Question 1

The ____ is a classic psychology experiment in which people are asked to indicate the color of a word flashing on a screen,but the word itself presents contrary information.

Accepted Answer

The Stroop test is a classic psychology experiment in which participants are asked to identify the color of a word that is flashing on a screen. The words themselves are color words (e.g. "red," "green," "blue," etc.) but are printed in a different color than the word itself. This creates a conflict between the word and the color, which can impede response time and accuracy. The test is used to measure various aspects of attention, including selective attention, cognitive flexibility, and processing speed.

Question 2

What task is used to evaluate selective attention?

Accepted Answer

The Stroop test is a classic task used to evaluate selective attention. It involves naming the color of ink used to print a word, while ignoring the word's meaning. This requires the participant to selectively attend to the task-relevant information (the ink color) while inhibiting attention to the task-irrelevant information (the word's meaning).

Question 3

As aging occurs,people's ability to concentrate on a task for an extended period of time ____.

Accepted Answer

As people age, their ability to concentrate on a task for an extended period of time generally declines due to age-related changes in brain function and decreased cognitive flexibility.

Question 4

Which is following best describes the type of attention where individuals must tune out irrelevant information?

Accepted Answer

Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information, so that individuals can attend to specific stimuli or tasks amidst distractions.

Question 5

The ability to keep track of more than one information source simultaneously is ____.

Accepted Answer

Divided attention is the ability to keep track of more than one information source simultaneously. Selective attention pertains to choosing to focus on one source while ignoring others, sustained attention is the ability to maintain attention on a single task or stimuli for an extended period, and on-task attention refers to staying engaged with a specific task at hand.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes changes to attention and memory in late adulthood?

Accepted Answer

There is a decline to some degree in attention and memory in late adulthood due to changes in the brain, such as reduced blood flow and neural plasticity. However, not everyone experiences the same degree of decline and some older adults can maintain good cognitive function with age.

Question 7

Your grandfather works on the New York Times crossword puzzle every day.He has been very good at solving the puzzle and nearly always does.His ability to remember the meaning of words has shown no decline as he has aged,and really shows very little decline for most older adults.What type of memory is this?

Accepted Answer

Semantic memory is the type of memory that stores general knowledge and concepts, such as the meaning of words. This is the type of memory that your grandfather is using when he remembers the meaning of words in the crossword puzzle.

Question 8

As aging occurs,what happens to people's ability to concentrate on a task for an extended period of time? In laboratory tests,older and younger adults were presented with a series of stimuli and required to press a key only when they see a particular pattern.Compared to younger adults,how did older adults do on this task? Older adults ____.

Accepted Answer

As people age, their ability to concentrate on a task for an extended period of time decreases, leading to slower response times and more errors. Therefore, older adults likely responded more slowly and made more errors than younger adults on the task described. Choice D accurately reflects this.

Question 9

Your grandmother used to play piano at her church for many years.Lately,she has had some difficulty when she plays.She is having difficulty with what type of memory?

Accepted Answer

Procedural memory is the type of memory that is used to perform tasks and skills. It is the memory of how to do things, such as how to play the piano.

Question 10

____ is described as when people are required to concentrate on a task for an extended period of time.

Accepted Answer

Sustained attention refers to the ability to maintain focus and concentration over an extended period of time, even when faced with distractions or fatigue. This type of attention is necessary for tasks such as studying, reading, or performing repetitive tasks at work.

Question 11

What type of memory,which involves memory for information that is the current focus of a person's attention,declines with age?

Accepted Answer

Working memory is the type of memory that involves holding and manipulating information for a short period of time, such as when solving a problem or making a decision. It is also known as short-term memory. While semantic and episodic memory also decline with age, working memory is particularly susceptible to age-related decline.

Question 12

You have overheard you parents talking about your grandfather and his memory of his past.It seems that he remembers pleasant events very well,but often forgets unpleasant events entirely.What type of memory are your parents discussing?

Accepted Answer

Autobiographical memory involves the recollection of personal experiences and events from one's life, which can include both pleasant and unpleasant memories. The tendency to remember pleasant events more vividly and forget unpleasant ones is a characteristic of autobiographical memory.

Question 13

Your 83-year-old uncle has always been a very entertaining storyteller.In the past few years he has been having difficulty remembering the names of people who are important for his stories.What difficulty is your uncle experiencing?

Accepted Answer

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is when someone knows that they know a word or name, but they cannot retrieve it from their memory. This is commonly experienced by older adults and can be frustrating for them when telling stories.

Question 14

Older adults often believe that they can remember events of long ago with special clarity.Research has found that there are ____.

Accepted Answer

Research has found that there are substantial declines in episodic memory in older adults. While older adults may be able to remember events of long ago with clarity, their ability to remember new information and events declines with age.

Question 15

____ is described as the ability to keep track of more than one information source simultaneously.

Accepted Answer

Divided attention is the ability to pay attention to and process multiple sources of information simultaneously. This skill is necessary in many daily activities, such as driving while listening to music or carrying on a conversation while cooking. Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on one particular source of information while ignoring others, while deprived attention and sustained attention relate more to the overall ability to maintain attention over extended periods of time.

Question 16

What is the feeling of knowing information that is in long-term memory,but being unable to retrieve it at the moment?

Accepted Answer

The feeling of knowing information that is in long-term memory but being unable to retrieve it at the moment is known as the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. This often results in a frustrating experience of knowing the answer but being unable to recall it at a specific moment.

Question 17

In the course of late adulthood people have increasing difficulty in remembering where they learned something or when an item was first used.What type of memory is this?

Accepted Answer

Source memory is the ability to remember where and when information was learned. In late adulthood, people often have difficulty with this type of memory.

Question 18

What type of memory is involved when an individual remembers how to perform a task or activity involving motor skills?

Accepted Answer

Procedural memory is the type of memory involved when an individual remembers how to perform a task or activity involving motor skills. It is a type of long-term memory that is responsible for motor skills, habits, and other actions that involve sequencing or timing. Examples include riding a bike, typing on a keyboard, or playing a musical instrument.

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of when an individual must perform divided attention?

Accepted Answer

Divided attention refers to the ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously without interference. Driving a car while navigating with a map and carrying on a conversation requires divided attention as the individual must focus on the road, the map, and the conversation at the same time. The other options require performing one task at a time or listening passively, not actively engaging in multiple tasks simultaneously.

Question 20

When older adults are shown a list of related items and then later shown another list and asked which of the items on the new list had been on the original list,older participants ____.

Accepted Answer

Older adults are more likely to experience a phenomenon known as "false recognition," where they mistakenly believe they recognize a word even though it was not on the original list. This is a common age-related memory error. They do not typically recognize all or none of the items from the old list, nor do they panic and refuse to participate.

Quiz 12: Late Adulthood