Module 5 Flashcards
Cognitive Psychology
The study of mental processes
Cognitive Impairement
A chronic condition that makes it difficult to learn, concentrate, and make decisions about daily life
Factors that influence psychological functioning include:
health, psychosocial history, individual identity (i.e. race, gender and environmental factors)
Creativity
A measure of divergent thinking; the production of alternative solutions to a problem or situation; most elusive mental process to define and measure.
*most people think creativity peaks earlier in life, but no clear association between creativity and age has been found in research
*many adults continue to engage in creative works even as they age e.g. Monet completed ‘Weaping Willlows’ in his 70s.
Wisdom
The acquisition of practical expertise in everyday life
*includes ability to reason, to learn from experience, make judgements and use information.
*the ability to grasp paradoxes, reconcile contradictions, and accept compromises
*generally believed to increase over the life course
*wisdom helps people adapt to agin
Two types of intelligence:
1)Fluid Intelligence
the ability to process new information. It is the ability to apply mental power to situations that require little or no prior knowledge and is large uninfluenced by prior learning. in this sense it is partly synonymous with creativity.
*abstract creativity
*involves reasoning, memory, information processing
*believed some decline with age
Fluid Intelligence consists of two dimensions:
1)verbal ability and focuses on learned knowledge including comprehension, math and vocabulary
2)performance in puzzle-solving ability involving, for example, blocks or pictures
classic aging pattern
An early study found that age-related declines in verbal and performance intelligence among people 60 or older.
however
HOWEVER, another study challenged this notion and found that:
*the classic aging pattern was generally confirmed BUT cognitive change in old age was more complex than a straightforward downward decline
*noticeable changes in intelligence occurred around age 70
*there is great variation among individuals in the rate of decline-lifestyle factors can slow rate of decline
-obesity in middle age and later life is associated with worse cognitive aging
*some individuals show no cognitive decline even in their 90s
Two Types of intelligence:
Crystallized intelligence
the result of information, skills and strategies people have learned through experience. Reflects past experiences and socialization
*little or no decline with age. however, they do show a decline on a measure of intellectual interest
*practical expertise
Learning
The process of acquiring new knowledge and skills
Memory
the retention or storage of knowledge
Encoding
the process through which learned information is stored in memory for later use
Working memory
Ability to temporarily store and manipulate information
*declines occur with age
Long term memory
permanent storage of past experiences
*generally long-term memory is fairly stable with age
Dementias
mental disorders caused by severe deterioration of the brain
Key symptoms include:
*impairment of memory, intelligence, judgement, orientation and changed emotions
*may also be accompanied by depression, anxiety, delusions, and challenging or aggressive behaviour
*currently, the causes of dementia are not fully understood and there is no cure (though there are pharmacologic treatments believed to help slow the inset
Global Impact of Dementia
In Canada in 2011, there were an estimated 340,200 people with Dementia and that’s expected to double to 647,000 by 2031
Globally, estimated 46.8 million people are living with Dementia