Chapter 6: Mental functions and learning across the lifespan

Theory of multiple intelligences

Gardner reports all humans have at least eight distinct intelligences. Including Linguistic learner, logical/mathematical learner, spatial learner, musical learner, bodily/Kinesthetic learner, interpersonal learner, intrapersonal learner

Triarchic theory of successful intelligence

Sternberg proposed three interacting aspects that result in intelligence: wisdom, intelligence, and creativity.

procedural learning

The learner is concerned with performing and refining skills, and decisions about what to do become more automatic

Episodic memory

a category of long-term memory involving the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences

affordance

a perceived or actual property of a thing or situation that determines just how the thing could be used or the situation managed to support learning

Attention

a specific mental function that involves focusing on a stimulus or internal experience for a required period of time

implicit memory

a type of memory in which previous experiences aid in performance of a task without conscious awareness or intent to remember any of these previous experiences

Somatic awareness

an aspect of attention that focuses on information about the state of the body ( touch, pressure, temp, pain, etc.)

orientation functions

an awareness of one's relations to self, to others, to time, and to place. baseline for reasoning

purposeful sensory experience

any intentional use of senses to gain information

Mental functions of language

are recognizing and using signs, and recognizing and using symbols as they relate to language

psychomotor functions

are the mental functions of control over physical and motor skills

Vulnerable abilities

are those most likely to decrease or diminish with advancing age. The most significant is spatial reasoning, perceptual speed, short-term memory, visual processing, and processing speed

autonomous stage

at this stage an individual can complete a task automatically without having to think about it

associative learning

based on the assumption that ideas and experiences reinforce one another and can be linked to enhance the learning process

observational learning

begins with sensory attention to the actions or experiences of others, followed by imitation

executive functions

cognitive abilities that enable individuals to respond to novel situations or unexpected challenges

specific mental functions

conscious intentional acts such as problem solving, language, and calculation. they are also more overt and more directly related to everyday performance skills

calculation functions

determination, approximation, and manipulation of mathematical symbols and processes

reasoning and problem solving

having a mental model of something that will increase problem solving approaches

Maintained abilities

include cultural and academic knowledge, verbal comprehension, vocab, number facility, and fluency of retrieval from long-term memory. typically includes habits

memory functions

include registering and storing information and retrieving it as needed by the individual

Energy and Drive Functions

include the physiological and psychological mechanisms that result in an individual's energy level, motivation, appetite, craving, and impulse control

emotional functions

include those specific mental functions related to feelings, or the affective reactions of individuals

Rothbart's dimensions: negative affect

includes fear, frustration, sadness, discomfort, and anger

Rothbart's dimensions: Surgency/extraversion

includes positive anticipation, impulsivity, high activity, and sensation seeking

perceptual functions

includes recognizing and interpreting sensory stimuli from all sensory systems, both individually and in combination.

Rothbart's dimensions: effortful control

includes the intentional control of attention, the ability to inhibit impulses, and perceptual sensitivity

Cognition

inclusive term for a group of distinct mental processes that includes a wide range of functions such as attention, memory, perception, understanding, and thought

process skills

intellectual functions that rely on fluid intelligence to allow the transfer and adaptation of previously learned tasks to novel or altered situations

Motor learning

involves basic motor skill acquisition, the calibration of movements, and refining the smoothness and accuracy of movements as individuals seek expertise in any motor skill

Metacognition

involves complex goal-directed thinking that allows us to plan, organize, execute, and evaluate our day-to-day activities. literally refers to the act of thinking about thinking, or the cognition of cognition

Dementia

is a disease state, not simply forgetfullness, in which both memory and cognitive abilities deteriorate over time. it affects memory, thinking, language, judgement, and behavior

sensory perceptual memory

is fleeting, lasting no more than four to five seconds after the stimulus is withdrawn

explicit memory

is the conscious, intentional recollection of previous experiences and information that allows us to remember daily things like the time and place for college classes and also allows us to remember episodes from our childhood.

Declarative learning

learning that individuals are conscious of and make an effort to support

situated learning

learning that occurs through purposeful sensory that the learned behavior is needed

social learning

refers to the acquisition of behaviors within a social context that can take place at any stage in life

Primary memory

refers to the amount of information that individuals can assimilate and be able to recall immidiately

use-dependent brain plasticity

refers to the capacity of the brain to remodel itself based on the activity patterns and environmental demands on the individual. plays a major role in the recovery of function after injury to the brain and helps explains patterns of cognitive changes associated with aging

nonassociative learning

result in both transient and long-term modulation at the synaptic level and is important in rehabilitation of movement disorders

temporal sequencing

short-term memory influences the performances of many important daily tasks, because it is needed to assist in performing desired action sequences without interruption until the task is completed

experience of self and time functions

specific mental functions related to the awareness of one's identity, one's body, one's position in the reality of one's environment, and of time

Consciousness

state of awareness and alertness that includes an individual's ability to sustain a wakeful state

sensorimotor praxis

the ability of the brain to conceive, organize, and carry out a sequence of unfamiliar actions

working memory

the ability to hold information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal reasoning tasks

motor planning

the ability to ideate what the movement should do now, how it should happen, and what the outcome of the movement should be.

initiation

the ability to start something

Cognitive flexibility

the ability to switch behavioral response according to the context of the situation, the ability to consider alternatives and change strategies or approaches to a problem

fluid intelligence

the ability to think and reason abstractly, solve novel problems, and identify patterns and relationships that underpin these problems and the extrapolation of these using logic rather than relying on acquired knowledge

crystallized intelligence

the ability to utilize information, skills, knowledge, and experience you have accumulated throughout your lifetime

cognitive load

the amount of work imposed on working memory in the process of learning a new task

body image

the awareness of one's body and representations of it

temperament

the constitutional disposition of the individual to react in a particular way to situations. it is closely associated with personality

embodied cognition

the construct that active movement and physical "doing" influences bodily actions. Emphasizes that the mind is not only connected to the body but that the body also influences the mind

Global psychological functions

the essential mental abilities that allow individuals to integrate aspects of social experience, personality, and emotions to provide a foundation for the formation of interpersonal skills

thought functions

the ideas and imaginings of individuals, are recognized as the source of creativity and individuality in problem solving

mental functions of sequencing complex movements

the mental aspect of sequencing and coordinating complex, purposeful movements.

Abstraction

the mental function of considering something as a general idea, quality, or characteristic. allows individuals to consider new or novel solutions to problems

metalinguistic reasoning

the mental function of thinking about language

Sleep Functions

the periods of mental disengagement from one's immediate environment accompanied by characteristic physiological changes

Long-term memory

the permanent, apparently limitless, component of the information processing system

Vicarious learning

the process of learning from other people's behavior, is a central idea of social learning theory

watching

the purposeful use of vision to intentionally experience something

metacognitive process

the regulation of thought and control of thoughts

intellectual functions

those skills required for individuals to understand and constructively integrate information from all types of mental function

global Mental functions

underlie the other mental activities and most typically operate below the level of personal awareness. They are important predictive factors in rehabilitation outcomes

listening

using the sense of hearing intentionally to experience auditory stimuli

mental imagery

visualizing something based on your perception of it, when it is not there or is not present

metacognitive knowledge

what individuals know about themselves and others in terms of self, task, and problem solving