21 - Adulthood: Cognitive Development

What is intelligence?Spearman’s “G”

◦General intelligence◦One basic trait◦Inferred from vocabulary, memory, &

reasoning

Age & IntelligenceIQ – Once thought to decline after

age 20Now thought to raise throughout

adulthood (20 – 50) and declines at age 60, or 70, or 80.

Seattle longitudinal study◦People improve during adulthood

and decline later in life.

Components of Intelligence

Two clusters (Cattell)Fluid intelligence

◦Quick and flexible◦Provides easy learning◦Good working memory & abstract

thought◦Decreases during adulthood

Crystallized intelligence◦Accumulated learning◦Vocabulary - Language◦Increases during adulthood

Three forms (Sternberg)Analytic intelligence

◦Book smarts Remembering things in high school and

college Valued in emerging adulthood

Creative intelligence◦Flexible◦Imaginative thinking◦Not standard or conventional

Practical intelligence◦Street smarts

Age & cultureAnalytic valued in high school

and collegeCreative valued for new

challengesPractical valued during adulthood

Selective gains and losses

Selective Optimization with compensationPeople select what they want to

focus on ◦E.g. Pediatric nursing (Selection)

People compensate for aging or other difficulties◦E.g. Wear glasses or increase type

size on computer (Compensation)Build their nursing expertise

(Optimization)

Expert Cognition (Thinking)

Selective expertIntelligence increases in areas of

interestEveryone has more skill and

knowledge than others in what they are interested in

“Expert” E.g. Brain surgeonMore skilled and knowledgeable

than novices

Characteristics of Expert Cognition (Thinking)Intuitive

◦Rely on past experience◦More intuitive, less Stereotypical◦Knows when to bend formal procedures and

rules◦E.g. “Gut feeling” that this is what to do

Automatic◦Thinking without deliberate, conscious

thought E.g. Driving

◦Process most tasks automatically Saving conscious thought for unfamiliar challenges

Characteristics of Expert cognition (Thinking) - Cont.Strategic

◦Better strategies handling unexpected problems

Flexible◦Being creative and flexible when

needed.Example = “The miracle on the

Hudson” Flight

Expertise and ageExpertise needs time, training, ability

and practice to developExpertise can overcome some effects

of ageExperienced adults often use

selective optimization with compensation

Seattle study◦Intellectual functioning can increase if

older adults do paid work that is intellectually stimulating