Intelligence, Memory, and Mental Health Overview

Wechsler

Intelligence was not a single number (like IQ) but a combination of verbal reasoning, memory, attention, and processing speed.

WAIS/WISC

Measures: verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory

Comprised of analytical, creative, and practical intelligence.

Analytical Intelligence

Problem-solving, logic, and reasoning, often associated with academic abilities.

Creative Intelligence

Ability to generate new ideas, think outside the box, and approach challenges in innovative ways.

Practical Intelligence

Ability to adapt to real-world situations, navigate everyday challenges, and make things happen.

Heredity vs. Environment

Both genetics and environment affect intelligence.

Flynn Effect

IQ scores rise over generations due to better education, nutrition, etc.

Emotional Intelligence

Understanding and managing emotions; important for social interaction.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge; increases with age, encompassing facts, skills, and expertise gained through learning and education.

Fluid Intelligence

Problem-solving situations; peaks in young adulthood, involving the ability to think abstractly, solve novel problems, and learn new things, independent of prior knowledge or experience.

Baltes Model

Development is a lifelong, multidirectional process, influenced by both biological and environmental factors, with a focus on maximizing gains and minimizing losses through selection, optimization, and compensation.

Mechanics

Refers to the more automatic and unconscious processes involved in mental activities, such as memory and attention.

Pragmatics

Refers to the cultural exposure to facts and procedures that are maintained as one ages and are similar to crystallized intelligence.

Psychometrics

A scientific discipline of how psychological constructs (e.g., intelligence, neuroticism, or depression) can be optimally related to observables.

Standardization

Uniform procedures in test administration.

Test Norms

Average scores used for comparison.

Validity

Test measures what it's supposed to.

Reliability

Consistency of results.

Moderators of Intelligence

Factors like education, health, and lifestyle.

Willis ACTIVE Project

Aging and Cognitive Training in the Elderly (ACTIVE) project by Dr. Sherry Willis which consists of training that improves memory, reasoning, and processing speed.

Piaget

Cognitive development theory that says children progress through four distinct stages of cognitive development.

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth to 2 years: Infants learn through sensory experiences and motor actions, developing object permanence.

Preoperational Stage

2 to 7 years: Children begin to use symbols and language to represent objects and events, but their thinking is still egocentric.

Concrete Operational Stage

7 to 11 years: Children develop logical thinking skills and can perform operations on concrete objects and events, but struggle with abstract or hypothetical concepts.

Formal Operational Stage

11 years and up: Individuals develop the ability to think abstractly, reason hypothetically, and engage in deductive reasoning.

Post-Formal Thinking

flexible, relativistic thinking, and the ability to accept contradictions and multiple perspectives

Assimilation

fit new info into old schemes

Accommodation

change schemes

Reflective Judgment

ability to evaluate and process information to draw plausible conclusions, recognizing that uncertainty exists and that beliefs are justified probabilistically based on evidence and interpretations

Wisdom

the ability to use your knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments, often involving insight

Problem Solving

Using knowledge to find solutions.

Denney's Model

while cognitive abilities may decline with age, individuals can still maintain or even improve their cognitive functioning through continued learning and practice

Unexercised Potential

the level of cognitive performance an individual would be expected to achieve without any specific training or practice

Optimally-Exercised Potential

the level of cognitive performance an individual could achieve with optimal training and practice.

Developmental Trajectory

Both unexercised and optimally-exercised potential levels increase during childhood and early adulthood, reaching a peak in early adulthood, and then gradually decline in later adulthood.

The Gap

The region between the two types of potential also increases during childhood and early adulthood, reflecting the impact of experience and training, and then decreases in later adulthood.

Novice vs. Expert

Experts have more organized, efficient knowledge.

Sensory Memory

brief initial storage of sensory information, lasting only a few seconds, that acts as a temporary buffer before information is processed further into short-term or long-term memory

Information Processing Model

input, processing, storage, and retrieval, similar to how a computer handles data

Speed of Processing

Slows with age.

Automatic Processing

automatic processing refers to effortless, unconscious encoding of information, like recognizing a familiar scent

Effortful Processing

requires conscious attention and effort, like studying for an exam

Working Memory

temporarily store and process information, crucial for tasks like recalling a phone number while dialing

Rehearsal

Repeating info to retain it.

Implicit Memory

unconscious and automatic memories that influence behavior without conscious recall, like skills or habits

Explicit Memory

conscious, intentional recollection of facts and events

Episodic Memory

personal experiences and events, often with a strong sense of context and time. Ex: first day of school

Semantic Memory

general knowledge and facts EX:capital of France

Long-Term Memory

the brain's system for storing and retrieving information over extended periods

Source Memory

the ability to recall where or how you learned something

False Memories

Inaccurate recollections.

Autobiographical Memory

individual's personal memories of life experiences, events, and emotions, forming their life narrative and sense of self

Flashbulb Memories

vivid, long-lasting memories extremely surprising or emotional, often accompanied by a strong sense of detail and confidence in their accuracy, despite potential inaccuracies over time

Prospective Memory

ability to remember to perform an action at a future time or event

E-I-E-I-O Model

Combines internal/external & implicit/explicit strategies.

Meta-memory

Awareness of your memory abilities

Stereotypes

Generalizations about groups.

Age-Based Double Standard

Harsher judgment of older adults' memory.

Explicit vs. Implicit Stereotypes

Conscious vs. unconscious beliefs.

Stereotype Threat

When someone fearing they will be judged or treated based on negative stereotypes about their group, experience anxiety and reduced performance.

Self-perception of Aging

Beliefs about your own aging outcomes.

Labeling Theory

Labels influence behavior/perception of others or themselves (self-fulfilling prophecy).

Resilience Theory

A psychological framework that examines how individuals and systems cope with and recover from adversity.

Impression Formation

How people perceive others based on several characteristics they see during the initial process.

Negativity Bias

The tendency to pay more attention to negative information.

Dispositional vs. Situational Attributes

Situational attributions attribute behavior to external factors or the situation; dispositional attributions attribute behavior to internal factors or personality traits.

Correspondence Bias

The tendency to form assumptions about a person's character based on their behavior.

Personal Control

Belief in self-efficacy and doing things for oneself.

Brandtstädter's Theory

Individuals strive to maintain a stable, consistent, and positive self-image throughout their lives (motivation towards a goal).

Assimilative Coping

Change the situation/environment to align with their goals and aspirations.

Accommodative Coping

Adjust their goals and aspirations to better fit the current circumstances/constraints.

Heckhausen's Theory

How people pursue goals & adapt to obstacles across different life stages (control over life outcomes).

Primary Control

Trying to change the external world to fit your goals, needs, or desires.

Secondary Control

Adjusting your own mindset, goals, or expectations to fit the environment or situation when change is no longer possible.

Collaborative Cognition

The process where knowledge and understanding are constructed through social interactions and shared experiences.

Dispositional Traits

Stable, internal characteristics that influence an individual's behavior, thoughts, and emotions across different situations and over time.

Openness to Experience

An individual's tendency to be imaginative, curious, and open to new experiences and ideas.

Conscientiousness

An individual's level of organization, responsibility, and goal-directedness.

Extraversion

An individual's sociability, assertiveness, and energy levels.

Agreeableness

An individual's tendency to be cooperative, compassionate, and trusting of others.

Neuroticism

An individual's emotional stability, or the tendency to experience negative emotions like anxiety and sadness.

Life Narrative

Story of self shaped by events.

TESSERA Model

Explain how small daily experiences can lead to long-term personality development.

Triggering situation

Something happens in life that requires a response.

Expectancy

You anticipate what might happen or how you should behave.

State Expression

You react or behave in a certain way.

State Expression (again)

Reinforced expression — you do it again, maybe slightly more comfortably.

Evaluation

You reflect on how it went: 'Was this successful? Did I like how I acted?'

Reaction

You feel good or bad about the experience, reinforcing or weakening it.

Adaptation

Over time, your state behaviors (temporary reactions) may become traits (stable characteristics)

Jung

Emphasizes the interplay between conscious and unconscious minds, universal archetypes, and psychological types, forming the basis for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Introversion

Inner world of thoughts and reflections

Extraversion

Outer world of people and activities

Animus

(the inner masculine in women): Logic, strength, assertiveness, rational thinking, goal-directed behavior and personal agency

Anima

(the inner feminine in men): Intuition, emotion, empathy, receptivity, emotional depth and creativity

Individuation

Becoming your truest self by balancing internal opposites

Erikson

Stages of psychosocial development

Midlife Crisis

A period of self-reflection, questioning, and emotional turmoil that can occur in middle adulthood, typically between the ages of 40 and 60, often involving a reassessment of life choices and goals

Life-Story Model

Identity is an internalized, evolving narrative that provides a person's life with meaning, coherence, and purpose, integrating their past, present, and anticipated future