PSY 313 Lecture
Dr. Linda McKenna Gulyn
Cognitive Development, Intelligence + Problem-solving
II. What is intelligence? Very tough to define.
- ability to learn and behave adaptively - to new situations
- the capacity to think
- entire repertoire of acquired skills, knowledge, learning sets, - What you know
- ability to reason and solve problems
- think abstractly rather than concretely
- generalize the solution of one problem to solution of other problems.
- The ability to do well on the intelligence test....intelligence is what the tests test!
Psychometric Tests
→ These tests emphasize knowledge and abilities that are general
rather than knowledge and abilities that are specialized to a field of
expertise.
Culture-fair tests. Tests developed in one culture may not give an accurate estimate
of intelligence of a person from another culture. U.S. - a problem with cultural minorities.
Verbal questions are often biased in favor of the majority group.
→What happens to cognitive abilities as we age?
Primary abilities are measured in the IQ test
1. Numerical facility
2. Word Fluency
3. Verbal meaning
4. Inductive Reasoning
5. Spatial Orientation
6. Perceptual Speed
7. Verbal Memory
Speed of processing slows as we get older, right?
- Decline in mechanics such as verbal memory, spatial
orientation and perceptual speed.
- Improvements or stability in pragmatic abilities such as verbal
meaning/ability and numerical ability.
- Older people more likely to be cautious when answering
questions
- PLUS – are the tasks relevant for everyday life?
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→ Keep in mind the major principle of this course:
Development is characterized by gains and losses and it is
plastic!
Baltes explains this as “two-component” model of intellectual development: the
mechanics and the pragmatics of intelligence. (see page 244)
1. Crystallized intelligence: Verbal and numerical skills (school skills); the
ability to use the knowledge of the information and skills a person has already acquired.
"crystallized" - hardened, set in place by past experience
Practical problems. Better able to think in integrative ways. They interpret what they
read, see or hear in terms of personal and psychological meaning.
►Crystallized skills remain stable or improve as we age.
2. Fluid intelligence: Our ability to solve abstract problems and pick up new
information and skills. Refers to the inherited ability to think and reason.
Peak in early adulthood and are related to neuro-physiological intactness. Processing
speed is an example of fluid intelligence.
►Fluid intelligence begins to diminish in adulthood and gets worse with age.
Cohort Trends
- For most people, there is no real detectable decline until late
60s, after a peak in the mid-life.
- Lots of variation among individuals. Influence of formal
education?
- Role of HEALTH in cognitive functioning?
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Explanations for Decline
Cognitive development continues in middle age in abilities that are influenced by
experience, such as verbal ability, social knowledge, and moral judgment.
There doesn't seem to be a decline in intelligence in middle age! LOTS OF
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING!!
→ There seem to be small and steady improvements -- facts, word meanings (e.g.,
crossword puzzles).
→ Slight decline in abstract problem-solving, divergent thinking and some aspects of
memory (IQ test stuff)
e.g.: Your basement is flooded.
You are stranded in your car during a blizzard
Your 8-year-old is late coming home from school.
WHY ARE MIDDLE AGE PEOPLE BETTER AT SOLVING SUCH PROBLEMS?
Emotional regulation
Many people have made major contributions to society
in later life!
Baltes observes that crystallized/pragmatic
intelligence: Improves over time and is geared toward
the application of knowledge to solve problems and
adapt to different environments.
Keep in mind: As we age, even though we slow down
speed of processing, we automatically compensate for
declines in speed with increases in efficiency and
general knowledge. Middle age, older age: We simply
know more than younger adults!
Remaining intellectually active in adulthood is
linked to better functioning.
→ Increased cognitive FLEXIBILITY
- Real life problems do NOT always have absolute answers.
Contradictions and uncertainty are realities of life.
-
As we get older: Shift from acquiring knowledge to using it
Biological functioning is at its peak, and so is cognitive functioning.
IQ increases in our 20s and 30s, levels off at 45.
In adolescence, we acquire cognitive tools. In adulthood we use them! We problem-
solve, make decisions.
College Affects Thinking Skills!!! How?
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The ability to perform cognitive tasks that require quick response time, short-term
memory, and perception in complex relations is at its sharpest in early adulthood.
Piaget and Post-Formal Thought
John is a heavy drinker. His wife, Mary,
warns him that if he gets drunk once
more, she will take the children and
leave him. John does come home drunk
after an office party. Does Mary leave
John? Why or why not?
Piaget's period of formal operations (the period characterized by hypothetical
reasoning and abstract thought) may not develop until late adolescence and is
expressed more narrowly than was first supposed.
(It also has been argued that not all adults - perhaps more than half - do NOT reach
formal operations. This is something I find really interesting…)
→ The existence of a cognitive stage beyond formal operations called the post-formal
stage has been suggested. Post-formal thought is heavily contextualized and includes
consideration of not only logical, but also social and interpersonal issues.
Three characteristics of thought have frequently been identified with post-formal
thinking:
- thinking is relativistic
- contradiction is seen as an inherent aspect of reality
- contradictory knowledge is integrated into higher-order systems of knowledge.
Adults consider the context and practical implications of an event.
They may interpret situations differently on the basis of their experiences.
-No absolutes
Wisdom: A cognitive perspective characterized by a broad, practical, comprehensive
approach to life’s problems, reflecting timeless truths rather than immediate expediency;
said to be more common in the elderly than in the young. (although not all elderly
people are wise)
Attributes of wisdom stated in your text: wealth of experience, high personal and
interpersonal competence, the ability to listen and give advice, reflectiveness, mastery
of emotional responses, creativity, and transcendence.
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PRAGMATICS matters.
- Must have a personality that is open to new experiences
- Must have specific experiences in matters relating to life planning and the
resolution of personal and ethical dilemmas. LIFE EXPERIENCES
MATTER!
Expertise
An EXPERT knowledge system that focuses on the practicalities of life and that involves
excellent judgment and advice on critical life issues, including the meaning of life and
the human condition; wisdom represents the capstone of human intelligence!
They have a large body of information on a subject and know the critical information.
They grasp more relevant and deeper aspects of a problem. More effective problem-
solving strategies.
Performance is faster and more efficient. A result of years of deliberate practice.
Does not transfer from one domain to another.
Skier Athletes, Pilots
Medical specialist – others?
- Successful cognitive aging:
Baltes believes one can adapt to cognitive aging through maximizing
cognitive strengths while developing compensatory skills to shore up
weaknesses.
1. Select fewer tasks
2. devote more attention to those tasks they select
3. compensate for poorer skills by relying on those they still
possess.
Cognitive Intervention – A portion of the cognitive decline that often
accompanies age can be reversed through cognitive stimulation. Practice
and training.
→ In fact, researchers are starting to believe that cognitive decline is a
function of DISUSE rather than physiological deterioration in the brain.
* In general: There is very little evidence of decline in intellectual functioning before
age 60. They can learn new skill. Unless they think they cannot...
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PSY 313 Lecture
Dr. McKenna
COGNITIVE DEVELOMENT AND
INTELLIGENCE IN ADULTHOOD
I. What is Intelligence?
A. Psychometric Tests
B. What happens to our cognitive
abilities as we age?
C. Mechanics vs. Pragmatics.
II. Secondary Mental Abilities
A. BALTES: Crystallized vs. Fluid
Intelligence
B. Explanations for Decline
C. Higher education, health, lifestyle,
social variables.
D. Emotional Regulation + Problem-
solving
E. Wisdom
III. Piaget and Post-Formal Operational
Thought.
IV. Emotional Intelligence
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