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127 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
central nervous system |
brain and spinal chord |
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peripheral nervous system |
nerves to and from the CNS |
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dendrite |
input region of the neuron |
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oligodendrocyte |
provides the myelin sheath |
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synapse |
terminal |
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hippocampus |
related to memory |
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degenerates with alzheimers disease |
hippocampus function |
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gray matter |
cell bodies |
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white matter |
axons- myelin on the axons |
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corpus callosum |
communicates the 2 sides of the brain |
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biggest white structure in the brain |
corpus callosum super important for COMMUNICATION in brain |
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ventricle |
fluid filled spaces in the brain |
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structural changes in the brain |
ventricles enlarge brain shrinks- white and gray atrophy hippocampus shrinks thinner cortex white matter lesions |
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dopamine increases/decreases in aging brain |
decreases |
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neuroimaging |
use of various techniques to image and structure the function of the nervous system |
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CT scan |
x rays fast and cheap STRUCTURAL ionizing radiation =risk |
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PET scan |
3D FUNCTIONAL IMAGES risk- ionizing radiation use bio active tracer that is injected in body more intake = higher metabolism expensive |
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used to locate cancer metases and brain function |
PET scan |
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used to detect infarcts, strokes and tumors |
CT scan |
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MRI |
non invasive no radiation magnetic waves expensive, loud and time consuming FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL |
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what is a risk of the MRI |
its not for people with pacemakers, non titanium implants, soldiers, etc because of the exposure to a super powerful magnet |
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volume of gray matter (ie cortical thickness) declines as we age because of the number and volume of dendrites decreasing= |
number of synapses decrease as well |
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dopaminergic system is involved in |
memory processes |
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which imaging technique allows for creating white matter pictures of the brain |
DTI |
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DTI |
measure directionality and amount of diffusion which allows us to reconstruct the fibers which helps image the white matter (myelinated axons) |
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harder memory task= |
more brain activity=more effort to sustain performance= compensation |
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older adults activate more brain at a lower cognitive load |
they compensate for processing difficulties related to brain atrophy, slower metabolism, white matter decline |
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CRUNCH |
compensation related utilization of neural circuits hypothesis older adults need to recruit neuronal resources at lower loads than younger, leaving no resources for higher loads and thus leading to performance decrements |
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Prefrontal Activation |
asymmetic in young, bilateral in old more frontal bilateral activity in older adults during a verbal working memory task and in older adults with higher performance in a long term memory task |
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HAROLD MODEL |
-many tasks are somewhat assymetric in young adults (specific to one hemisphere) -in older adults, they use both hemispheres for a single task because of compensation -less specificity of brain functioning |
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what does the less specificity of brain functioning mean |
lack of specialization may work but it will get messy after a while with higher demands of the brain and it will fail. |
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Plasticity |
the quality of being easily shaped or molded |
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neuroplasticity |
changes in the brain structure and function as a result of experience -adaption to environmental challenges -without placiticity, we cannot survive -we mold our brains daily |
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what does neuroplasticity involve |
some kind of restructuring of the brain |
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cellular level of neuroplasticity |
1.synaptic plasticity 2. new neurons from neural stem cells (neurogenesis) |
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synaptic plasticity |
-cells that fire together, wire together -higher demand=higher response |
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neurogenesis |
new neurons from neural stem cells -multipotent: can give rise to diff kinds of cells -self-renewing: keep dividing into one specialized and one non specialized cell |
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systemic neuroplasticity |
cortical remapping -whole representations in the cortex change |
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aging brain |
-decreased memory, processing speed, executive functions -brain shrinks -neuronal death -dendrites shrink and synapses disappear -white matter increase (hyperintensitites) -white matter integrity decrease -signals travel slower -myelin degenerates and axons die |
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neuroplasticity in aging |
1. less neurogenesis 2. decline neurotransmission (ie dopamine levels) 3. less dendrites/synapses to be remodelled= thinner cortex |
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lifestyle intervention in late adulthood |
exercise improves brain functioning! |
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Fornix and processing speed |
-processing speed declines with age -white matter is important for processing speed -improvement in dance group -white matter integrity IMPROVED in dancing group |
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exercise and brain |
hippocampus, gray, white matter all improve |
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attention |
picking up relevant sensory information |
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encoding |
getting the info into short term memory |
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storage |
how info is represented and stored long term |
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retreival |
call info back out of memory |
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short term memory |
-ability to store info over short periods of time -limited capacity -rehearsal-> longer memory and more objects |
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short term memory capactity_____ with age |
declines |
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working memory |
also short term memory but involving ACTIVE storage of information and manipulation |
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implicit/procedural knowledge |
retreival of information without intentional or conscious recollection (stays relatively stable until steep decline) |
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explicit/declarative |
intentional and consious remembering and recall of information |
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long term memory |
ability to store larger pieces of information for minutes to decades |
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semantic long term memory |
facts, concepts, knowledge increases until 55 or later |
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episodic long term memory |
events in your life declines in middle age |
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remembering what you ate for dinner last night is an example of |
episodic long term memory |
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sensory memory |
based on sensory input you get (smell, sight, feeling) unlimited, deals with experiences, doesnt stick |
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recall |
spontaneously retrieve information IMPAIRED IN OLDER ADULTS |
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recognition |
older adults more likely to recognize words even if it is false positive -older people can improve if given better strategies for memory |
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attention, encoding and retreival are________ in aging |
impaired |
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automatic typing on the computer is an example of: |
implicit memory |
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consiously recalling material learned from class days ago is |
explicit, semantic, long term memory |
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memory and aging |
working memory capacity decreases false positive memories increase tip of tongue effect increases more difficulty with free recall DECLARATIVE LONG TERM MEMORY DOESNT DECREASE BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE INCREASES WITH EXPERIENCE |
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attention: processing speed |
how quicky and efficiently you process information (declines with age, remember white matter disconnections) |
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processing resources: inhibition |
ability to suppress irrelevant info (color of letters in stroop test) -declines with age- strategies help, like emotional cueing |
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attentional resources |
how much attention you have to divide and multitask |
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metacognition |
perception of ones study skills, memory, ability to moniter learning "thinking about thinking" knowledge about when to use certain strategies |
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metamemory |
-perception of ones own capabilities and perceived difficulties of a task (memory self efficacy) - awareness of what we are doing with our memory |
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how is metamemory tested? |
with questionnaires |
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facts and beliefs about memory |
metamemory |
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older people and metamemory |
knoe less about memory processes view memory as less stable expect age related decline feel less control over memory have lower self-efficacy suffer from stereotype threat worse at spontaneous strategy use |
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does memory monitoring decline with age? |
no older people have equal opportunities to compensate |
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autobiographical memory |
remembering info and events from our own life |
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what kind of memory is autobiographical memory? |
episodic |
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flashbulb memory |
vivid memories of very personal or emotional events (usually traumatic or unexpected) |
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What is true about flashbulb memories? |
they are often inaccurate (explains why eyewhitness testimonies are unreliable) |
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prospective memory |
remembering to remember to do lists etc |
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source memory |
the ability to remember the source of a familiar event and the ability to determine if an event was imagined or actually experienced |
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older adults are_________ at remembering the context of an event |
less accurate |
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emotional events are remembered___________ by young and old people |
equally well |
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False Memory |
when one remembers items or events that did not occur |
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older adults are more susceptible to_________than younger adults |
false memories |
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factors that help memory |
exercise multilingualism semantic memory in service of episodic memory negative stereotypes |
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3 main domains of intelligence |
social competence verbal ability problem solving |
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problem solving |
reasoning, identifying connections between ideas, decision making and abstract |
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verbal abililty |
reading with comprehension and good vocabulary |
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social competence |
admitting mistakes, being tolerant, having interest in the world ie emotional intelligence |
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psychometric approach |
standardized tests (right and wrong answers) |
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the cognitive-structural approach |
ways in which people conceptualize and solve problems emphasizing developmental changes in modes and styles of thinking (mental process is evaluated which is harder to test) |
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does fluid or crystallized intelligence decline with age? |
fluid |
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does fluid or crystallized intelligence increase with age? |
crystallized |
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fluid intelligence |
make you a flexible and adaptive thinker, allow you to make inferences, enable you to understand the relation among concepts MECHANICAL, COMPLEX, ABSTRACT, MORE BIOLOGICAL |
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crystalized intelligence |
the knowledge you have gained from life experience and education -PRAGMATICS, EXPERIENCE, CONTENT-RICH, CULTURE DEPENDENT, EXPERIENCE BASED |
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salthouse battery measures: |
psychometric approach 1- fluid intelligence 2- perceptual speed 3- episodic memory 4- verbal knowledge |
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matrix reasoning |
HARDER FOR OLDER PEOPLE -identify missing portion of a pattern -measures reasoning, abstract thinking and figuring out patterns - mental flexability |
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shipley abstraction |
psychometric evaluation -complete a sequence with appropriate letter or number -measures problem solving abilty, pattern recognition, and abstract thinking/reasoning |
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spatial relations |
psychometric evaluation -determine which slope is made from unfolded pattern -measures ability of spatial reasoning, spatial short-term memory |
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paper folding |
psychometric evaluation -determine the set of holes created by paper that was folded or hole punched - measures ability to mentally manipulate spatial relations in short memory; spatial reasoning |
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primary mental abilities |
inductive reasoning spatial reasoning |
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secondary mental ability |
fluid intelligence |
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vocab knowledge |
synonyn/antonym picture vocabulary wais vocabulary CRYSTALIZED INTELLIGENCE!!! |
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synonym/antonym |
choose syn/ant of target word measures vocab knowledge ability to identify similar words |
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picture vocabulary |
-give appropriate name of pictured item -measure ability to put name to picture; word retreival |
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WAIS vocabulary |
verbally give definition of a series of words -measures vocab knowledge and forming definitions - variable of interest- number of correct responses |
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moderators for age related changes in intelligence |
better cardiovascular health higher edu and socioeconomic status positive personality more practice, better performance |
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brain reserve |
BIOLOGICAL bigger brain= more connections= better opportunities |
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wisdom |
the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgement -how to conduct life, what life means, how to interpret life events |
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age and wisdom |
no association between age and wisdom |
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things that create wisdom |
general personal conditions (mental abilties), specific expertise, facilitative life contexts |
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does wisdom equal happiness? |
most research has shown that the wisest people have been through the most struggles |
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creativity |
ability to produce work that is novel, high in demand and task appropriate |
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when do creative contributions increase? |
30s and 40s are the peak |
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what decisions are younger adults better at? |
perceptual decisions |
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older adults and decisions |
search for less info to arrive at decision require less info to make decision avoid risks and rely on easily accessed info ADAPTIVE decision makers less susceptable to advertising and bias |
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emotional decisions are processed_____in older adults |
faster |
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older adults are generally_______with their decisions |
happier |
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if decisions tap into prior experiences, older adults are_______ |
equally as good as younger adults |
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MRI and alzheimers |
shows no tumors or strokes |
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symptoms of alzheimers |
forget things irritable feel like wandering unsure of your surroundings |
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reason for alzheimers |
brain cells dying, brain shrinkage, less or no connections amyloid plaques and neurofibillary tangles |
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vascular dimentia |
pre-existing vascular issues (stroke) speech and memory problems small steps that slowly destroy the brain white matter hyperintensities |
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which disease is preventable |
vascular dimentia |
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how is vascular dimentia preventable? |
exercise no heavy alcohol no smoking no diabetes |
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parkinsons disease |
difficulty walking impaired motor functioning cognitive problems (emotional, memory) |
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Why parkinsons disease |
degeneration of neurons that produce DOPAMINE |
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treatment for parkinsons |
dopamine directed treatments |
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Huntingtons disease |
GENETIC early onset uncontrolled jerks and movements eventually cannot move by self at all |