7. Higher Order Cognitive Function Flashcards
1
Q
how do we test cognitive flexibility?
A
- task-switching method
- participants respond to one type of stimulus in one set of trials (judging if a number is odd) and the opposite in the next set of trials (judging if a number is even)
2
Q
how does executive function change as we age?
A
- scores on measures of executive functioning appear to show steady declines in later adulthood
- changes are usually in the part of the brain related to plan, make decisions, and adapt to changing situations
- higher level of education = less changes in executive function (especially verbal fluency)
3
Q
what are some activities that benefit executive functioning?
A
- physical exercise benefits executive functioning in older adults
- especially if it is a lifetime habit
- video games also have a positive effect as they require people to switch their attention rapidly
4
Q
how does our language change as we age?
A
- involves comprehension, memory, and decision-making, which are negatively impacted by aging
- the average healthy older adult does not suffer significant losses in the ability to use language effectively under normal speaking conditions
- basic abilities to carry on a conversation, read, and write remain intact
5
Q
how does the cognitive aspect of language change as we age?
A
- as we age, we have slower processing speed while reading
- also have greater difficulty forming visual images when reading
- older adults preserve the ability to process and remember general features of a story
- are much less likely to remember specific details
- older adults appear to compensate for changes in comprehension by activating more neural circuits than do younger adult
- decreases in working memory makes them unable to construct complex sentences
6
Q
how do changes in hearing and speech affect language?
A
- changes in hearing and speech perception can affect ability to comprehend spoken language
- hearing deficits create additional strain on an older adult’s processing resources
- semantic judgements that would otherwise be automatic now require more effort
7
Q
how does the content of the things we talk about change as we age?
A
- older adults tend to reminisce with others about experiences from the past
- may help them solidify relationships and build shared identities with others from their generation
- young adults are better able to focus their speech while older adults seem to speak off topic more often
- older adults may experience “mental clutter” due to an inability to inhibit irrelevant information
8
Q
what is elderspeak?
A
- speech pattern directed at older adults similar to the way people talk to babies
- involves simplifying your speech by leaving out complex words or talking in a patronizing or condescending tone of voice
9
Q
what is communication predicament model?
A
- older adults are thought of as mentally incapacitated, leading younger people to speak to them in a simplified manner
- this can reduce the older adult’s actual ability to use language
10
Q
what is infantilization?
A
- older person loses the incentive to attempt to regain self‐sufficiency in the basic activities of daily life
- when older adults in a residential facility are treated by younger staff in an infantilizing manner, they lose the desire to socialize with each other
- infantilization can also increase the older person’s awareness of age stereotypes, causing a self‐fulfilling prophecy to spread
11
Q
how does bilingualism affect our language as we age? and why?
A
- even if the speaker no longer relies on one of the languages, that second language remains active
- this means that the bilingual speaker must add the step of deciding which language to use in a given situation
- this extra practice in executive functions may result in protection against effects of alzheimer’s disease
- bilingual older adults had a later age of disease onset for MCI and AD by ~6 years
- in working memory tasks, bilingual older adults seem to have greater difficulty with verbal than spatial stimuli
12
Q
how do older adults differ from younger adults when making decisions?
A
- extensive experience enhances problem-solving performance and feelings of self-efficacy
- older adults may also make choices that are better founded and less subject to extraneous factors
- older adults avoid the “attraction effect” - make more rational spending decisions
- older adults have less effective analytic strategies but better heuristics
- older adults are less able to organize multiple sources of information, leading their decisions to be based on prior experience
13
Q
how does intelligence change as we age?
A
- intelligence peaks in early adulthood followed by a steady decline
- there are two main categories of mental abilities; verbal and non-verbal intelligence
14
Q
what aspects of intelligence have the least and most notable changes?
A
- vocabulary showed the least amount of change, was steady until about age 74
- largest drop in scores was for numeric ability
- declines in intelligence begin at age 20
15
Q
what are some health and lifestyle factors that affect intelligence scores?
A
- arthritis, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis are health conditions associated with intelligence test scores
- social network involvement helps protect memory and semantic fluency
- engagement in diversified leisure activities positively affects cognition
- having a stimulating job may also benefit an individual’s intellectual performance in later life
16
Q
how do personality factors affect intelligence?
A
- people who score high on measures of anxiety exhibit poorer performance on a variety of fluid and crystallized tests
- being flexible and open‐minded is related to better intellectual performance over time
- higher levels of openness also predict longer preservation of intelligence
- intelligent people are higher in openness because they are better at things and more willing to try new things
17
Q
what is Openness‐Fluid‐Crystallized‐Intelligence (OFCI)?
A
- regards personality openness as a protective factor against cognitive decline in later adulthood
18
Q
what is reserve capacity?
A
- abilities that are there to be used but are currently untapped
- training studies operate according to this principle
- tapping into an individual’s reserve capacity involves testing the limits
- process of continuing to train people until they show no further improvements
19
Q
do training studies actually improve intelligence?
A
- given practice and training in test‐taking strategies, older adults could improve their scores on tests of fluid intelligence
- training in fluid intelligence tasks such as inductive reasoning could produce gains that lasted for at least seven years
20
Q
what is wisdom? how is it related to intelligence?
A
- individual’s knowledge of the ways of the world and understanding of how other people feel, think, and behave
- adults become increasingly capable of dealing with higher‐level conceptual issues (ones that require wisdom)
- this is not measured by traditional intelligence tests
21
Q
how do levels of wisdom change as we age? what positive affects does being wise have?
A
- wise people become less likely to judge others, and have a greater appreciation for individual differences
- older adults are better able to take multiple perspectives, try to forge compromises, and recognize the limitations of knowledge
- more wise → higher life satisfaction, lower negative affect, less of a tendency to have depressive thoughts, and better social relationship
22
Q
how do we test inductive reasoning?
A
by seeing a pattern and guessing the next in the sequence
23
Q
how do we test spatial orientation?
A
have to match images and sometimes rotate them in our heads
24
Q
how do mental abilities change according to cross sectional and longitudinal studies?
A
-
cross sectional - verbal meaning, spatial orientation, inductive reasoning, and word fluency were lower for older people
- but, later cohorts have higher mental scores than previous cohorts
- longitudinal - we improve in mental abilities until around 50 then steadily decline
25
what are the differences between older men and older women's mental abilities?
men aged 50-90…
- performed better than women on visual-spacial tests
- were outperformed by women in most other cognitive tests
- showed steeper rates of decline than women
26
what is financial capacity?
- the capacity to manage money and financial assets in ways that meet a person’s needs and which are consistent with his/her values and self-interest
27
when do we have peak performance for financial capacity?
- average age for peak performance is ~50
- people at this age are least likely to make a rate-changing mistake on a lone
- younger people's lack of experience makes them not as good
- older people are disadvantaged because of changes in technology
28
what are some warning signs of decreased financial capacity?
- memory lapses
- disorganization
- declines in cheque book management skills
- arithmetic mistakes
- conceptual confusion
- impaired judgement
29
how should we act on warning signs of decreased financial capacity?
- discuss concerns with the individual
- help with financial asks but allow some independence
- assure the proper paperwork is in place
30
what is the real world impact of decreased financial capacity?
- financial management
- independent living
- driving
- treatment decisions and consent
- testamentary capacity - determining your will and estate
- research consent
31
what are some activities associated with combatting cognitive declines?
in order of amount of impact:
- physical activity
- mental activity
- social activity
32
how do video games help combat cognitive decline?
- improve performance on the trained task
- MAY improve performance on closely related tasks
- don’t enhance performance on distantly related tasks
- don’t improve everyday cognitive performance
33
how does exercise help combat cognitive decline?
- helps prevent age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases
- in healthy older adults, aerobic exercise and resistance training improve cognitive function
- moderate midlife and later life activity is associated with decreased risk of MCI and dementias
- exercise in those with MCI and dementia improves some aspects of cognitive function
34
how does playing/learning music help combat cognitive decline?
- both learning and playing music has been seen to positively impact cognitive function in older adults
- those with at least 10 years of musical experience had better cognitive function relative to non-musicians
- lower rates of dementia in frequent vs. infrequent musical instrument players
- improved working memory, perceptual speed, and motor skills after 6 months of piano lessons
35
how does dancing help combat cognitive decline?
- is a promising neuroplasticity-inducing tool because it combines many diverse features
- 6 months of dancing classes improved cognition, motor performance, subjective well-being, reaction time, and posture
- people who did 6 months of dancing class and/or fitness training had improved physical fitness and attention and spatial memory
- dancers also had increased brain volume
36
what are some other benefits of music and dancing?
both are intense, cognitively demanding, multi-sensory, and motor experiences that result in…
- feelings of pleasure and enjoyment
- creation and maintenance of social connections
- a means of creative self-expression
- the construction of identity
- opportunities for continuous and increasingly complex learning
- pride and sense of accomplishment in learning
37
how does social engagement affect cognitive decline?
compared to socially isolated individuals, socially active people have…
- decreased risk of dementias
- better cognitive function
