Chapter 17: Cognitive Development in late adulthood Flashcards
Cognitive Mechanics
the fundamental cognitive abilities like memory and reasoning that are influenced by brain function and tend to decline with age (think fluid intelligence)
Cognitive Pragmatics
the accumulated knowledge and skills that are acquired through culture and experience and tend to be relatively stable or even increase with age (think crystallized intelligence)
Alzheimer’s disease
A degenerative neurocognitive disorder caused by the buildup of tau and amyloid proteins that is linked to difficulties with thinking and the ability to function
Dementia
a general term for the progressive decline in mental abilities, like memory, language, and reasoning, that is severe enough to affect daily life
Wisdom
The ability to reason creatively based on deep insights about people
Sustained Attention
the ability to maintain focus on a task or stimulus for an extended period
Selective Attention
the ability to focus on one specific stimulus while ignoring others
Executive Attention
the ability to intentionally and strategically direct attention, prioritizing certain stimuli and suppressing others to achieve a specific goal
Explicit memory
Memory of names, dates, and details
Implicit memory
Memory of new skills and processes and ability to habituate
Semantic memory
Remembering facts, lists, and dates of unrelated information
Episodic memory
Long-term memory for specific events
Selective Attention
focuses on a single task while filtering out distractions
What does decline in processing mean, and how does it affect older adults?
Adults have a decline in processing speed, so they do not understand things as quickly
Why does driving skill decrease as we age?
Processing speed decreases, vision decreases
Divided Attention
focuses on multiple tasks simultaneously
How does our memory change as we age?
Struggle with episodic memory, but stays strong with semantic memory
What are the signs/symptoms of dementia?
memory loss
difficulty with communication
Disorientation
changes in behavior and personality
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
forgetting recent events
difficulty with words
misplacing items
mood and personality changes
impaired judgment
difficulty with daily tasks
