Week 7: Memory & Higher Cognition

Question 1

types of memory that are affected by age

Answer 1

• short-term/working
• episodic (events, specifically)
• prospective
• source

Question 2

types of memory that remain stable with age

Answer 2

• semantic
• flashbulb
• implicit
• procedural
• autobiographical?

Question 3

encoding

influenced by…?

Answer 3

transforming info into a form that can be stored in memory

influenced by:

• content factors
• environmental factors
• subjective factors

Question 4

storing

Answer 4

maintaining the encoded information in memory

Question 5

retrieving

Answer 5

re-assessing info from the past which has been encoded and stored

Question 6

encoding specificity theory

Answer 6

recall is better when the environments of encoding and retrieval are similar

Question 7

_____ is the most effective way to combat “forgetting”

Answer 7

repetition

Question 8

working memory (WM)

Answer 8

system with limited capacity that can hold information temporarily (think short-term)

Question 9

examples of working memory tasks

Answer 9

• n-back test
• backward digit span
• delayed recognition
• sternberg task

Question 10

how do older adults compensate for impaired working memory?

Answer 10

additional neural circuits (scaffolding theory)

Question 11

TB: what are some real-life examples (2) of when you’d rely on working memory?

Answer 11

• someone telling you their name and keeps talking but still have to remember what name was
• trying to take notes of what professor is saying while they keep talking

Question 12

9 types of long-term memory

Answer 12

1. episodic memory
2. remote memory
3. autobiographical memory
4. flashbulb memory
5. semantic memory
6. procedural memory
7. implicit memory
8. source memory
9. prospective memory

Question 13

episodic memory

Answer 13

long-term memory for events (“episodes”)

Question 14

valence

why is it important?

Answer 14

intrinsic positive or negative feelings towards a stimulus

BOTH positive and negative stimuli are helpful when remembering

Question 15

the more _____ and _____ you have to something, the more you will remember it

Answer 15

arousal, valence

Question 16

_____ exhibited better episodic memory than _____ peers

Answer 16

bilinguals, monolingual

Question 17

remote memory

Answer 17

recall of information from the distant past (years or decades ago)

Question 18

autobiographical memory

Answer 18

recall of information from your own past

Question 19

reminiscence bumb

Answer 19

clear memories between 10-30 years of age

Question 20

flashbulb memory

Answer 20

recall of important or distinctive events that stand out from other memories/events

Question 21

semantic memory

Answer 21

ability to recall word meanings and factual info

Question 22

source memory

Answer 22

recall of where or how an individual acquires info

contexts in which we previously experienced people we meet

Question 23

procedural memory

Answer 23

recall of the actions involved in a particular task

ex. riding a bike

Question 24

prospective memory

Answer 24

recall of events to be performed in the future

Question 25

identity process model

Answer 25

self-fulfilling prophecy if you believe you are already “over the hill” and on a hopeless, downhill course

Question 26

memory self-efficacy

Answer 26

confidence you have in your memory

Question 27

stereotype threat

Answer 27

individuals perform in ways consistent with negative stereotypes of the group they see themselves belonging to

Question 28

memory and health-related behaviours

Answer 28

• stress
• smoking
• depression
• sleep
• diet
• aerobic exercise
• strength training

Question 29

TB: what indirect effects could exercise have on older adults that would improve their cognitive function?

Answer 29

• social aspect reduces stress
• increase self-efficacy
• encourages healthy lifestyle overall

Question 30

\_\_\_\_\_ = academic intelligence ("book smarts") 
\_\_\_\_\_ = practical intelligence ("street smarts") 

which increases with age and experience?

Answer 30

formal knowledge, tacit knowledge

tacit knowledge!

Question 31

interpersonal conflict

Answer 31

older adults are less confrontational and impulsive due to lack of resources

Question 32

\_\_\_\_\_ = involves process of elimination to problem solve with only one solution 
\_\_\_\_\_ = tolerating ambiguity and remaining flexible & open to considering more than one solution to a problem

Answer 32

formal operational thinking, postformal thinking

Question 33

3 components of intelligence

Answer 33

1. analytic - academic intelligence
2. practical - street smarts
3. creative - divergent thinking

Question 34

swan song phenomenon

Answer 34

a final burst of creative thinking in the 6th or 7th decade following post-peak decline

Question 35

constant probability of success model of creativity

Answer 35

maximum creativity in a career coincides with maximum productivity

Question 36

3 levels to rightness or wrongness of choices

Answer 36

1. preconventional morality (0-4)
2. conventional morality (10+)
3. postconventional morality (not reached by all)

Question 37

\_\_\_\_\_ = eliminate alternatives after an incomplete search while making decision 
\_\_\_\_\_ = summing, weighing, and averaging possible alternatives prior to making decision 
\_\_\_\_\_ = continuing to invest resources into something that is disappointing just because of time/cost already

Answer 37

non-compensatory decision rules
compensatory decision rules
sunk-cost fallacy

Question 38

elements in health decision making in older adults

Answer 38

• focus on positive info
• use top-down processing
• sensitive to framing effects
• prefer to have less choices

Question 39

3 dimensions of wisdom scale

Answer 39

1. cognitive wisdom - desire to seek truth
2. reflective wisdom - multiple perspective-taking, minimal subjectivity
3. affective wisdom - sympathy, compassion, minimal self-centeredness

Question 40

2 conceptions of wisdom

Answer 40

1. cognitive conception - importance of knowledge

2. integrative conception - importance of both knowledge and empathy