Psych of Aging Exam 2

Intelligence

• involves more than just a particular fixed set of characteristics

• three clusters: problem solving, verbal, social competence

Theories of intelligence CONCEPTS

• multidimensional (many domains)

• multidirectionality (different patterns for different abilities

• plasticity (range ability modification)

• interindividual variability (adults differ in direction of intellectual development)

Dual-component model of intellectual functioning

• mechanics of intelligence

• pragmatics of intelligence

mechanics of intelligence

• biological and genetic forces

• downward trajectory

• basic info processing

pragmatics of intelligence

• environmental-cultural factors

• upward trajectory

• cultural knowledge

research approach to intelligence

• psychometric approach

• cognitive-structural approach

psychometric approach

• measuring intelligence as a score on a standardized test

• focus is on getting correct answers and information-processing mechanism

cognitive-structural approach

• ways in which people conceptualize and solve problems emphasizing developmental changes in modes and styles in thinking

structure of intelligence

• organization of interrelated intellectual abilities

low - word fluency

second - tests

third - primary mental

fourth - secondary mental

highest - general intelligence

factor

the abilities measured by two interrelated tests

developmental trends in psychometric intelligence

• primary mental abilities

• secondary mental abilities

primary mental abilities

• hypothetical constructs into which related skills are organized

• number, word fluency, verbal meaning, inductive reasoning, spatial orientation

secondary mental abilities

• related groups of primary mental abilities (not measured directly)

• crystallized intelligence

• vocabulary, similarities, social translations, social situations

fluid intelligence

• makes you a flexible and adaptive thinker

• allows you to make inferences

• enable you to understand the relations among concepts

crystallized intelligence

• the knowledge you have gained through life experiences and education

• fluid intelligence declines through adulthood

• crystallized intelligence improves through adulthood

neural efficiency hypothesis

• intelligent people process information more efficiently than less intelligent people

moderators of intellectual change

• cohort differences (sig. diff in intellectual performance w/ age, increase in performance)

• information processing (speed account for age-related decline)

• sociocultural and lifestyle variables (diff. in cognitive skills, high education = slower intellectual decline)

• personality (high levels of fluid abilities and high sense of internal control lead to positive changes in ppl’s perception, being open to experiences increase fluid)

• health (cardiovascular disease for intellectual change, connection between disease and intelligence, exercise good)

terminal decline

gradual decline in cognitive function occurs near death

modifying primary abilities (project ACTIVE)

• ability specific training does improve primary abilities

• effect varies in ability to maintain and transfer gains

• no one is too old to benefit from training

Piaget’s theory

assimilation (use current info to make sense of new info) and accommodation (changing thought to make better accommodation of world experiences)

Different period of Piaget theory

sensorimotor period (object permanence)

pre operational period (egocentrism)

concrete operations period (classification, conversation, mental reversing)

formal operations period (abstract thought)

post formal thought is characterized by recognition that…

• truth may vary from situation to situation

• solutions must be realistic to be reasonable

• ambiguity and contradiction are the rule

• emotion ad subjective factors usually play a role in thinking

integrating emotion and logic

• adults make decisions on emotional grounds

• neuroimaging evidence (integration of emotion occurs in prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, pathways disrupted in mental disorders)

decision making in daily life

• older adults use less optimal strategies

• older adults do not perform well when decision making involves a high degree of working memory capacity

• older adults may not be as motivated to do well in artificial situations

• older adults are less susceptible to irrational biases

fluid versus crystallized intelligence

• age differences are likely when decisions rely on speedy mental processing

• age differences are much less likely when decisions rely on acquired knowledge and experience

emotion and decision making

• older adults focus more on positive information when making health-related decisions

• older adults are more satisfied with their decisions

everyday problem solving

• use intellectual abilities to solve problems

• observed tasks of daily living (directly influenced by age fluid crystal, indirectly influenced by perceptual speed, memory, health)

expertise

• use well-established knowledge structures to solve problems

• don’t always follow the rules as novices do

• expertise tends to peak by middle age and drop off slightly after that

• lifelong learning, creativity (peak in early 40s), wisdom

• no association between age and wisdom

• wise people are happier

dispositional traits

• consist of aspects of personality that are consistent across different contexts and can be compared across a group along a continuum representing high and low degrees of the characteristic

dispositional traits - FIVE FACTOR model

O - openness to experience

C - conscientiousness

E - extraversion

A - agreeableness

N - neuroticism

neuroticism

six facets

• anxiety

• hostility

• self-consciousness

• depression

• impulsiveness

• vulnerability

Extraversion

six facets (two groups)

interpersonal traits - warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness

temperamental traits - activity, excitement seeking, positive emotions

openness to experience

six areas

• fantasy

• aesthetics

• action

• ideas

• values

• occupational choice

agreeableness (opposite of antagonism)

these people are NOT

• skeptical

• mistrustful

• callous

• unsympathetic

• stubborn

• rude

• skillful manipulators

• aggressive go-getter

conscientiousness

• hardworking

• ambitious

• energetic

• scrupulous

• persevering

• desirous to make something of themselves

researchers found

• extraversion and openness decreases with age

• agreeableness increases with age

• conscientiousness appears to peak in middle age

• neuroticism often disappears or is much less apparent in late life

personality adjustment

developmental changes in terms of their adaptive value and functionality

personality growth

ideal end states such as increased self-transcendence, wisdom, and integrity

dispositional traits with aging

• decrease in openness to new experiences

• adjusting aspect

• absence of neuroticism

• presence of agreeableness and conscientiousness

• personality traits stable over large groups

personal concerns

consist of things that important to people, their goals, and their major concerns in life

• emphasizes the importance of sociocultural influences on development that shape people’s wants and behaviors

• take into account a person’s developmental context and distinguish between “having” traits and “doing” everyday behaviors

Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development

• first theorist to develop truly lifespan theory of personality development

• trust versus mistrust

• autonomy versus shame and doubt

• initiative versus guilt

• industry versus inferiority

• identity versus identity confusion

• intimacy versus isolation

• generativity versus stagnation

• ego versus despair

epigenetic principle

each struggle (erikson’s) must be resolved to continue development

central crisis of generatively versus stagnation

• pride and embarrassment

• responsibility and ambivalence

• career productivity and inadequacy

• parenthood and self-absorption

Generativity

• results from complex interconnections between societal and inner forces

• concern for the next generation and a belief in the goodness of the human enterprise

is a set of impulses

• biological and parental

• technical

• cultural

• agentic

• communal

research about generativity

• greater preoccupation in older with such themes than in younger

• middle age make more generative comments than younger adults

• may be a strong predictor of emotional well-being in midlife adults

• “leaving a legacy”

midlife crisis

• no empirical evidence of it’s existence

• its not inevitable

• there is period of self-reflection (better term is MIDLIFE CORRECTION)

• timing is not fixed

• research suggest midlife crisis is cultural invention (western)

life narrative

consists of the aspects of personality that pull everything together, those integrative aspects that give a person an identity or sense of self

spirituality and identity

• older adults use religion more often than any other strategy to help them with problems in life (Mexican American who pray to the saints and the Virgin Mary have greater optimism and better health)

• spiritual support provides a strong influence on identity

greater personal wellbeing (lower feelings of self worth in older adults who have little religious commitment)

supported by cross cultural research with muslims, hindus, and Sikhs

• three-step process w/ god (differentiating between things that can (or can’t) be changed, focusing one’s own efforts (changeable), emotionally detaching from such from and say in god’s hands

• true for African Americans

• neuroscience says spirituality helps people cope

forces of mental health

biological, psychological, sociocultural, life-cycle

assessment

• formal process of measuring, understanding, and predicting behavior

• multidimensional assessments often done by team who assess physical health, cognitive, psychological, daily, and social environment

• mental status exam- quick screening of mental competence

factors influencing assessment

• negative and positive biases (racial, ethnic, age)

assessment methods

• clinical interview

• report by others

• psychophysiological assessments (electroencephalogram)

• direct observation (systemic or naturalistic)

• performance-based assessments (mental status exam)

Depression

• rates vary across ethnic groups (higher for latino older, lower for African American older)

• commonly accompanies other chronic conditions

• symptoms - insomnia, appetite, pain, headaches, fatigue, sensory loss

• symptoms must last at least two weeks (other causes must be ruled out)

• risk factors for depression - female, unmarried, widowed, stress, no social, chronic illness, nursing home, ethnic minority

• causes Biological (genetic, neurotransmitters, brain), psychosocial (most common), cognitive-behavioral (internal belief systems)

• treatments - medication SSRI, SNRI, NDRI; electroconvulsive therapy; psychotherapy (behavior and cognitive)

PTSD

• depersonalization

• derealization

• multiphase treatment (exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring)

substance use disorder

• elder - alcohol use disorder

• diagnosis includes 2 of 11 identified criteria during 12 - month period

• two to six times higher for men than women

• widowers over age 75 had highest rate of AUD

• Natives rate higher than Europeans

• treatment - stabilization, reduction of consumption, treatment of coexisting problems

delirium

• disturbance of consciousness that develops rapidly

• due to medical conditions, medication side effects, substance intoxication, sleep deprivation, exposure to toxin, or combination

• most cases can be cured

dementia

• affects over 48 million globally

• cognitive and behavioral deficits involving some form of permanent brain damage

• alzheimer’s disease (progressive, degenerative, fatal)

• neurological changes (rapid cell death, beta-amyloid plaques of protein degenerate)

• symptoms - gradual change in cognitive function, declines in personal hygiene and self-care skills, inappropriate social behavior, changes in personality

other forms of dementia

FINIDH CARDS