Chapter 17 part 2 Late Adulthood Module 8

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN LATE ADULTHOOD Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright ©

True or False? Researchers no longer see cognitive abilities of older people as inevitably

Intelligence in Older People Older Research Studies and Findings • Notion that older people

Recent Conclusions about Nature of Intelligence in Older People Schaie = Sequential methods •

Fluid and Crystal Intelligence • Some abilities (fluid intelligence) decline, starting at age 25

Environmental Factors • Certain environmental and cultural factors are related to greater or lesser

Exercising the Aging Brain From Research to Practice • Continued cognitive stimulation keeps cognitive

Review and Apply REVIEW • Although some intellectual abilities gradually decline throughout adulthood, starting

Review and Apply APPLY • Do you think steady or increasing crystallized intelligence can

How does aging affect this? • Think about what you have just learned about

Memory: Remembrance of Things Past – and Present • Episodic memory: specific life experiences;

An Opposing View…Salthouse • Rate of true, underlying cognitive decline in late adulthood is

An Opposing View…Salthouse • This cognitive reserve allows them to continue to perform at

Decline and Stability • Age-related memory declines are limited primarily to episodic memories •

Once upon a time • Autobiographical memory • Pollyanna principle • Recall of material

Explaining Memory Changes in Old Age Explanations for apparent changes in memory among older

Information-Processing Deficits • Inability to inhibit irrelevant information and thoughts declines • Speed of

Biological Factors • Brain and body deterioration – Especially frontal lobes • Continuation of

It’s Never Too Late… • Popularity of programs such as Elderhostel is part of

Review and Apply REVIEW • Declines in memory affect mainly episodic memories and short-term

Review and Apply APPLY • How might cultural factors, such as the esteem in

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Chapter 17 - part 2: Late Adulthood Module 8 Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

True or False? Researchers no longer see cognitive abilities of older people as inevitably declining Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Intelligence in Older People Older Research Studies and Findings • Notion that older people become less cognitively adept initially arose from misinterpretations of research evidence • Problems – – Cohort effects Reaction time components Retesting effects Subject attrition 441 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Recent Conclusions about Nature of Intelligence in Older People Schaie = Sequential methods • Some abilities gradually decline; others stay relatively steady • No uniform pattern of age-related changes across all intellectual abilities • Acquired strategies remains steady and may improve 441 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Fluid and Crystal Intelligence • Some abilities (fluid intelligence) decline, starting at age 25 • Other abilities (crystallized intelligence) stay steady or increase • For some, there were cognitive declines in all abilities by age 67 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Environmental Factors • Certain environmental and cultural factors are related to greater or lesser degrees of intellectual decline • Lesser declines are associated with many factors 442 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Exercising the Aging Brain From Research to Practice • Continued cognitive stimulation keeps cognitive abilities sharp • Training showed long-term effects • Engaging in some form of mental workout- consistently and continually increasing the level of difficulty-is key to success 443 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Review and Apply REVIEW • Although some intellectual abilities gradually decline throughout adulthood, starting at around age 25, others stay relatively steady. • The intellect retains considerable plasticity and can be maintained with stimulation, practice, and motivation. 444 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Review and Apply APPLY • Do you think steady or increasing crystallized intelligence can partially or fully compensate for declines in fluid intelligence. Why or why not? 444 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

How does aging affect this? • Think about what you have just learned about memory. • How might aging contribute to retroactive and proactive interference? • What development information about aging might support your response? Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Memory: Remembrance of Things Past – and Present • Episodic memory: specific life experiences; impacted by age • Semantic memory: general knowledge & facts, unimpacted by age • Implicit memories (unconscious)- procedural and rules, unimpacted by age • Short-term memory: more impacted by age 444 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

An Opposing View…Salthouse • Rate of true, underlying cognitive decline in late adulthood is unaffected by mental exercise • Some people—the kind who have consistently engaged throughout their lives in high levels of mental activity such as completing crossword puzzles—enter late adulthood with a “cognitive reserve” 445 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

An Opposing View…Salthouse • This cognitive reserve allows them to continue to perform at relatively high mental levels, even though underlying declines are actually happening. • His hypothesis is controversial, though, and most developmentalists accept the hypothesis that mental exercise is beneficial 445 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Decline and Stability • Age-related memory declines are limited primarily to episodic memories • Semantic memories and implicit memories are largely unaffected by age 444 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Once upon a time • Autobiographical memory • Pollyanna principle • Recall of material that "fits" current selfview • Particular periods of life are remembered more easily than others 445 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Explaining Memory Changes in Old Age Explanations for apparent changes in memory among older people tend to focus on three main categories • Environmental factors • Information processing deficits • Biological factors 445 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Environmental Factors • Certain environmental and cultural factors are related to greater or lesser degrees of intellectual decline • Lesser declines are associated with many factors 445 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Information-Processing Deficits • Inability to inhibit irrelevant information and thoughts declines • Speed of processing declines • Attention declines • Less efficient retrieval methods 445 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Biological Factors • Brain and body deterioration – Especially frontal lobes • Continuation of education in old age – Can improve cognitive skills 445 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

It’s Never Too Late… • Popularity of programs such as Elderhostel is part of a growing trend among older people • Retired people have time to pursue further education • Many public colleges encourage senior citizens to enroll in classes by providing them with free tuition • Older adults often have no trouble maintaining their standing in rigorous college classes • Professors and other students generally find presence of older people real educational benefit 446 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Review and Apply REVIEW • Declines in memory affect mainly episodic memories and short-term memory. • Explanations of memory changes in old age have focused on environmental factors, information processing declines, and biological factors. 446 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Review and Apply APPLY • How might cultural factors, such as the esteem in which a society holds its older members, work to affect an older person’s memory performance? 446 Discovering the Lifespan - Robert S. Feldman Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.