Question 1

Clarissa is walking through the grocery store and realizes that they only take cash or a debit card. She does not have a debit card, so she starts to add up the cost of her groceries to determine if she has enough money. She is using her ________.

Accepted Answer

Clarissa is actively adding up the cost of her groceries in her mind, which involves working memory, also known as short-term memory. Declarative memory refers to the memory of facts and events, semantic memory refers to the memory of knowledge and concepts, and prospective memory refers to remembering to do something in the future.

Question 2

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?

Accepted Answer

The new name is likely to be held in short-term memory, which is responsible for holding information temporarily for immediate use. In this case, the information would be held briefly until the person needs to introduce the new individual to someone else. If the individual needs to remember the new name for future use, it would need to be transferred to long-term memory through the process of encoding and consolidation.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

Working and episodic memory demonstrate the largest decline with age. Working memory is crucial for temporarily holding and processing information, and episodic memory involves the ability to recall specific events from one's past. Both of these memory systems tend to deteriorate more significantly as people age compared to other types of memory.

Question 4

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?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal studies are considered to be more reliable because they follow the same group of individuals over time, and therefore, measure actual changes in performance. The argument that intellectual skill is maintained until age 60 or 65 is likely based on cross-sectional studies that compare different age groups at the same time. Longitudinal studies have shown that declines in intellectual abilities begin earlier, typically in the 40s or 50s, and are more pronounced for tasks that require speeded or fluid abilities. Therefore, option B provides the best counterargument to the overly optimistic view.

Question 5

Research has shown that IQ, from childhood into older adulthood:

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that IQ is a stable trait that remains relatively constant from childhood into adulthood. While individual IQ scores may fluctuate slightly over time, the overall stability of IQ has been well documented in numerous longitudinal studies.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests that there is extensive variability within age groups, meaning that not all older adults perform the same on intelligence tests. It does not provide evidence for the other options.

Question 7

78-year-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 ________.

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates age-related changes in semantic memory, which involves facts and general knowledge. The grandfather's ability to recall the event and location but not specific names indicates a difficulty with semantic memory, which is common as people age.

Question 8

recently compared your mother's recent IQ scores with those from the test she took 10 years ago. What combination of changes in crystallized or fluid subscale scores would you MOST likely find?

Accepted Answer

Crystallized intelligence, which relies on accumulated knowledge and experience, tends to increase or remain stable with age, while fluid intelligence, which involves the ability to think logically and solve problems in novel situations, independent of acquired knowledge, tends to decline.

Question 9

Roderick arrived at the lab to participate in a study in which he was given two tasks: to remember a list of words and to remember the details of a story. The cognitive psychologist conducting this experiment was measuring his ________.

Accepted Answer

Roderick's ability to remember a list of words and the details of a story are both examples of episodic memory, which is the type of memory that involves remembering specific events or experiences. The other options (IQ, prospective memory, and nondeclarative memory) are not relevant to the tasks described in the scenario.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

The subtypes in option B (speeded, fluid, and performance) all involve nonverbal problem-solving and spatial reasoning abilities, whereas the other options include at least one subtype (verbal or crystallized) that involves language-based skills.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

Horn and Cattell refer to crystallized intelligence as the type of intelligence based on education and experience.

Question 12

Vernice is working on a task that requires her to regulate her attention and to determine what to do with information just gathered. These abilities are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

The abilities of regulating attention and determining what to do with information just gathered are part of the broad category of executive function. Executive function includes processes such as working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, all of which are necessary for goal-directed behavior and adaptive functioning.

Question 13

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?

Accepted Answer

You are using your short-term memory to hold the phone number in your active memory for a short period of time while you dial it.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Response speed is a measure of how quickly an individual can process and respond to new information, which is a key component of fluid intelligence. Vocabulary, social skills, and reading comprehension are all examples of crystallized intelligence, which refers to knowledge and skills accumulated through education and experience.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Crystallized intelligence is the ability to use knowledge and experience to solve problems and make decisions. Vocabulary is a measure of how much knowledge a person has acquired throughout their life, making it a measure of crystallized intelligence. The other options are measures of fluid intelligence, which is the ability to think abstractly and solve complex problems.

Question 16

Short-term memory is also referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

Short-term memory is also known as primary memory. Prospective memory refers to remembering to do something in the future, while declarative memory refers to the ability to recall specific facts and events. Working memory is a type of short-term memory that allows us to hold and manipulate information in our minds as we engage in complex cognitive tasks.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

Older adults often perform as well as younger adults on tasks involving procedural or semantic memory, such as recalling whether they voted in the last election, which is a fact-based memory. Tasks that involve episodic memory (e.g., recalling whether she turned off the stove) or prospective memory (e.g., remembering to take medication) tend to decline with age. Remembering the names of major streets, which involves semantic memory, might not be as well preserved as specific episodic memories like voting in an election, which can be tied to significant personal or historical context.

Question 18

__________ refers to the initial step as information is picked up by the senses and processed briefly by the perceptual system.

Accepted Answer

The initial step where information is picked up by the senses and processed briefly is known as sensory store.

Question 19

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?

Accepted Answer

This test requires the subject to process and manipulate information in their working memory, which is a key component of fluid intelligence.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

Working memory tends to decline with age more significantly than other types of memory, such as procedural or sensory memory. This is because working memory involves the active manipulation of information, which can be affected by age-related cognitive changes.

Quiz 4: Cognitive Abilities