Chapter 7: Higher-order cognitive function

Seattle longitudinal study abt executive function & intelligence

Primary mental abilities

Cross-sectional, b/w age groups: Verbal meaning, spatial orientation, inductive reasoning, number, and word fluency seem to be worse. Math is strongest at age 46

Longitudinal, within-person changes: Verbal meaning, inductive reasoning increases with age, and decline after 45

Cognitive aging

Cross-sectional: Younger cohort is better in all those mental assessments except number, and not much diff of verbal fluency. Poss reasons y younger cohorts are better: better education, more exposed to this kind of assessments

Health conditions associated w intelligence test scores

Arthristic, cancer, osteoporosis, and metabolic syndrome

Smokers, obesity, less exercise

Sex differences on these measures: Baltimore longitudinal study

Women perform better if not similar to men, except in visual-spatial ability

Women shows decline as aging, but not as steep as men

Both show decline as aging

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and exec func tests

Tests of executive function do NOT predict scores on self-reported measures of IADL (ex. Paying bills, browsing websites) (maybe cuz not recognize the struggle, biased memories, identity assimilation)

Tests of exec func DO predict objective measures of IADL

Financial capacity

Capacity to manage money and financial assets in ways that meet a person’s needs and which are consistent with their values and self-interest. (ex. Basic monetary skills, deposit/withdrawal, financial conceptual knowledge, bank management, judgment, estate planning/wills)

Peak performance: Mid 50s

Making a rate-changing mistake on a loan: 20s is highest, 50s is lowest, then increase after 60s

Younger borrowers have low exp, high analytical skills, while older borrowers have high exp, but low analytical skills (that’s y the sweet spot is in the 50s)

Warning signs of financial functioning

Memory lapses

Disorganization

Declines in cheque book management skills

Arithmetic mistakes

Conceptual confusion

Impaired judgement

Acting on warning signs

Sensitive issues (Earlier is better)

• Cognitive decline → inability to recognizes their problem

• Finances

Helping w financial tasks

• Simplifying & automating banking (reduces credit cards)

• Increase support as necessary

• May be task specific

Proper paperwork

• Power of Attorney (child taking care of their account)

• Joint accounts

Real world impact on cognitive declines & capacity

Financial management

Independent living

Driving

Treatment decisions & consent

Testamentary capacity (มรดก)

Research consent

“Brain Train” Video games

Improve perf on trained tasks

MAY improve perf on closely related tasks

Don’t enhance perf on distantly related tasks

Don’t improve everyday cognitive perf

Exercise & activity

Prevent age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases (promising)

In healthy old, aerobic & resistance training improve cognitive function!

Moderate midlife and later-life activity is associated w decreased risk of MCI and dementias

Exercise in those w MCI and dementia improves some aspects of cognitive function

Playing/Learning music

Those w at least 10 yrs of musical exp had better cognitive function comparing to non-musicians (correlational!)

Lower rates of dementia in frequent vs infrequent musical instrument players over 5 yrs (longitudinal)

Improved working memory, perceptual speed, motor skills after 6 months of piano lessons (experimental)

Dancing

Increasingly used as an intervention → promising neuroplasticity-inducing tool

6 months of dancing classes improved cognition, motor perf, subjective well-being, reaction-time, & posture (experimental)

6 months of dancing classes vs. fitness training. Both groups improved physical fitness, attention & spatial memory. Increased brain volume in dancers!

Music & dancing result in

Pleasure and enjoyment

Creation and maintenance of social connections

A means of creative self-expression

Construction of identity

Opportunities for continuous & increasingly complex learning

Pride and a sense of accomplishment

Social engagement

Decreased risk of dementias

Better cognitive function

Language

Avg healthy older adults does NOT have sig losses in the ability to use lang effectively. Carry on a convo, read, write, remain intact throughout later life.

Abilities that contribute to decline

Reading rate

Diff to hear all words

Less grammar complexity: Able to detect grammatical errors but not correct them. Also speak and write simpler sentences (despite intact knowledge of grammatical rules)

Working memory

Speed

Retrieval (recall, not recognition)

Word finding (lexical retrieval) and sentence processing are less efficient for old ppl w metabolic syndrome

Abilities that don’t decline

Semantic memory

“Gist” of story

Gestures, etc.

Exp – compensate for changes in memory and speed. Better vocab among highly edu old

Implicit memory

Communication predicament model

Older adults are thought of as mentally incapacitated → younger ppl speak to them in a simplified/infantilizing way → reduce old ppl’s actual lang ability (elderspeak – how young ppl talk to old ppl like they’re babies) → could also lead them to isolate socially

Bilingualism and aging

Bilingualism is beneficial across the life span, even tho u’re not rlly using one of the langs as much anymore

Not advantage: Diff in verbal than spatial stimuli, not better in Stroop task

Prevent cognitive decline

Later onset and progression of MCI and AD

Everyday problem-solving

Ability to solve prob that occur in ppl’s daily lives (depend on edu, demo, health)

Older ppl can enhance their problem-solving and feelings of self-efficacy

Older ppl are more rational in shopping!

Older ppl generate fewer solu even they have more exp

Quicker decision-making, but relying on just their prior exp without other sources

Intelligence

Ppl carry on the self perception whether they’re “smart” or “dumb” for yrs → affects how much you study, habits, control of school perf

Classic aging pattern: Inverted U-shape, peaked in early adulthood, think that intelligence declines in old age. NOT TRUE!

Fluid intelligence (innate know-how to carry out higher-level cognitive operations) and crystallized intelligence

Lower scores on episodic memory (steeper decline) and crystallized intelligence (accumulated knwl, vocab, exp, basically semantic, so intact)

Fluid intelligence (working memory, quick problem-solving) declines over time

Lower fluid intelligence linked to higher mortality rate

• These scores are even lower if have high anxiety, less flexible and open-minded

Personality alone does not predict cognitive ability in old age

Wisdom

Wise ppl are experts in pragmatics of intelligence

Older adults are better at taking multiple perspectives, try to forge compromises, and recognize limitations of knowledge

Wise ppl score low on fluid intelligence (so older ppl, wiser, lower episodic, but crystal – semantic – is intact)

High wisdom → higher satisfaction, positive affect, less depress, better social rela, and live longer

Mechanics of intelligence

Speed, working memory, fluid intelligence, etc.

Don’t capture wisdom

Pragmatics of intelligence

They can apply their abilities to solu of real-life probs (wise ppl are expert in this)

Theory of multiple intelligence

Intelli includes several trad abilities (math, verbal, visual/spatial), and others not rlly in intelli test (naturalistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, athleticism)

Wisdom might be most connected to interpersonal (knwl of others) and intrapersonal (knwl of self), paralleling the dist b/w mechanics and pragmatics of intelli