Adolescent/Adult DevelopmentAdolescent/Adult Development

Middle Adulthood: Middle Adulthood: Cognitive Development – Ch. 21Cognitive Development – Ch. 21

Mar 27-Apr 1, 2008Mar 27-Apr 1, 2008Classes #28-30Classes #28-30

What is Intelligence?What is Intelligence?

General intelligenceGeneral intelligence – Old view: Old view:

Single entitySingle entity

– New view:New view: Several distinct intellectual capacities Several distinct intellectual capacities

Studying Intelligence During Studying Intelligence During the Twentieth Centurythe Twentieth Century

Psychometricians disagreed about Psychometricians disagreed about whether general intelligence rises or whether general intelligence rises or falls after age 20 or sofalls after age 20 or so

Yerkes (1923)Yerkes (1923)– this classic cross-sectional study found this classic cross-sectional study found

that the average male:that the average male: reached his intellectual peak at about age 18reached his intellectual peak at about age 18 intellectual decline began by mid-20s for mostintellectual decline began by mid-20s for most

Cross-Sectional ResearchCross-Sectional Research

Bayley and Oden (1955)Bayley and Oden (1955)– Found that most of the 36-year-olds in Found that most of the 36-year-olds in

this study were still this study were still improvingimproving in in vocabulary, comprehension, and vocabulary, comprehension, and information information

Longitudinal ResearchLongitudinal Research

Schaie (1956)Schaie (1956)– Tested cross-section of 500 adults of Tested cross-section of 500 adults of

different age groups on 5 standard different age groups on 5 standard primary mental abilities = foundations of primary mental abilities = foundations of intelligenceintelligence verbal meaning verbal meaning spatial orientation spatial orientation inductive reasoning inductive reasoning word fluencyword fluency number abilitynumber ability

Cross-Sequential ResearchCross-Sequential Research

Schaie (1956)Schaie (1956)

Concluded people improve in most Concluded people improve in most mental abilities until their 80s, at mental abilities until their 80s, at which point they fall below the mid-which point they fall below the mid-range performance of young adultsrange performance of young adults

A trend toward increasing average IQ A trend toward increasing average IQ over generationsover generations– comes from research comparing test comes from research comparing test

scores over timescores over time– in every country, younger cohorts in every country, younger cohorts

outscored older onesoutscored older ones

Flynn (1984, 1987)Flynn (1984, 1987)

What are some reasons for overall IQ What are some reasons for overall IQ rise??? rise???

Flynn (1984, 1987)Flynn (1984, 1987)

Types of IntelligencesTypes of Intelligences

Fluid IntelligenceFluid Intelligence Crystallized IntelligenceCrystallized Intelligence

What Is Expert Cognition?What Is Expert Cognition?

What makes someone an expert at What makes someone an expert at anything?anything?

What Is Expert Cognition?What Is Expert Cognition?

Reber (1967)Reber (1967)– Implicit learningImplicit learning

Learning that Learning that appears to occur appears to occur withoutwithout awareness awareness or intention to learn or intention to learn and often and often cannotcannot be be described in words described in words what has been what has been learnedlearned

““Cognitive Cognitive unconscious”unconscious”

Implicit Learning: Implicit Learning: Learning that lacks perception?Learning that lacks perception?

Reber (1980)Reber (1980)– Too many variables involved – too much to Too many variables involved – too much to

rememberremember In explicit learning, we consciously select In explicit learning, we consciously select

only the key variablesonly the key variables In implicit learning, we are unselective and In implicit learning, we are unselective and

pay attention to pay attention to allall variablesvariables– Few attentional resources are neededFew attentional resources are needed

Implicit Learning: Implicit Learning: Expert Knowledge?Expert Knowledge?

McGeorge and Burton (1990)McGeorge and Burton (1990)– Implicit learning allows us to skip stepsImplicit learning allows us to skip steps– Everything becomes automaticEverything becomes automatic– We become expertsWe become experts

Implicit Learning: Implicit Learning: Expert Knowledge?Expert Knowledge?

Examples:Examples:– Chess playersChess players– Football QB’sFootball QB’s– Riding a bikeRiding a bike

Implicit Learning: Implicit Learning: Mindless LearningMindless Learning

Interestingly, its not based on logic…Interestingly, its not based on logic…– Reber says when participants are Reber says when participants are

observed making choices and solving observed making choices and solving problems of complexity they are irrational problems of complexity they are irrational

Implicit Learning: Implicit Learning: Mindless LearningMindless Learning

Rational and logical elements are Rational and logical elements are missing yet we do better… missing yet we do better… – Why??? Why???

Expertise and AgeExpertise and Age

Practice is crucial Practice is crucial Motivation is crucialMotivation is crucial Expertise can sometimes overcome Expertise can sometimes overcome

effects of age, but response time effects of age, but response time slowerslower

Selective Gains and LossesSelective Gains and Losses

Many researchers believe that adults Many researchers believe that adults make deliberate choices about their make deliberate choices about their intellectual development, separate intellectual development, separate from their culture or educationfrom their culture or education

Optimization with CompensationOptimization with Compensation

Baltes and Baltes (1990)Baltes and Baltes (1990) – People try to maintain a balance in their People try to maintain a balance in their

lives by looking for the best way to lives by looking for the best way to compensate for physical and cognitive compensate for physical and cognitive losseslosses

Optimization with CompensationOptimization with Compensation

Do we consciously try to maximize Do we consciously try to maximize gains and minimize losses?gains and minimize losses?

Expertise on the JobExpertise on the Job

Research on cognitive plasticity often Research on cognitive plasticity often shows the use of selective optimization shows the use of selective optimization with compensationwith compensation– especially apparent in the everyday especially apparent in the everyday

workplaceworkplace

Expertise on the JobExpertise on the Job

Examples: Examples: – Waiting on Tables Waiting on Tables

Perlmutter et al. (1990) Perlmutter et al. (1990) – Office WorkersOffice Workers

Salthouse (1984)Salthouse (1984)

Expertise in Daily LifeExpertise in Daily Life

Developing expertise to cope with Developing expertise to cope with stressstress

The Stresses of LifeThe Stresses of Life

Middle-aged adults in the thick of Middle-aged adults in the thick of thingsthings

Ways of Coping with Ways of Coping with StressStress

Psychologists have differentiated 2 major Psychologists have differentiated 2 major ways of coping with stressways of coping with stress– Problem-focused copingProblem-focused coping—attacking —attacking

problemproblem– Emotion-focused copingEmotion-focused coping—changing —changing

feelings about the stressfeelings about the stress