PSYC 2314Lifespan Development

Chapter 24

Late Adulthood:

Cognitive Development

Changes in Information Processing

• Sensory Register– Takes longer to register sensory information,

and the information fades more quickly– Some stimuli may go undetected

• Working Memory– Smaller capacity– Difficulty holding new information in mind

while simultaneously analyzing it in complex ways.

Changes in Information Processing

• Knowledge Base– Long-term as well as short-term memory are

diminished in older adults.– Some knowledge, under particular

circumstances, is much easier for older adults to retrieve than other kinds.

– Accuracy also varies, with distortion much more likely to occur for certain kinds of memories.

Changes in Information Processing

• Two forms of Memory– Implicit: automatic, unconscious memory– Explicit: conscious memory

• Management of the control processes of memory, such as storage mechanisms, selective attention, retrieval strategies, and logical analysis, is generally less efficient in older adults.

Reasons for Age-Related Changes

• Psychosocial: cultural stereotypes of aging emphasize memory impairment

• Problems with lab research: lab experiments do not reflect differences in context and motivation

• Changes in brain: lost at least 5% in weight and 10% in volume due to the increasing death rate of neurons (which do not reproduce themselves) after age 60.

Cognition in Daily Life

• Four general conclusions:– Mental processes slow down with age– The elderly do show memory declines– The elderly are less likely to use memory

strategies– Memory in late adulthood is not as weak as

anticipated.

Practical Competence in Nursing Home

• Contextual factors that lead directly to lack of intellectual stimulation and, consequently, to intellectual declines.

• Therapeutic Risk Taking—nursing home residents are encouraged to manage on their own, many take more control over their activities, developing their own schedules and social lives

Slowing Down the Rate of Cognition Declines

• Regular exercise

• Cognitive stimulation

• Low-fat diets

• Consumption of antioxidants

• Estrogen replacement in women

• Use of anti-inflammatory drugs

Impact on Cognition

• Four factors that have direct impact on thinking during adulthood:– Pulmonary functioning– Physical exercise– Past education– Individual’s sense of control

Dementia

• Severely impaired judgment, memory, or problem-solving ability.– Presenile dementia: when it occurred before

age 60– Senile dementia or senile psychosis: when it

occurred after age 60

Alzheimer’s Disease

• First stage: a general forgetfulness

• Second stage: more general confusion and noticeable deficits in concentration and short-term memory; personality changes such as withdrawal or spontaneous outbursts of temper or tears

Alzheimer’s Disease

• Third stage: memory loss becomes dangerous; person is no longer able to take care of basic needs.

• Fourth stage: require full-time care.

• Fifth stage: become completely mute and do not respond to any stimulus.

Multi-infarct Dementia (MID)

• Temporary obstruction of blood vessels supplying the brain with blood.

• People with circulatory problems are at risk

Subcortical Dementias

• Cause a progressive loss of motor control but initially leave thinking intact– Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and multiple

sclerosis– Pick’s disease

Reversible Dementia

• Symptoms of dementia can also result from medication, alcohol abuse, mental illness or depression

• Patients may actually experiencing psychological illness

• Causes can also be brain injuries, brain tumors, and head injuries that result in an excess of fluid pressing on the brain

New Cognitive Development

• Erikson’s: older adults are more interested in arts, children, and the whole of human experience

• Maslow’s: more likely to reach self-actualization

• Life review: an effort is made to connect one’s own life with future and past generations.

Paul Baltes: Wisdom

• Rich factual knowledge that concerns the broad topic of human experience

• Entails knowledge of the “pragmatics of life”• Defines a contextual approach to life problems• Accepts uncertainty in defining and solving life

problems• Recognizes individual differences in values, goals,

and priorities