Overview – Lecture 7 Higher Order Cognitive Functions Language –Cognitive Influences –Social Influences Intelligence Wisdom Myth Busting.

Overview – Lecture 7Higher Order Cognitive Functions

• Language– Cognitive Influences– Social Influences

• Intelligence

• Wisdom

• Myth Busting



• Intelligence

• Wisdom

• Myth Busting

Aging and Language

Language competencecompetence spared in aging

But…

Language performanceperformance differences emerge in aging

Aging and Language

Older adults

Report more expressive and receptive communication difficulties (Ryan, Kwong See, Meneer & Trovato, 1992)

Aging and Language

Older adults

Have more difficulty comprehending, imitating, and producing grammatically complex sentences (e.g., Kemper, 1992; Kwong See & Ryan, 1995)

Left-branching: Harder

• Structures in which the embedded clause interrupts the main clause

– E.g., Because Bill left the party without his coat, John was upset.

Right-branching: Easier

• Structures in which the two clauses are successive

– E.g., John was upset because Bill left the party without his coat.

Aging and Language

Older adults

Remember less after reading or listening to texts (e.g., Kwong See & Ryan, 1995)

Aging and Language

Key Questions:

Why do these performance differences exist?

What is the influence of cognitive factors?

A framework

ModifiedModifiedInformation Processing Framework: LanguageInformation Processing Framework: Language

SensoryProcessing

-auditory-visual

SensoryProcessing

-auditory-visual

ExcitationInhibition


ProcessingStorage

ProcessingStorage

CentralExecutive

CentralExecutive

EpisodicmemoryEpisodicmemory

SemanticmemorySemanticmemory

ProceduralmemoryProceduralmemory

WORKING

MEMORY

Long Term

Knowledge Base

A simple passage

June, my sister-in-law by marriage to my least favorite brother Sam, was rather cool to April at the barbecue on Saturday.

Working Memory: needed to answer the question who was cool to April?

Inhibition: needed to disambiguate June as a person or a month.

Working Memory Knowledge Interaction

• Listen to this story...

Working Memory Knowledge Interaction

• Listen to this story...

» Washing clothes

ModifiedModifiedInformation Processing Framework: LanguageInformation Processing Framework: Language

SensoryProcessing

-auditory-visual

SensoryProcessing

-auditory-visual



ProcessingStorage

ProcessingStorage

CentralExecutive

CentralExecutive

EpisodicmemoryEpisodicmemory

SemanticmemorySemanticmemory

ProceduralmemoryProceduralmemory

WORKING

MEMORY

Long Term

Knowledge Base

What is the processing (Cognitive) basis of age differences in What is the processing (Cognitive) basis of age differences in language performance?language performance?

• Working Memory Capacity discourse hypothesis

• Inhibitory Efficiency discourse hypothesis

• Speed of Processing discourse hypothesis

Evidence: Working Memory Capacity

Light & Capps (1986)

You hear….

Henry spoke at a meeting while John drove to the beach.

He brought along a surfboard.

Evidence: Working Memory Capacity

Light & Capps (1986)

Henry spoke at a meeting while John drove to the beach.

He brought along a surfboard.

0, 1, or 2 intervening sentences

Evidence: Inhibition

Hamm & Hasher (1992)You read…

Carol was not feeling well and decided to find out what was wrong. She called her friend who was a nurse to ask her for some advice. The friend told Carol what to do. Carol went into town and apprehensively entered the large building hoping to find an answer. She walked through the doors and took an elevator to the third floor. (midtest- Hospital)

Evidence: Inhibition

Hamm & Hasher (1992)You read…

Carol was not feeling well and decided to find out what was wrong. She called her friend who was a nurse to ask her for some advice. The friend told Carol what to do. Carol went into town and apprehensively entered the large building hoping to find an answer. She walked through the doors and took an elevator to the third floor. (midtest- Hospital)

She found a book that seemed relevant to her problem. Carol then went to the main desk and checked out the book for two weeks so that she could read it at home. When she left the building she saw that it had started snowing hard and she hailed a taxi to take her home. (end-test- Library)

Inhibition and Verbosity

• OTV (e.g., Gold et al., 1994)

– More common among the elderly (age associated)

– Only a minority of elderly show OTV– Effects of age on OTV associated with decline

in frontal lobe functioning– Social relations, stress, extraversion,

egocentricism associated with OTV but are independent of age

Communication strategies adopted

• Avoid long and complex sentences

• Use proper names instead of pronouns

• Avoid conversing in background noise

• Speak slower

• Pause and reiterate

• Increase volume

Patronizing Speech or Elderspeak

• Overaccommodation in communication with older people based on stereotyped expectations of incompetence and dependence (e.g., Hummert, 1994; Ryan et al., 1995)



• Intelligence

• Wisdom

• Myth Busting

ElderspeakElderspeakElderspeakElderspeak

Age-related Age-related

changeschanges

Age-related Age-related

changeschanges

Further Further

declinesdeclines

Further Further

declinesdeclines

Language:Language:Social Aspects of LanguageSocial Aspects of Language

Communication Communication Predicament Model:Predicament Model:

•Patronizing speechPatronizing speech•““Infantilization”Infantilization”•Failure to encourage Failure to encourage independenceindependence

How not to add insult to injury…

Communication Enhancement

Do not let stereotyped expectations guide behavior but instead:

1. Be aware of cues and modify your communication behavior appropriately

2. Be aware of automatic (stereotype driven) overaccommodations

Overview – Lecture 7continued

Higher Order Cognitive Functions


• Intelligence

• Wisdom

• Myth Busting

Guiding Questions

• What is intelligence?

• Does “intelligence” decline with age?

• Does wisdom come with age?

Defining intelligence

Characteristics: (class to generate)

Defining intelligence

Summary Characteristics:

Approaches

1. Piagetian

2. Psychometric

3. Lifespan

Piagetian ApproachPiagetian Approach

• Focus on thinking behind the “answer”

• Focus on cognitive structures

• Intellectual changes with age are qualitative

Review

• Assimilation

• Accommodation

• Organization

• Stages of development

SensorimotorSensorimotorSensorimotorSensorimotor

PreoperationalPreoperationalPreoperationalPreoperationalConcrete operationalConcrete operationalConcrete operationalConcrete operational

Formal operationalFormal operationalFormal operationalFormal operational

Piagetian stagesPiagetian stages

Developmental Trends

• Older adults do less well– on tasks assessing formal operations– tasks assessing earlier stages too

– Hypothesis: cognitive structures being lost• decline in reverse order of acquisition

• interpret with caution as results are mixedinterpret with caution as results are mixed

Extending Piaget: Post-formal operationsExtending Piaget: Post-formal operations

SensorimotorSensorimotorSensorimotorSensorimotor

PreoperationalPreoperationalPreoperationalPreoperationalConcrete operationalConcrete operationalConcrete operationalConcrete operational

Formal operationalFormal operationalFormal operationalFormal operational

Post-formal operational???Post-formal operational???Post-formal operational???Post-formal operational???

Piagetian stagesPiagetian stages

Post-Formal Operational Thinking

Some features

• use thinking to deal with complexities of “life”

• can see when to use formal logic and when not necessary

• dialectical thinking

• “truth” is negotiated and varies by situation

• solutions are relativistic

• no rights and wrongs but rather grays

• recognition that emotion and subjective factors play a role in thinking

Psychometric ApproachPsychometric Approach

• Focus on “how many” you get right as a measure of intelligence

• Intelligence is shown by performance on standardized tests

Historical PerspectivesHistorical Perspectives

Early studies on adult intelligenceEarly studies on adult intelligence

1930’s1930’s1930’s1930’s Studies on Wechsler Adult Intelligence ScaleStudies on Wechsler Adult Intelligence ScaleStudies on Wechsler Adult Intelligence ScaleStudies on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

•Identified “classic aging pattern”Identified “classic aging pattern”


Classic Aging Pattern:Classic Aging Pattern:

IQscores Young

adulthoodLater

adulthood

Age


Current data on adult intelligenceCurrent data on adult intelligence

1950’s-1950’s-presentpresent1950’s-1950’s-presentpresent

Seattle Longitudinal StudySeattle Longitudinal StudySeattle Longitudinal StudySeattle Longitudinal Study

•Initial studies showed no declinesInitial studies showed no declines•Basis for sophisticated Basis for sophisticated developmental research designsdevelopmental research designs

Theoretical PerspectivesTheoretical Perspectives

The concept of “g”The concept of “g”

•General factor of intelligenceGeneral factor of intelligence•High levels of “g” related to high High levels of “g” related to high performance on tests of specific abilitiesperformance on tests of specific abilities

Retrieve eventsfrom long-term memory

Recognize and understand words

Apply numerical concepts

Generate words according to rule

Identify regularities and infer rules

Reason about geometricforms

Addition

Synonyms

Complete series

Spatial rotation

Verbal Verbal MeaningMeaning

NumberNumber

WordWordFluencyFluency

InductiveInductiveReasoningReasoning

SpatialSpatialOrientationOrientation

ABILITYABILITY DESCRIPTIONDESCRIPTION TESTTEST


Primary Mental AbilitiesPrimary Mental Abilities


Fluid-Crystallized TheoryFluid-Crystallized Theory

Primary mental abilitiesPrimary mental abilitiesPrimary mental abilitiesPrimary mental abilities

Verbal Verbal MeaningMeaning

NumberNumber

CRYSTALLIZEDCRYSTALLIZED(Gc)(Gc)

CRYSTALLIZEDCRYSTALLIZED(Gc)(Gc)

Secondary mental abilitiesSecondary mental abilitiesSecondary mental abilitiesSecondary mental abilities

SpaceSpaceReasoningReasoning Word Word FluencyFluency

FLUID (Gf)FLUID (Gf)FLUID (Gf)FLUID (Gf)

Gf

Gc Gc

Gc

Gc

Gc

GcGc

Gc

Gc Gc Gc

Gc

Gc

Gc



Free-floating

Channeled into learned abilities



Hypothesized live-span Hypothesized live-span course of Gf and Gccourse of Gf and Gc

Crystallized

Fluid

Empirical EvidenceEmpirical Evidence

Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS)Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS)

•K. Warner Schaie and colleaguesK. Warner Schaie and colleagues•Used PMA testUsed PMA test•Interpret findings in terms of Fluid-Crystallized theoryInterpret findings in terms of Fluid-Crystallized theory•Also studied health and lifestyle patternsAlso studied health and lifestyle patterns


Least decrease=Least decrease=Verbal MeaningVerbal Meaning

Least decrease=Least decrease=Verbal MeaningVerbal Meaning

MostMost decrease=decrease=Word FluencyWord Fluency

MostMost decrease=decrease=Word FluencyWord Fluency

Longitudinal PatternsLongitudinal Patterns


Cumulative proportion of decline on PMA’s by ageCumulative proportion of decline on PMA’s by age


Cross-sectional differences from 1970 and 1991Cross-sectional differences from 1970 and 1991

•Different conclusions would be made in 1970 vs. 1991Different conclusions would be made in 1970 vs. 1991•In 1991, older adults were favored with respect to NumberIn 1991, older adults were favored with respect to Number

•Different conclusions would be made in 1970 vs. 1991Different conclusions would be made in 1970 vs. 1991•In 1991, older adults were favored with respect to NumberIn 1991, older adults were favored with respect to Number


Cohort gradients from 1889 to 1996 on PMACohort gradients from 1889 to 1996 on PMA

•Increases across Increases across cohorts in VM, cohorts in VM, SO and IRSO and IR

•Number has shown Number has shown downward trenddownward trend

•Only WF is Only WF is stablestable

•Verbal meaning- peak by 50-60 and Verbal meaning- peak by 50-60 and drop by 50% to the age of 80drop by 50% to the age of 80•Numerical ability- peak in middle age, Numerical ability- peak in middle age, detectable drop in 60s (recent cohorts not detectable drop in 60s (recent cohorts not as strong though)as strong though)

Summary of FindingsSummary of Findings

•All drop after late 60sAll drop after late 60s•Younger cohorts relatively favored on SO and IRYounger cohorts relatively favored on SO and IR


FLUIDFLUIDFLUIDFLUID

CRYSTALLIZEDCRYSTALLIZEDCRYSTALLIZEDCRYSTALLIZED


Individual differences in PMA patternsIndividual differences in PMA patterns

•Health statusHealth status•Sensory abilitiesSensory abilities•Frontal lobe functioningFrontal lobe functioning•GenderGender•““Life complexity”Life complexity”•Personality flexibility vs. rigidityPersonality flexibility vs. rigidity•Intellectual self-efficacyIntellectual self-efficacy

•Relates to identityRelates to identity

Intelligence:Intelligence:Intervention StudiesIntervention Studies

•People trained in Space improved in that People trained in Space improved in that ability and same for Inductive Reasoningability and same for Inductive Reasoning•Gains held for 7 years with a 5 hour Gains held for 7 years with a 5 hour booster sessionbooster session

Evidence for “plasticity”Evidence for “plasticity”

Lifespan ApproachLifespan Approach

• Lifespan concepts of multidirectionality, plasticity, interindividual variability play a role

• Emphasizes the role of intelligence in adaptation and daily life

Two-Component Model of Life-span Intelligence (e.g., Baltes et al., 1999)

1. Fluid Mechanics

intelligence as basic information

processing

2. Crystallized Pragmatics

intelligence as cultural knowledge

Predictions about development

1. Fluid Mechanics

downward trajectory with age

2. Crystallized Pragmatics

upward trajectory maintained across

adulthood

Intelligence:Intelligence:Implications of Plasticity Implications of Plasticity

Reserve Reserve capacitycapacityReserve Reserve capacitycapacity

•““Testing the limits” produces Testing the limits” produces performance increasesperformance increases

•Selective optimization with Selective optimization with compensationcompensation

PragmaticsPragmatics vs. mechanics vs. mechanicsPragmaticsPragmatics vs. mechanics vs. mechanics

Paradox of AgingParadox of Aging




• Intelligence

• Wisdom

• Myth Busting

Wisdom

What is it?

Practical knowledge

Insight

Based on life experience(not creativity)

“Age” likely to be necessary for WISDOM but is it sufficient?

WISDOMWISDOM

ASAS

EXPERTEXPERT

KNOWLEDGEKNOWLEDGE

FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE

in fundamental

pragmatics of life

PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE

in fundamental

pragmatics of life

Knowledge

in CONTEXTS of life and

societal change

Knowledge which

considers

UNCERTAINTIES of life

Knowledge which

considers RELATIVSM

of values and goals

Baltes model of wisdomBaltes model of wisdom

DEFINITION OF WISDOMGOOD JUDGMENT AND ADVICE IN IMPORTANT BUT UNCERTAIN

AREAS OF LIFE

Probe Question

• A 15-year-old girl wants to get married right away. What should she consider and do? (from Baltes & Staudinger, 2000)

Examples of Extreme Responses(from Baltes & Staudinger, 2000)

Does wisdom come with age?

• No association between age and wise answers (e.g., Baltes & Staudinger, 2000; Staudinger, 1999)

– evidence of wisdom in adults of all ages

– older adults among the top performers though

• Key predictor is having life experience with type of problem given




• Intelligence

• Wisdom

• Myth Busting

Myth Busting

Myth:

“Verbosity” comes with age.

Reality:

A minority of older people can be characterized as off-topic-verbose.

Myth Busting

Myth:

Intelligence declines with age.

Reality:

There are a number of dimensions to intelligence. Fluid abilities decrease gradually throughout adulthood. Crystallized abilities increase through the 60s and show a decrease only after that point.

Myth Busting

Myth:

Older people are more rigid than younger people.

Reality:

People are stable in the extent to which they are flexible or rigid.

Myth Busting

Myth:

Wisdom comes with age.

Reality:

There is no association between age and wisdom. Wisdom may be more strongly associated with experience than age.

Overview – Lecture 7 Higher Order Cognitive Functions Language –Cognitive Influences –Social Influences Intelligence Wisdom Myth Busting.

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