Chapter 4

What explanation(s) can you offer for the differences in the findings from longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of IQ change over adulthood?

Cross sectional studies were used to show that early information on consistency or change showed that declines in IQ began in early adulthood and continued steadily from there. However, since then, researchers have utilized longitudinal studies which have extended to include people in their 60's, 70's and 80's and beyond. This has helped us to see that although there are some declines, adult thought processes function at very high levels into old age. Cross- sectional studies will show a decline between ages 32 and 39 and the longitudinal study shows a rise in IQ through middle adulthood, and a drop in the period from 67-74. The main difference= cohort effects. Also "flynn effect" which describes how changes in modern life has caused more people to have experience manipulating abstract concepts and this change is responsible for elevated IQ levels.

Briefly summarize the findings on the link between physical health and the maintenance or decline of mental abilities over the adult years.

Exercise helps to maintain cardiovascular fitness which is linked to physical maintenance. Aerobic exercise promotes cell growth in the hippocampus and other brain structures involved in memory. Basically, there is a causal link between physical exercise and intellectual skill. More active people have higher mental performance scores.

"If you don't use it, you lose it." Briefly describe the question of whether there is evidence for or against such a statement. Be sure to mention relevant research in your discussion.

If you don't utilize your intelligence, it will begin to steadily decline with age. Engaging in activities such as physical exercise, reading, chess and games such as sudoku helps to maintain cognitive ability. Research by Shafto, Burke, Stamatakis, and Maylor show that cognitive abilities decline with age and we begging to lose our semantic memory at some point. Against this is Tulving's research that nondeclaretive memory which impacts motor skills like riding a bike are learned once and studies show that they aren't impacted by aging or brain damage. Shu-Chen LI hand er work demonstrate how crystallized IQ also has been argued to not beging to decline till late 60s or 70s. Also the world is more complex as ppl work more and educated and use technology so genitive abilities at higher levels and less cognitive decline than previously hypothesized.

Define a production deficiency. What role does this concept play in descriptions or explanations of changes in mental skill with age?

Production Deficiency- Utilizing strategies that are taught but can't produce them on your own. With age, it is hard to utilize prospective memory to remember to perform activities later on. Using external memory aids, such as lists, can help to preserve this.

What does it mean to say that the correlation between 2 sets of IQ scores obtained 20 years apart in adulthood is .80?

This means there is a strong positive correlation between 2 sets of IQ scores, indicating that the score increases.

What is the major explanation offered to account for the differences in the pattern of IQ stability or decline over adulthood shown in cross-sectional versus longitudinal studies? a. cohort differences b. terminal drop c. subject attrition d. unrepresentative samples

a. cohort differences

The latest research on age-related changes in judgment and decisionmaking suggests that older adults utilize less information and take less time to make their choices (when compared to younger adults). However, there were NO differences in the choices made. The authors suggest that this is because _______. a. older adults utilize better inductive reasoning b. older adults better utilize deductive reasoning skills c. younger adults base their decisions on intuition d. younger adults better utilize their procedural memories

a. older adults utilize better inductive reasoning

Which individual is most likely to have an advantage in cognitive functioning into old age? a. an unmarried female who elects to return to school for her GED after 15 years of factory work b. a married female who completed college on the G.I. Bill and is now engaged as a personal trainer c. a divorced male college professor who devotes 16 hours a day to his solitary research d. a 24-year-old single male welfare recipient

b. a married female who completed college on the G.I. Bill and is now engaged as a personal trainer

A longitudinal sample of adults is followed over 30 years. All of the following findings are hypothesized EXCEPT _________. a. the average IQ of the whole group remains the same b. no decline in cognitive functioning occurs c. decline occurs, but it is not extreme d. adults compensate for declines

b. no decline in cognitive functioning occurs

Which of the following would be considered a test of "fluid" abilities? a. vocabulary b. response speed c. social skills d. reading comprehension

b. response speed

In studies of memory, what is the term used to describe the processes by which new information is committed to memory? a. storage b. sensory memory c. recognition d. working memory

b. sensory memory

What is the key flaw in studies of the effect of exercise on mental abilities in which comparisons are made between regular exercisers and sedentary adults? a. The exercisers use so many different forms of exercise that we can't be sure what works. b. Sedentary subjects may actually exercise somewhat but not report it. c. Those who choose to exercise may be different in other significant ways from those who choose to be sedentary. d. The samples of exercisers are normally younger than the samples of sedentary adults to whom they are compared.

c. Those who choose to exercise may be different in other significant ways from those who choose to be sedentary.

The latest version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale provides a Full Scale IQ based on four separate indexes: _____________, ______________, _______________ and _____________, each of which consists of a number of different subtests. a. Verbal Comprehension, College Algebra, Science, and Music b. Verbal Comprehension, Scientific Knowledge, Working Memory, and Processing Speed c. Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed d. Working Memory, Processing Speed, Generic Reasoning, and Word Problems

c. Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed

Exercise has ____ effect on intellectual skill. a. a negative b. a minimal c. no measurable d. a positive

d. a positive

Researchers often find that older adults do not spontaneously use good memory strategies, but that they can use such strategies if they are reminded or taught. These strategies are an example of _______. a. list making b. an external memory aid c. an IQ aid d. an internal memory aid

d. an internal memory aid

A newspaper reporter asks you for a brief summary statement about the relationship between age and intellectual skill in adulthood. Write a two- or three-sentence summary.

Age and intellectual ability have been connected through various studies. Many researchers have wanted to see if anything could be done to reverse the moderate decline in IQ shown in longitudinal studies. Introduced training to see if that would help with the specific task being tested and there was a positive correlation. Fluid intelligence begins to decline by mid-30's whereas crystallized intelligence did not peak until 40's and started to decline by age 70. Must exercise crystallized intelligence in order to prevent from decline.

Describe the typical finding in training studies of memory, such as the Burack and Lachman study described in the text. What do such results tell us about age changes in memory processes?

Burack and Lachman randomly assigned young and old adults to two groups- list making and non list-making and gave them word recall and recognition tests. The older adults performed less well than the younger adults but for the list makers, there were no significant differences between the old and young groups. The older list makers performed better than the older non-list makers. Studies such as these show that training on both internal and external memory aids can benefit older adults whose memories are not as sharp as they were in younger years. They may not bring back 100% of earlier abilities, but intervention and improvement are possible.