Cognitive Development: Middle & Late Adulthood

fluid intelligence

basic processing abilities, such as working memory, processing speed, discovering patterns, and making inferences

crystallized intelligence

accumulated knowledge acquired thru experiences and learning

seattle longitudinal study

peak performance in middle age, verbal abilities remain constant, perceptual speed and numerical abilities show first decline

flynn effect

cohort effects suggest people are getting smarter w/ each generation. increases thought to be caused by contextual factors

cohort effects

two broadly different cohorts widely range in cognitive decline

use it or lose it principle

experimental cohort in study engaged in mentally stimulating activities, showed less cognitive decline

expertise

elaborate and integrated knowledge base. extraordinary proficiency in a given task, supports gains in practical problem solving

expertise-middle age

with age, most adults expand and develop it. It peaks in middle adulthood

encapsulation

fluid intelligence and processing that is dedicated to specific knowledge making that knowledge easier to access and use.

wisdom

expert knowledge and excellent judgement

attention involves

how much info, the ability to divide attention and change focus, the ability to selectively attend

age related declines in attention

not uniform across adults and these differences predict variations in cognitive performance

memory

changes substantially over adult years. capacity declines from the 20s to the 60s. declines are related to changes in attention

episodic memory

declines - names and faces; encoding new info

procedural memory

stable - motor skills and habits

priming

stable - ability to solve a problem and answer a question

semantic memory

may improve - vocab and knowledge; deeper comprehension of and integration across feelings and facts

executive functioning

goal directed thinking, changes in late adulthood

processing speed

reduces greatly, biggest change to information processing

selective optimization with compensation

ability to adapt to changes over time, optimize current functioning, and compensate for losses in order to preserve performance

training cognitive skills

improve cognitive skills of many older adults, some loss in plasticity in late adulthood, cognitive vitality can be improved thru cognitive/physical training

dementia

neurological disorder, deterioration of mental functioning. loss of the ability to care for self and recognize familiar surroundings

alzheimer’s disease

most common cause of dementia, progressive neurodegenerative disorder.

risk factor for alzheimer’s

being a woman, older age, african american, hispanic, genetics, contextual and behavioral factors

protective factors against alzheimer’s

education promotes neural activity and increases connections among neurons. exercise increases hippocampal area of brain

vascular dementia

caused by strokes or blockages of blood vessels to the brain

parkinson’s disease

chronic progressive disease. characterized by tremors, stiffness, slowed movement, unstable posture. triggered by damage to dopamine neurons. drug treatment to reduce symptoms

levvy body dementia

visual hallucinations, fluctuating cognitive symptoms, sleep disorder

delirium

reversible, dementia symptoms caused by psychological or behavioral factors

respite care

services that provide temporary relief for those who are caring for individuals with disabilities, illnesses, or the elderly