiency of
processing information
 Aging does not influence storage capacity
of memory

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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Schematic Representation of
Information Processing Model
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. Types of Memory
Episodic Memory
Explicit Memory
Flashbulb Memory
Implicit Memory
Procedural Memory
Semantic Memory
Source Memory
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Factors Affecting Learning in
Old Age

The Importance of Attention
– Selective attention
 being able to focus on relevant information while
ignoring irrelevant information
– Sustained attention
 keeping alert to focus on a specific stimulus over
time
– Attentional control
 ability to allocate attention among multiple stimuli
simultaneously
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

12. Age-Related Changes in Memory

Types of retrieval
– Recall and Recognition

Explanations of older adults’ difficulties
with retrieving information
– Disuse theory
 the view that memory fades or is lost because one
fails to use the information
– Interference theory
 the view that memory fades or is lost because of
distractions experienced during learning
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. Age-Related Changes in Memory

Tip-of-the-Tongue States (TOTs)
– difficulty retrieving names from secondary
memory but often spontaneously recalled
later
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Explanations of the increase of TOTs
– Decrement model
– Incremental knowledge gain
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

14. Improving Cognitive Abilities in
Old Age
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Cognitive Retraining
– teaching research participants how to use
techniques to keep minds active and maintain
good memory skills

Memory Mediators
– visual and verbal links between information to
be memorized and information that is already
in secondary memory
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. Computers and Internet
Computers and Internet can improve older persons’
cognitive functions/ability to maintain active aging.
 Gives information about health and health care providers
in the community, enhancing autonomy and selfefficacy.
 Variety of electronic games are targeted to elders,
including those on Nintendo such as Wii.
 May also facilitate social interactions and
communication.
 Although access to computers and the Internet enhances
elders’ sense of mastery and control over their
environment, it does not necessarily improve their
quality of life.
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

16. Improving Webpages for Elders
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Avoid a patterned background behind text material.
Use dark type or graphics against a light background.
Avoid excess graphics and animation.
Avoid pop-up menus that can confuse the main text.
Use a consistent layout in different sections of the website.
Limit how much information is presented on each page.
Distinctly identify all links with a specific convention, such as
underlining or a unique graphic.
Clearly identify the content that is included under each heading.
If animation or video is used, select short segments to reduce
download time.
Provide a telephone number and e-mail address for users who want
direct contact.
SOURCES: Adapted from Mead, Lamson, and Rogers, 2002, and
National Library of Medicine, 2002.
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. Wisdom and Creativity
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Wisdom
– Criteria of wise
behavior:
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Factual knowledge
Procedural knowledge
Lifespan contextualism
Value relativism
Managing uncertainty

Creativity
– Ability to apply unique
& feasible solutions to
new situations
– Measure of creativity
 Divergent thinking
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Education, Inc. All rights reserved.