COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT  Does the brain “shrink” with age?  Does memory deteriorate with age?  Can you “teach an old dog new tricks”?  Does intelligence decline with age? Implications for: jobs jobs educational opportunities educational opportunities social status social status

 Chapter 6: Attention and Perceptual Processing  Chapter 7: Memory  Chapter 8: Intelligence  Chapter 9: Social Cognition (pp )

Attention and Perceptual Processing: The Information Processing Model  Basic tenets: 1. We are active processors. 2. We process quantitative and qualitative information. 3. Information is processed through a series of stores or systems.

1st system: sensory memory  Brain’s door to outside world: New, incoming information first picked up: New, incoming information first picked up: sounds, sights, smells, etc.sounds, sights, smells, etc. Very fast but fleeting: Very fast but fleeting: if not attended to, it vanishes from consciousnessif not attended to, it vanishes from consciousness What determines what is attended to?  Attentional processes: selective attention: what we attend to gets passed to the next store or system, what we don’t attend to disappears selective attention: what we attend to gets passed to the next store or system, what we don’t attend to disappears important feature, as there is too much sensory input around us important feature, as there is too much sensory input around us

 Attentional processes (Cont’d): selectivity determined by motivation, interest, previous cues, state of mind, expectations, previous experience, etc. selectivity determined by motivation, interest, previous cues, state of mind, expectations, previous experience, etc. divided attention: ability to pay attention to more than one thing at the same time, e.g. study and listen to music. More common than we realize in daily life. divided attention: ability to pay attention to more than one thing at the same time, e.g. study and listen to music. More common than we realize in daily life. sustained attention: focus on task or object for a long time, e.g., waiting for appropriate highway sign to appear. sustained attention: focus on task or object for a long time, e.g., waiting for appropriate highway sign to appear. switching attention: back and forth between two or more items, e.g., looking out the windshield, then the side mirrors, then the rearview mirror, back to the windshield. switching attention: back and forth between two or more items, e.g., looking out the windshield, then the side mirrors, then the rearview mirror, back to the windshield.  Some age differences found in complex tasks. Practice helps, as well as cues.

 Caveat: most recent tests of attentional factors, and many other cognitive features, are done using stimuli on computer screens. Younger people much more used to computers. most recent tests of attentional factors, and many other cognitive features, are done using stimuli on computer screens. Younger people much more used to computers.  The fitness factor: older adults perform better if they exercise regularly. older adults perform better if they exercise regularly.

Age differences in processing:  Young adults more likely to exhibit the automatic attention response in laboratory tasks.  This is when a previously learned stimulus automatically gets your attention, it “jumps out” at you from a jumble of other stimuli.  Possible explanation: general slowing of neural transmissions in older adults. This is known as: general slowing of neural transmissions in older adults. This is known as:

Age differences in processing (Cont’d):  Speed of processing: in order to react to a stimulus, we must process it first: what does it mean? Do we need to respond? And if yes, how? And then produce the response. Attention and memory involved. in order to react to a stimulus, we must process it first: what does it mean? Do we need to respond? And if yes, how? And then produce the response. Attention and memory involved.  Speed of processing tested with reaction time tasks. Three types: simple RT tasks: one stimulus simple RT tasks: one stimulus choice RT tasks: more than one stimulus choice RT tasks: more than one stimulus complex RT tasks: many decisions for many complex tasks complex RT tasks: many decisions for many complex tasks

Age differences in processing (Cont’d):  Simple: older adults take longer on the cognitive step, not on the motor step (response). older adults take longer on the cognitive step, not on the motor step (response).  Choice: different Rs needed for each S. Older adults slower. different Rs needed for each S. Older adults slower.  Complex: e.g. driving. Older adults progressively worse as complexity increases. e.g. driving. Older adults progressively worse as complexity increases.  Possible causes of slower processing: changes in the neurons and synapses (neural circuits) changes in the neurons and synapses (neural circuits)  In everyday life, older adults have compensations: experience at a specific task (see text: typists, race car drivers)

Language Processing:  Important for understanding information processing.  Language comprehension related to sensory capabilities (hearing, vision)  Older adults have more difficulty when speed increases speed increases there is background noise or interfering sounds there is background noise or interfering sounds  Importance of encoding for language processing: rich encoding: connecting a word to other known words or facts.

Language Processing (Cont’d):  Because one’s language is so well encoded, no significant age differences have been found. Research results sometimes conflicting. Read studies as examples for comprehension, but no need to learn thoroughly.