EXAM 2 chp 5,6,8 Flashcards
(21 cards)
This exam covers chapters 5 (dementias) & 6-9, will be 80 minutes long, and delivered in our regular class time and space.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) General Trends
- a progressive neurological disease
- brain shrinks and cells die
- ages 65+-69 (7%)
- Most people are not impacted
- doubles every 5 years
- Common cause of dementia
- decline in thinking, social/behavioural skills
Biological causes of AD?
Plaque
- APP is trimmed at the wrong place, leading it to float around
- kill neurons
Tangles
- micro tubules lose their shapes and neurons stop functioning
Distinguish Stages of AD from Normal Aging and MCI
EARLY:
- can’t retain new information
- Difficult forming familiar tasks
- language issues
- disorientation of time & space
- impaired judgement
- can’t do abstract thinking
- misplace things
- mood swings, change in personality
- loss of interest
MIDDLE:
- aggressive/passive/ suspicious
- previous symptoms deepen
- can’t recognize spouse
- can’t sleep
- depressed
LATE:
- can’t respond to the enviroment
- speech impairment
- poor reasoning & judgement
- needs an assistant
MCI:
- intermediate stage between cognitive decline and more serious decline of dementia
- memory, language, thinking & judgement
- rates: 5-36%, 4-7% among older
- 20% with MCI will develop AD
- some symptoms stay static
Caregivers & Dementia
Challenges:
- feel sadness, loss, grief, regret & guilt
- higher rates of stress, burnout
- higher risk of developing chronic health conditions
- burden/ loss of freedom
E.g., yearning for the past
- lost aspects of their relationship
- didn’t understand their sickness before
Solutions:
- Readiness to let go, relief
- guilt about feeling relieved
- “the fight being over”
Chapter 6: Basic Cognitive Functions
Fight or Flight
immediate response (fast)
- increase heart rate
slower pathway
- (delayed)
- hormones released
Age related changes to Reaction Time and processing speed.
- The more complex the task = the longer it takes an older person to complete the task
- Attentional Resource Theory
- Inhibitory Deficit Hypothesis
- Older people focus on 1 stimulus
- E.g., driving
- Older adults are more distracted
- Younger people can block out distractions
- studying with music - divided attention
- can’t multitask/ switch between
- counting dots harder for older people
- Visual search tasks
- Older people have a difficult time locating a specific target among a set of distractors
- simple & conjunctive (harder)
age-related changes of SHORT TERM Memory
Short-term (STM)
- rehearsal (repeating/thinking)
* working memory
- e.g., phone number
- Pull known info to work with things
1. phonological loop (recite)
- Visuo-spatial sketch pad
- relocate immediately ( baseline)
- relocation of pause (maintenance)
- relocate and shift 1 column (manipulate)
- Older adults perform worse equential vs simultaneously at baseline
- stronger effect on spatial than visual WM
- Seeing all 5 apples at once is easier than one by one
- Episodic buffer
- hold info to move - central executive
- N-Bask task
- presented stimulus one by one
-n=1 back or n=2back
-“What was the letter 2 trials ago?” - older people make more mistake & take longer to answer
Verbal vs Visual task on Short Term Memory
Verbal tasks:
- consistent
Visual task:
- harder the task way harder for older people
Long term Memory ~Explicit (episodic&semantic)
Explicit
1. episodic memory
- birthdays, dates
- With aging, more cues are needed
Recall Example:
- Older people omit words
- include intrusions
- repeat words
- Older people pull positive memories
- Semantic memory
- general knowledge
-e.g., dictionaries, language
- don’t need cue
- increase in feeling of knowing
Long Term memory ~Implicit
- Retrieval of information without intention
- Not impacted by age
-E.g, biking
1. Procedure - muscle memory
2. Priming - Identify a stimulus more easily due to previous experience
3. Conditioning ~dentist drill
4. Habituation ~can’t hear sound anymore
~ smell a certain scent with time
Autobiographical Memory
- previous vacations
- Test using independent records
- Childhood has more memories than the 20s
- due to more distinct events
Find that:
- young people think of more negative memories
- older people tend to remember things in a positive bias
Prospective Memory
- remembering to remember something
- event cue
E.g., pick up children after seeing school
or
Timer for cookies
YOUNG vs OLD Experiment
* Commission error
~ something they shouldn’t have done
- older adults tend to do this
- press Q when not supposed to
- Omission error
~ something forgotten - nor age differences
Negative Stereotypes & older adults memory
- Stereotype threat
- affects the behaviour of a group when put in a situation to confirm a stereotype
E,g., black person have extra anxiety on IQ test based on a preassumed stereotype that black people have a lower IQ
- negative prime = worse peformance on old but not young
CHP 8 ~Personality
Different Theories
- Trait Theory
- Traits guide behaviour
- BIG 5, NEO-PI-R
-“O”penness, ~willingness
-“C”onscientiousness ~order
-“E” xtraversion ~social
-“A”greeableness ~trust
-“Neuroticism” ~ anxiety/stress - Radical Contextual Perspective:
- Personality traits are highly prone to change over time and are very unstable - Biological Essentialist Perspective:
- shaped by genetic influences rather than environmental ones. - Compromise Perspective:
- Personality is moderately stable, but can still change throughout life
Mean Level Changes & Rank-order consistency
ML:
- whether a group on average increases/decreases in traits
- when older: = more responsibilities
- resulting in becoming nicer
- change due to the roles we must take on
- more emotionally stable
- Openness to experience varies
- energy level is stable, then drops
- social dominance increases till 30, then stable
FINDING:
- increase in C, A, and Emotional Stability
- inverted U-shape for openness, different trajectories for Extraversion
Rank-Order Consistency
- differential stability (increases from adolescence, slows, then peaks at 60-70)
- consistency across the lifespan
- maintenance of traits
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, Possible Selves Theory, and Identity
Process Theory.
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
Example Scenario: Maria, a 70-year-old woman, is considering how to spend her weekends now that she’s retired.
Predicted Behavior: According to Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, Maria would prioritize emotionally satisfying activities and experiences, such as spending time with family and close friends, over more novel social activities or creating new acquaintances. As individuals age, they tend to focus on meaningful relationships and experiences that provide emotional fulfillment.
Possible Selves Theory
Example Scenario: John, a 45-year-old professional, is thinking about his career trajectory and personal life over the next decade.
Predicted Behavior: According to Possible Selves Theory, John might visualize different versions of himself in the future—such as a successful executive, a devoted family man, or an expert in his field. His motivation and behavior would be driven by the desire to achieve these positive potential selves and avoid negative ones, like being stuck in a career rut. This could lead him to pursue professional development opportunities or invest more time in family activities to align his present actions with his future self-concepts.
Identity Process Theory
Example Scenario: Lisa, a 55-year-old teacher, is experiencing physical changes due to aging and considering retirement.
Predicted Behavior: Identity Process Theory suggests that Lisa will use assimilation, accommodation, and the maintenance of continuity to manage these changes. She might assimilate by incorporating new activities that align with her self-view as an active, engaged educator, such as volunteering in educational programs. If the identity challenge is significant (such as considering retirement), she may accommodate by reformulating her identity to include roles like mentor or community leader. Throughout, she will strive to maintain a coherent sense of self that integrates new experiences and perceptions into her existing identity.
These theories highlight different aspects of how individuals navigate their life experiences and transitions by prioritizing emotional goals, envisioning future possibilities, and integrating changes into their self-concept.
Importance of Coping & How it May Change with Age
- he well-being of individuals in demanding caregiving roles, and difficulties in coping can lead to negative emotional outcomes
Transition to Parenthood:
- “Coping with crying,
Retirement and Job Stress:
- burnout
