Deck 4: Cognitive Abilities

Question 1

Which individual is most likely to have an advantage in cognitive functioning into old age?

A) an unmarried female who elects to return to school for her GED after 15 years of factory work
B) a married female who completed college on the G.I. Bill and is now engaged as a personal trainer
C) a divorced male college professor who devotes 16 hours a day to his solitary research
D) a 24-year-old single male welfare recipient

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Many definitions of intelligence include the global abilities to _______.

A) act purposefully
B) think rationally
C) deal effectively
D) all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) scores produce a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. This suggests that 2/3 of all adults obtain a score between _______.

A) 70-130
B) 85-115
C) 100-115
D) 85-100

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to Cattell and Horn's theory of intelligence, which type of intelligence is thought to reflect the more basic, physiologically based type of ability?

A) fluid intelligence
B) crystallized intelligence
C) verbal intelligence
D) memory

Question 5

Which of the following would be considered a measure of fluid intelligence?

A) a test of vocabulary
B) a test of comprehension of paragraph meaning
C) an abstract reasoning test
D) a measure of social skills

Question 6

What is the major explanation offered to account for the differences in the pattern of IQ stability or decline over adulthood shown in cross-sectional versus longitudinal studies?

A) cohort differences
B) terminal drop
C) subject attrition
D) unrepresentative samples

Question 7

The latest version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale provides a Full Scale IQ based on four separate indexes: _____________, ______________, _______________ and _____________, each of which consists of a number of different subtests.

A) Verbal Comprehension, College Algebra, Science, and Music
B) Verbal Comprehension, Scientific Knowledge, Working Memory, and Processing Speed
C) Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed
D) Working Memory, Processing Speed, Generic Reasoning, and Word Problems

Question 8

The latest research on age-related changes in judgment and decision-making suggests that older adults utilize less information and take less time to make their choices (when compared to younger adults). However, there were NO differences in the choices made. The authors suggest that this is because _______.

A) older adults utilize better inductive reasoning
B) older adults better utilize deductive reasoning skills
C) younger adults base their decisions on intuition
D) younger adults better utilize their procedural memories

Question 9

Which of the following would be considered a test of "fluid" abilities?

A) vocabulary
B) response speed
C) social skills
D) reading comprehension

Question 10

What is the key flaw in studies of the effect of exercise on mental abilities in which comparisons are made between regular exercisers and sedentary adults?

A) The exercisers use so many different forms of exercise that we can't be sure what works.
B) Sedentary subjects may actually exercise somewhat but not report it.
C) Those who choose to exercise may be different in other significant ways from those who choose to be sedentary.
D) The samples of exercisers are normally younger than the samples of sedentary adults to whom they are compared.

Question 11

Exercise has ____ effect on intellectual skill.

A) a negative
B) a minimal
C) no measurable
D) a positive

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the conclusions about changes in average IQ with age drawn from cross-sectional versus longitudinal studies?

A) Both longitudinal and cross-sectional findings show similar significant declines in IQ scores beginning at about age 40 or 45.
B) Both longitudinal and cross-sectional findings show similar maintenance of IQ through old age.
C) Cross-sectional findings indicate maintenance of IQ scores well into old age, while longitudinal data indicate a decline in IQ beginning at about age 50.
D) Cross-sectional findings point to a decline in IQ beginning at about age 35, while longitudinal data point to much longer maintenance of IQ.

Question 13

A longitudinal sample of adults is followed over 30 years. All of the following findings are hypothesized EXCEPT ________.

A) the average IQ of the whole group remains the same
B) no decline in cognitive functioning occurs
C) decline occurs, but it is not extreme
D) adults compensate for declines

Question 14

The latest version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale provides a Full Scale IQ based on four separate indexes: _____________, ______________, _______________ and _____________, each of which consists of a number of different subtests.

A) Verbal Comprehension, College Algebra, Science, and Music
B) Verbal Comprehension, Scientific Knowledge, Working Memory, and Processing Speed
C) Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed
D) Working Memory, Processing Speed, Generic Reasoning, and Word Problems

Question 15

Which of the following is the most probable explanation for the difference in the apparent pattern of decline in IQ from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies?

A) Older cohorts in cross-sectional studies have less education than do younger cohorts.
B) The older samples in cross-sectional studies include more ill subjects.
C) Declines in midlife were only observed in the cohort born between 1910 and 1920.
D) The longitudinal samples have been more representative of the overall population than have the samples studied in the major cross-sectional studies.

Question 16

Researchers often find that older adults do not spontaneously use good memory strategies, but that they can use such strategies if they are reminded or taught. These strategies are an example of _______.

A) list making
B) an external memory aid
C) an IQ aid
D) an internal memory aid

Question 17

A longitudinal sample of adults is followed over 30 years. All of the following findings are hypothesized EXCEPT _________.

A) the average IQ of the whole group remains the same
B) no decline in cognitive functioning occurs
C) decline occurs, but it is not extreme
D) adults compensate for declines

Question 18

On which of the following types of tests do adults retain the most skill well into old age?

A) unspeeded and crystallized
B) crystallized and speeded
C) fluid and non-verbal
D) fluid and verbal

Question 19

In studies of memory, what is the term used to describe the processes by which new information is committed to memory?

A) storage
B) sensory memory
C) recognition
D) working memory

Question 20

What is the major explanation offered to account for the differences in the pattern of IQ stability or decline over adulthood shown in cross-sectional versus longitudinal studies?

A) cohort differences
B) terminal drop
C) subject attrition
D) unrepresentative samples

Question 21

You recently compared your mother's recent IQ scores with those from the test she took 10 years ago. What combination of changes in verbal or performance subscale scores were you MOST shocked to find?

A) mild increase in verbal, mild decrease in performance
B) no change in verbal, no change in performance
C) no change in verbal, moderate increase in performance
D) moderate decrease in verbal, moderate increase in performance

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT a methodological problem in longitudinal research that may lead to overly optimistic conclusions about the degree of maintenance of intellectual skills into late old age?

A) attrition of the least healthy or able subjects from the sample
B) unrepresentative samples, including primarily better-educated adults
C) Subjects who take the same tests several times tend to improve with practice.
D) differences in the amount of education between the oldest and youngest subjects

Question 23

Researchers often find that older adults do not spontaneously use good memory strategies, but that they can use such strategies if they are reminded or taught. These strategies are an example of _______.

A) list making
B) an external memory aid
C) an IQ aid
D) an internal memory aid

Question 24

Researchers have discovered that results for tests of digit span show only small declines in older adults when the test involves the _____ memory, but substantial declines in digit span tests involving the _____ memory.

A) procedural, primary
B) semantic, working
C) primary, working
D) working, primary

Question 25

The memory responsible for transmitting sensory and perceptual information to specialized parts of the brain is _______.

A) the sensory store
B) short-term memory
C) semantic memory
D) procedural memory

Question 26

You are introduced to someone new, and say his name over to yourself so that you will remember it a minute later when you will have to introduce this new person to someone else. Where is the new name likely to be "located" in your memory system?

A) sensory memory
B) short-term memory
C) long-term memory
D) procedural memory

Question 27

Suppose you hear someone say, "Intellectual skill is maintained, with no psychologically significant loss, until about age 60 or 65, after which there is a small decline." You are convinced that this is an overly optimistic view. Which of the following statements would be your most potent counterargument?

A) Cross-sectional data show a decline much earlier than age 60 or 65.
B) In longitudinal studies, earlier declines appear for tests that measure speeded or fluid abilities.
C) Studies of terminal drop indicate that declines occur only within 5 years of death.
D) Declines begin earlier than this for adults with significant health problems.

Question 28

In studies of memory, what is the term used to describe the processes by which new information is committed to memory?

A) storage
B) sensory memory
C) recognition
D) working memory

Question 29

Your 7year-old grandfather recently attended his 60th high school reunion, and although he could describe the old gym where he and his teammates won the basketball championship, he had difficulty recalling his teammates' names. This is an example of age-related changes in ________.

A) procedural memory
B) working memory
C) semantic memory
D) none of the above

Question 30

On which type of memory test do adults show the MOST loss of skill with age?

A) short-term memory
B) working memory
C) procedural memory
D) sensory memory

Question 31

Which of the following would be considered a "fluid" ability?

A) vocabulary
B) response speed
C) social skills
D) reading comprehension

Question 32

When speaking of the type of intelligence based on education and experience, Horn and Cattell refer to _______.

A) fluid intelligence
B) crystallized intelligence
C) spatial intelligence
D) deductive reasoning and long-term working memory

Question 33

An experimenter reads a series of numbers and requires the subject to repeat those numbers back in the order given. This is a test of what kind of intelligence?

A) crystallized intelligence
B) fluid intelligence
C) dialectical intelligence
D) practical intelligence

Question 34

Which of the following would be considered a measure of crystallized intelligence?

A) a vocabulary test
B) a test of spatial ability
C) an analogies test
D) a measure of abstract reasoning

Question 35

When you look up a phone number and say it over to yourself once so that you can dial the whole number without having to check it again, what part of the memory sequence are you using?

A) retrieval
B) short-term memory
C) encoding
D) sensory memory

Question 36

What is the most common finding when adults of various ages are given extensive training on some specific kind of memory task?

A) Training helps older adults 4 times more than younger adults.
B) Training helps younger adults 3 times more than older adults.
C) Training helps both younger and older age groups, but older adults never reach the absolute levels of young adults.
D) Special training helps neither older nor younger adults very much.

Question 37

Several different distinctions among types of intellectual tests have been suggested. Which set of subtypes appears to be similar in content?

A) speeded, verbal, crystallized
B) speeded, fluid, performance
C) unspeeded, fluid, verbal
D) unspeeded, crystallized, performance

Question 38

Which pair of memory systems demonstrates the largest decline with age?

A) sensory and primary
B) semantic and primary
C) episodic and semantic
D) working and episodic

Question 39

On which of the following kinds of "everyday" memory tasks is an older adult likely to do as well as younger adults?

A) recalling whether she turned off the stove before she left the house
B) recalling whether she voted in the last election
C) recalling the names of all the major streets of the town in which she lives
D) remembering to take medication a specified number of times each day

Question 40

At least 50 percent of adults aged 80 complete fluid and crystallized tests of intelligence and performance at rates similar to young people. This statement suggests _______.

A) extensive variability within age groups
B) that at least half of older adults have had increases in their IQ scores over time
C) that at least half of younger adults have higher IQ scores than the older adults
D) all of the above are suggested

Question 41

A newspaper reporter asks you for a brief summary statement about the relationship between age and intellectual skill in adulthood. Write a two- or three-sentence summary.

Question 42

Which of the following is a valid statement relating to research concerning genetic influence on cognitive abilities?

A) Fraternal twins have higher correlations on scores of cognitive functioning than do monozygotic twins.
B) About 60 percent of the individual differences in cognitive abilities in older adults are environmental in nature.
C) For general cognitive ability, heritability decreases with age.
D) Meta-analyses of variance in IQ scores among twins suggest that 50 percent of the variance can be explained by genetic differences.

Question 43

What is the key flaw in studies of the effect of exercise on mental abilities in which comparisons are made between regular exercisers and sedentary adults?

A) The exercisers use so many different forms of exercise that we can't be sure what works.
B) Sedentary subjects may actually exercise somewhat but not report it.
C) Those who choose to exercise may be different in other significant ways from those who choose to be sedentary.
D) The samples of exercisers are normally younger than the samples of sedentary adults to whom they are compared.

Question 44

You are actively involved in updating a Web site for older adults to address a pertinent health concern. After reviewing the current site, you decide to keep the following feature:

A) the green and yellow background
B) the helpful pop-up menu that appears every 2 minutes
C) the 14-point sans serif typeface
D) the high-speed animation

Question 45

Which individual is most likely to have an advantage in cognitive functioning into old age?

A) an unmarried female who elects to return to school for her GED after 15 years of factory work
B) a married female who completed college on the G.I. Bill and is now engaged as a personal trainer
C) a divorced male college professor who devotes 16 hours a day to his solitary research
D) a 24-year-old single male welfare recipient

Question 46

Dixon suggests the cognitive changes that take place as we age should be examined in terms of "gains and losses." What is one area of gain?

A) increased UFOV
B) increases in traditional problem-solving skills
C) increases in compensatory skills
D) increases in working memory

Question 47

What does it mean to say that the correlation between 2 sets of IQ scores obtained 20 years apart in adulthood is .80?

Question 48

What explanation(s) can you offer for the differences in the findings from longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of IQ change over adulthood?

Question 49

Which statement best captures Bee and Bjorklund's review of research on problem-solving and age?

A) The more related the practical problems are to the participant's age, the better they do solving the problems.
B) Younger adults do better than older adults on traditional problem-solving tasks.
C) Adults, until age 50, do better than adults in their 20s on practical problem-solving tasks.
D) All of the above describe their findings.

Question 50

As is true for people of any age, the effect of health on rate or timing of decline in cognition or intellectual skills is clearest _______.

A) in individuals with extremely poor health
B) in individuals with extremely good health
C) only in the middle range of health
D) across the full range of health variation

Question 51

Exercise has ____ effect on intellectual skill.

A) a negative
B) a minimal
C) no measurable
D) a positive

Question 52

Define a production deficiency. What role does this concept play in descriptions or explanations of changes in mental skill with age?

Question 53

Educational attainment and cognitive declines with age are _____ correlated.

A) positively
B) negatively c not significantly
D) Researchers can't draw definitive conclusions.

Question 54

Briefly summarize the findings on the link between physical health and the maintenance or decline of mental abilities over the adult years.

Question 55

The latest research on age-related changes in judgment and decision-making suggests that older adults utilize less information and take less time to make their choices (when compared to younger adults). However, there were NO differences in the choices made. The authors suggest that this is because _______.

A) older adults utilize better inductive reasoning
B) older adults better utilize deductive reasoning skills
C) younger adults base their decisions on intuition
D) younger adults better utilize their procedural memories

Question 56

"If you don't use it, you lose it." Briefly describe the question of whether there is evidence for or against such a statement. Be sure to mention relevant research in your discussion.

Question 57

Describe the typical finding in training studies of memory, such as the Burack and Lachman study described in the text. What do such results tell us about age changes in memory processes?

Question 58

Concurrent declines in IQ and sensory abilities in older adults are _______.

A) a correlational relationship
B) viewed as symptoms of brain aging
C) probably related to changes in the white matter of the brain
D) all of the above

Question 59

Utilizing the available facts about older drivers and increased rates of accidents, you would feel most comfortable supporting legislation that required drivers over the age of 70 to be _______.

A) tested for UFOV
B) restricted to daytime driving
C) restricted to non-freeway driving
D) tested for visual acuity

Question 60

Which of the following persons is most likely to maintain good intellectual functioning into old age?

A) Sarah, of average intelligence, who does the crossword puzzle every day and takes a brisk one-hour walk each morning
B) Jim, who has a high IQ and reads regularly, but rarely exercises
C) Paul, who has a high IQ, runs three miles each day, and plays handball regularly, but doesn't read even the daily paper
D) We do not have enough information to make a prediction.

Question 61

Choose a game [e.g. concentration with images of travel destinations), and provide the rationale using background information on cognition and memory from your text, that would be a fun, memory training game for the AARP website.

Question 62

Many studies show that better-educated adults retain their intellectual skills better and later into old age than is true for less well-educated adults. How many different explanations for such a finding can you offer?

Question 63

With memory, the contextual perspective considers the adaptive nature of cognition, the idea that as we age our lives change, and that successful aging depends on how we adapt our cognitive styles to fit those changes. Consider yourself, choose a circumstance or an example that illustrates how you remember things or events now that is differently than when you were younger.

Question 64

Briefly summarize what we know about the relationship (if any) between mental or physical exercise and maintenance of mental skill in old age. What sort of additional research do we need to clarify the relationship more fully?

Question 65

Why would researchers get dramatically differing scores for IQ measures depending on whether their design was cross-sectional or longitudinal?

Question 66

Baltes (1993) argues that cognition is like a computer; the hardware becomes less efficient and the software can be maintained. Argue for or against this position and use research to support your position.

Question 67

Create a fictitious individual, male or female, and compare and contrast that individual's memory functions at age forty and at age seventy. Please be thorough and include explanations of the causes for the changes in function. What, if anything, would you suggest to help your seventy-year-old retain or reclaim memory functions?

Question 68

If you were going to give advice to a friend about what lifestyle or habits to follow in order to maximize the likelihood of maintaining intellectual skill well into old age, what specific items would you list? For which of these pieces of advice do you have the best support?