Adult Psy Exam 2

Which of the following is NOT one of Sternberg's three components of intelligence?

"g" factor *

Absolute threshold is the intensity of stimulation in order for a stimulus to be detected ______ of the time when it is present.

50%

If all of the following were the same intensity (or loudness), for which one would a 70-year-old person's hearing threshold be the lowest?

A clap of thunder

According to your textbook, what do people attribute everyday memory failure when comparing a younger adult vs. an older adult?

According to out textbook, people attribute everyday memory failure in older adults to internal stable causes such as poor memory ability and mental difficulty. For young adults, people attribute everyday memory failure to internal stable causes such as lack of effort and lack of attention.

Which of the following is NOT a good suggestion for communicating with the hearing-impaired older adult?

Always stand to the side and speak directly into the older adult's ear.

Which of the following WAIS subtests is age-sensitive?

Block design

Which of the following is NOT a factor on Thurstone's Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) test?

Calculus

What is meant by capacity assessment and when might it be needed?

Capacity assessment is determining whether older adults are competent enough when making certain decisions in various domains. This might be needed when determining an older adult will and who is going to receive what after they pass away, or their financial situation when someone might be trying to take advantage of them.

Which is the most important reason for age-related changes in color vision?

Changes in the lens of the eye

Which of the following subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) shows the greatest age-related decline in number of points earned?

Digit symbol

Which type of memory shows the greatest evidence for age-related decline?

Episodic memory

In your own words, Define fluid intelligence (Gf) and crystallized intelligence (Gc) and describe how they differ

Fluid intelligence stems from the central nervous system, whereas crystallized intelligence stems from what we learn through education, as well as in our culture. The difference between the two is that fluid intelligences is something we have regardless of our culture experiences or social influences, whereas crystallized intelligences comes from those experiences. Another way they differ is that fluid intelligence has been shown to have age-related decline, but crystallized intelligence has shown to be maintained through the aging process.

In designing a living environment for older adults, which of the following would NOT be recommended?

For floor coverings, use shiny tiles that reflect light.

If you were to advise young adults on what they can do make sure their memory will be maintained as well as possible in older adulthood, what would you tell them?

If I were to advise young adults on what they can do to make sure their memory will be maintained as well as possible in older adulthood, I would tell them to live a healthy and active lifestyle. This means working out and being active, but also eating as healthy as possible. I know college is not for everybody, but I would also tell them to obtain the highest education that works for them, but at least getting their high-school diploma or GED, nothing less. Lastly, I would encourage them to be physically and mentally better in health because this can produce many benefits when aging and reaching older adulthood.

Which of the following subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) shows the least age-related decline as far as number of points earned?

Information

Metamemory refers to a general understanding of how the memory system works. For example, people seem to know that when it comes to memory for word definitions, multiple-choice tests are usually easier than essay tests. Briefly describe memory self-efficacy and how it differs from metamemory.

Memory self-efficacy differs from metamemory because it describes how older adults' beliefs and judgements about their own memory abilities, whereas metamemory is older adults' understanding of how the memory process works. Older adults who are high in self-efficacy and who feel a sense of control are more apt to expend effort to maximize their memory.

Name and describe three factors associated with reduced risk of age-related decline in intellectual abilities.

One factor involved with reduced risk of age-related decline in intellectual abilities is having a stimulating and engaged lifestyle, which means being active, going out with friends, staying social, etc. Another factor is membership in an intact family and marriage to a well-educated, intelligent spouse. This one refers to staying in touch with your family as you get older because they are very important and can make a huge difference physically and emotionally. Lastly, obtaining high-complexity jobs because it will keep your mind sharp.

Describe what is meant by procedural memory, semantic memory, and episodic memory. State whether or not age-related differences are typically found on each.

Procedural memory allows us to acquire skills that we usually demonstrate indirectly by action, like riding a bike, driving a car, etc. Some age-related decline may be seen, but most of the time older adults are just as capable as young adults in recovering procedural memories from storage. Semantic memory refers to general knowledge or world knowledge that we have had stored for long amounts of time. There are not much age-related differences in sematic memories because older adults are just as capable as younger adults in retrieving them. Episodic memory is memory for events and experiences that occurred at a specific place or time. Unlike the other two, episodic memory often has some age-related differences. For example, young adults recall about 75% of their activities performed, whereas older adults only recall 60%.

26. Describe what is meant by proprioception and how it can affect older adults.

Proprioception means to have an awareness of the movement of the body and limbs. Proprioception is mediated by sensory structure and perceptual process, which are both susceptible to the effects of aging. Proprioception affects older adults because they compensate their loss of proprioception with other sensory sources, but when those other sources at limited as well, it can cause difficulty with balancing. This can also relate to the increase amount of falls among older adults.

On which type of memory test would there be the greatest age-related differences?

Recall

Which of the following is (are) true regarding older adults and reaction time?

Regular exercise can moderate age-related slowing

Which of the following would not be considered a noncontent attribute of memory?

Remembering the name of someone you happen to meet in the mall

30. Revisiting SOC and ECO models. Explain how some of concepts presented in Chapter 4 can be related and framed within each of these respected models.

SOC and ECO models are often applied to sensory and perceptual processes. Regarding the SOC, many older adults make adjustments as they adapt to protentional or actual changes in their two processes. Many older adults may become selective about the visual conditions under which they function, like not driving when its dark or bad weather. Some older adults compensate for hearing loss with hearing aid and/or better visual cues. The ECO model would want an appropriate match between older adults' sensory and perceptual capabilities and the level of sensory and perceptual challenge in the environment. Also, there should be a decreased demand for close visual work, as well as a universal sign system that has bigger letters and a contrasting background. Lastly, the ECO model would argue for background noise being minimized, as well as speakers not talking too quickly or using high pitch sounds.

Describe the characteristics of elderspeak. Which aspects of elderspeak are likely to be helpful to older adults with a hearing loss and which might not be viewed positively? (5 points)

Some characteristics of elderspeak are shortened sentences, simplified grammar, slower speech, talking with high pitch and intonation. The aspects of elderspeak that are helpful to older adults with hearing loss would be to reduce grammatical complexity and use words with low-frequency sounds. As well as maintaining a good pace while speaking and avoid trying to talk with them when there is a lot of background noise. Ways that may not be viewed positively is speaking louder and directly in their ear, or very slow with short sentences.

What is the inhibitory deficit model and how has this model been used to explain age-related differences in selective attention?

The inhibitory deficit model states that aging is associated with a decrease in the ability to ignore irrelevant stimuli (distractors) and focus attention on relevant stimuli (targets). According to this model, age-related differences in selective attention are often attributed to inhibit irrelevant distracting stimuli. Many things require both divided and selective attention, but a very important one is driving.

Using your textbook as a reference, why do you believe there usually less age-related decline reported for psychometric intelligence test scores in longitudinal studies than there is in psychometric intelligence test scores in cross-sectional studies?

The reason I think there is less age-related decline reported in test score from longitudinal studies than there are in cross-sectional studies could be due to the idea of selective attrition. This would mean that only the most able members that were involved in the longitudinal study were able to return to be retested later, which could lead to false positive when it comes to intellectual functioning and longitudinal studies. Another reason could be that the psychometric intelligence test scores, the verbal subsets are crystallized (which is not affected by age), and the performance subsets are fluid (age-related decline).

What is the reduced attentional resources/capacity model and how can this model be used to explain age-related differences in divided attention?

The reduced attentional resources/capacity model states that the quantity processing resources declines with increasing age. This is usually not a problem on simpler tasks, but when older adults are faced with complex tasks, it may exceed their capacity and result in being less efficient or accurate than younger adults. This model can be used to explain age-related differences in divided attention because decline in divided attention due to age if often attributed to age-related limitation in attentional resources/capacity.

According to the information-processing model of memory, what are the three stages of processing that take place in long-term episodic memory? What, if any, age-related differences are usually found for each stage?

The three stages of processing that take place in long-term episodic memory are encoding, storage, and retrieval. For the encoding stage, older adults often fail to encode elaborately unless they are given instructions and guidance. Age-related differences usually do not occur in the storage stage because it is unlimited, but older adults have more difficulty retrieving memories than younger adults.

Describe what Baltes and his colleagues mean by the mechanics of intelligence and the pragmatics of intelligence.

They refer to mechanics of intelligence as the hardware of the mind, meaning they are biologically and genetically controlled that are responsible for carrying out all of our basic memory functions. They describe the pragmatics of intelligence as the software of the mind because it consists of culturally based factual and procedural knowledge.

Which of the following WAIS subtests is age-insensitive?

Vocabulary

In general, cross-sectional studies of age and WAIS scores find _____ age-related decline compared to longitudinal studies of age and WAIS scores.

a greater amount of

Compared to young adults, older adults have ________ for smell, taste, and touch sensitivity.

a higher threshold

Researchers who believe in testing the limits of intellectual ability are likely to think that ______________.

a person would have to be tested on several occasions to get a true picture of intellectual functioning

Which factor(s) is (are) related to maintenance of intellectual functioning in older adulthood?

a. A flexible personality b. Satisfaction with one's accomplishments in mid-life and early older adulthood c. Membership in an intact family All of the above

Senile cataracts:___________.

a. are areas of cloudiness or opacity in the lens b. scatter light, which creates susceptibility to glare c. are common in older adults all of the above

Exaggerated gestures and terms of endearment _______________.

a. are often used when people communicate with older adults b. can make the older adult who is spoken to appear to be incompetent c. may be acceptable to some older adults but not all All of the above

The psychometric approach to intelligence_______________.

a. emphasizes quantitative measurement b. uses tests that have been standardized on to a large representative sample of individuals c. was originally devised in the context of academic performance All of the above

The short-term memory store _____________.

a. holds information for up to 30 seconds b. can hold approximately 7 units of information c. will displace items when new ones enter the store All of the above

Remembering when, or in which order, things actually occurred _________.

a. is a noncontent attribute of episodic memory b. is especially difficult when there is damage to the frontal lobe area of the brain c. shows age-related deficit when individuals must reconstruct an order exactly All of the above

The premotor component of reaction time ___________.

a. is difficult to observe directly b. accounts for a larger proportion of total reaction time compared to the motor time c. consists mainly of the time taken for the brain to process information All of the above

Jean has difficulty remembering whether she actually turned off the stove or whether she only thought about doing it. This is a type of ______ on which there is ______.

activity memory; evidence for age-related decline

Metamemory is _________________.

an inherent understanding of how the memory system works

Items of information in the long-term memory store _____________.

are not always in our conscious awareness

The far-sightedness, or difficulty focusing on close-up objects, that is experienced by many older adults is called presbyopia. An individual with presbyopia will have the greatest difficulty _____________.

being able to read the small numbers in the telephone book

Older adults who do poorly on tests of explicit memory often do __________ on tests of implicit memory.

better

The signal detection model of determining threshold takes into account _____.

both a person's sensitivity and decisional criteria

Generally speaking, fluid intelligence is thought to _______; crystallized intelligence is thought to __________.

decline with age; increase or be maintained with age

According to Woodruff-Pak, the Phase I perspective of those who studied aging and intelligence focused on ___________.

determining when the peak of intellectual functioning was reached and when it began to decline

Some psychologists have questioned whether the abilities measured by psychometric tests have much relevance, or meaning, as far as measuring the kinds of abilities that are needed to function intelligently in everyday life. These individuals think that psychometric tests may lack _________.

ecological validity

Glaucoma is a disease of the eye associated with __________.

elevated pressure in the aqueous humor

Preparing information for entry into the long-term store is ______.

encoding

Remembering the name of a movie that you saw last weekend would be considered an example of ____________.

episodic memory

Writing reminders on a calendar is an example of a(n) ____________.

external mnemonic

Base on research, older adults have a(n)______ degree of difficulty of attentional capacity than young adults?

greater

In general, there is _______ variation among older adults than there is among young adults on tests of intellectual ability.

greater

People with presbycusis: _________________.

have difficulty with high frequency tones rather than low frequency tones

A man of 20 and a man of 70 obtain the same number of points on the WAIS performance subtests (digit symbol, block design, and so on). In this case, the Performance IQ of the 70-year-old will be ________ the Performance IQ of the 20-year-old.

higher than

Memory that occurs without a person's awareness that something has been learned or remembered is __________.

implicit memory

An _____________ often taught in memory training classes is to use visual imagery; in comparison, taking a list of items to the grocery store so you will remember what to buy is an _______.

internal mnemonic technique, external mnemonic technique

Participating in complex leisure activities _____________.

is associated with a higher level of intellectual functioning

Poor health___________________.

is associated with poor memory

According to Baltes and his colleagues, the mechanics of intelligence ________, whereas the pragmatics of intelligence _______.

is genetically and biologically controlled; are related to knowledge gained through experience

Procedural memory _________________.

is often demonstrated in motor skills such as riding a bicycle

Working memory ______________.

is similar to a mental scratch pad

Remote memory ____________.

is something that older adults claim holds up very well

According to the common cause hypothesis, the link between sensory processes and cognitive functioning _____________.

is stronger in older adulthood than it is in young adulthood

With encapsulation, __________________.

knowledge within a specific domain of expertise becomes easier to use

Older adults perform more slowly than young adults do. As reaction time tasks become more complex involve more choices and decisions, age-related differences in speed of response will be:

larger

Naming another person to make decisions concerning living arrangements, health care, and provision of all other basic needs is called _________; whereby, naming another person to manage a person's financial transactions is called_________.

legal guardianship; legal conservatorship

Compared to the young eye, the older eye lets in ______ under a given level of illumination.

less light

Individuals with a high level of sensitivity to a particular type of stimulation will have what level of threshold for detecting its presence?

low

The __________ has been likened to the hardware of the mind, whereas _____ is likened to the software of the mind.

mechanics of intelligence; pragmatics of intelligence

Compared to younger adults, older adults are ___________ susceptible to false memories (for example, remembering a specific word was on the list of words they studied when really it was not there).

more

The Stroop Color Word test is a measure of selective attention that is difficult for all ages especially older adults. As a result, this type of testing provides evidence that older adults have _______ difficulty that younger adults ignoring distracting stimuli.

more

In general, older adults are _______ than young adults are and older adults tend to have___ false alarms compared to young adults.

more cautious; fewer

According to stimulus persistence theory, stimulus traces (for example, flashes of light) take ________ to clear through the nervous systems of older adults compared with young adults.

more time

Willis and her colleagues devised an Everyday Problems Test (EPT) that consisted of written tasks in seven Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) categories. Then they related older adults' scores on the EPT test and their scores on psychometric tests of intelligence. They found that older adults' EPT scores were ____________.

most strongly related to their scores on scores on psychometric tests of fluid ability

The reminiscence bump refers to a phenomenon whereby _______.

older adults have the best and most vivid memory for events that occurred in their adolescent and early adulthood years

Phonemic regression refers to a phenomenon whereby ______________.

older adults say "I hear it but I cannot understand it"

Items of information in the long-term store will be easier to remember if they are ________.

organized into meaningful categories

Remembering to do something at a specific future point in time (such as remembering to mail a letter, pay a bill, or make a phone call) is an example of ________.

prospective memory

The Flynn effect refers to a phenomenon whereby _________.

recent standardization sample attains higher scores than an earlier one

The IQ obtained from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) ________.

reflects a person's standing on an array of abilities relative to others in the same age group

Recognition tests provide more retrieval support than recall tests do. Recognition memory tests minimize the importance of_______. Performance on recognition tests shows ________ age-related decline compared to performance on recall tests.

retrieval; less

The type of memory in the long-term store that includes general world knowledge is _______ and it ________.

semantic memory; remains intact with increasing age

Elderspeak refers to _______________.

simplified grammar people often use when speaking with older adults

Fluid intelligence is related to ________, whereas crystallized intelligence is related to _______.

the integrity of the central nervous system; education and experience

The term "magic number seven plus or minus two" applies to______.

the short-term memory store

In general, older adults' greater cautiousness when making a decision about the presence of a stimulus means older adults' are likely to _______ their actual sensitivity.

underestimate

The classic aging pattern refers to the fact that ___________.

verbal tests of intellectual ability tend to hold up better with age than performance tests do