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371 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Analysis |
Investigation of data for patterns or evidence of an effect. |
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Participant |
Person who takes part in a paychological investigation as aember of a dample or individual case. |
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Theory |
Idea used to explain something, such as research findings, and that can be subjected to further tests. |
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Variable |
Quality that can change; usually used to refer to a measure of phenomena. |
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Finding |
What actually occurrred in a study (the results) |
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Conclusion |
What the researcher may conclude after considering findings in the content of background theory. |
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Scientific method |
General method of investigating using induction and deduction. |
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Empirical method |
Scientific method of gathering information and summarizing it in the hope of identifying general patterns. |
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Data |
Relatively uninterpreted information |
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Induction |
Process of moving from particular instances to a generalized pattern. |
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Qualitative data |
Data left in their original forms of meaning(e.g. speech, text) and not quantified. |
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Hypothesis |
Precise statement of assumed relationships between variables. |
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Research question |
Question a researcher is trying to answer in an investigation. |
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Research prediction |
Prediction in precise terms about how variables should be related in data analysis if a hypothesis is to be supported. |
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Hypothetico-deductive method |
Method of recording observations, developing explanatory theories, and testing predictions from those theories. |
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Deduction |
Logical argument using rules to derive a conclusion from premises |
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Effect |
Difference or correlation between samples leading to an assumed relationship between variables in the population. |
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Replication |
Repeating a completed study. |
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Sample |
Group selected from the population for an investigation. |
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Population |
Whole group or category of people from along whom samples are selected. |
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Raw data |
Unprocessed data as gathered in a study. |
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Falsifiability |
Principle that theories must be defined in a way that makes it possible to show they are wrong |
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Hypothesis testing |
Research that analyzes data for a predicted effect. |
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Design |
Structure and strategy of a piece of research. |
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Peer -reviewed process |
Evaluation of one researcher's work by other experts in the field; used by granting agencies and publishers to determine the best projects and manuscripts and to identify possible conflicts of interests and required revisions. |
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Literature search |
Sur ey of the current scientific literature in a given area; usually done via online databases. |
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Pilot study |
Preliminary study or trial often carried out to predict problems and assess features of a main study. |
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Database |
Collection of data organized and stored electronically, often online; psycinfo,psycarticles, pubmed, and google scholar are the primary databases used in psychology. |
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Keyword |
Descriptor that captures the themes,theories, and the variables explored in a study. |
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Case study |
In-depth research atudy on an individual, a group, or an event over a specfic period of time. |
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Primary source article |
Reaearch article written by the researcher(s) who conducted the study. |
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Review article |
Article summarizes the findings of many primary source articles |
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Meta-analysis |
Statistical analysis of results from multiple equivalent studies of the same, or very similar, hypothesis in order to assess an effect's validity more thoroughly. |
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Effect size |
Size of the effect being investigated (different or correlation) as it exists in the population. |
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Conflict of interest |
Situation in which an individual has a personal stake in the outcome and cannot act objectively. |
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Randomized controlled drug trial |
Experiment design that randomly assigns participants to different groups; used to minimize bias. |
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Impact factor |
Amount of influence that a journal holds in the community; the higher the factor, the more prestigious the publication. |
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Significance |
Reliability of research findings. |
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Meaningfullness |
Strength of the relationship between variables in a research project; measured by effect size. |
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Cohen's D |
Measure of effect size. |
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Field study |
Research study conducted outside the laboratory and usually in the participants' normal environment. |
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Quantitative study |
Research in which the data are in numerocal form, the results of measurement. |
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Grantsmanship |
Art of writing a succesfull grant application |
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Statue |
Law passed by a national or provincial legislations. |
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Regulation |
Description of how laws are to be incorporated into the daily activities of researchers and clincians. |
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Ethical standard |
Principle that sets a minimal level of acceptable practice in a specific area. |
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Code of ethics |
Aspirations set of broad principles and values. |
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Deception |
Leading participants to believe that something other than the true independent variable is involved or withholding information such that the reality of the investigative situation is masked or distorted. |
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Debriefing |
Informing participations about the full nature and rationale of the study they have experienced and attempting to reverse any negative influence. |
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Informed consent |
Agreement to particpate in research in the full knowledge of te research context and participant rights. |
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Anonymity |
Keeping participants' or clients' identity away from publication or any possible inadvertent disclosure. |
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Confidentiality |
Keeping data regarding participants or clients away from publication. |
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Involuntary participation |
Taking part in research without agreement or knowledge of the study. |
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Respondent |
Person who is questioned in an interview or survey. |
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Intervention |
Research that makes some alteration to people's lives beyond the specific research setting, in some cases because there is an intention to ameliorate specific human conditions. |
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Biopsychosocial perspective |
A view of development as a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social processes. |
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Gerontology |
The scientific study of the aging process. |
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Identity |
A composite of how people view themselves in the biological, psychological, and social domains of life. |
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Continuity Principle |
The theory that the changes people experience in later adulthood build on what they lived through in their earlier years. |
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Survivor principle |
Proposes that people who live to old age outlive the many threats that could have caused their deaths at earlier age. |
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Individuality |
A principle of adult development and aging that asserts that as people age, they become more different from each other. |
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Interindividual differences |
Differences between people |
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Intra-individual differences |
Variations within the same individual. |
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Multidirectionality |
The idea that development can proceed in multiple directions within the same person. |
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Normal aging |
The principle that growing older does not necessarily mean growing sicker. |
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Primary aging or normal aging |
A set of changes built into the hard wiring of an organism that progress at different rates among individuals but are universal l, intrinsic, and progressive. |
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Secondary or impaired aging |
Changes due to disease |
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Tertiary aging |
The rapid loss of functions experienced at the very end of life. |
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Optimal aging |
Growing older in a way that slows or alters the process. |
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Young-old |
A subgroup of older adults between the ages of 65 to 74 |
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Old-old |
A subgroup of older adults between the ages of 75 to 84 |
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Oldest-old |
A subgroup of older adults between the ages of 85 and older. |
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Centenarians |
People who are 100 years or old. |
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Functional age |
Age based on performance rather chronological age. |
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Biological age |
The age of an individual's bodily systems. |
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Psychological age |
The performance that an individual achieves on measures of such qualities as reaction time, memory, learning ability, and intelligence. |
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Social age |
Calculated by evaluating where people are compared to the "typical" ages expected for people to be when they occupy certain positions in life. |
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Personal aging |
Changes that occur within the individual and reflect the influence of time's passage on the body's structures and functions. |
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Social aging |
The effects of a person's exposure to a changing environment. |
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Normative age-graded influences |
Influences that lead people to choose experiences that their culture and historical period attach to certain ages or points in the life span. |
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Normative history-graded influences |
Events that occur to everyone within a certain culture or geopolitical unit (regardless of age). |
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Non-normative influences |
The random idiosyncratic events that occur throughout life. |
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Gender |
An individual's identification as being male or female. |
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Sex |
An individual's inherited predisposition to develop the physiological characteristics typically associated with maleness or femaleness. |
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Foreign-born or immigrant population |
Permanent residents and citizens who were born outside of Canada; excludes persons born outside of Canada who are canadian citizens by birth. |
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Visible minority |
Persons, other than First Nations people who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour. |
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Socioecomc status (SES) |
Or "social class"; a reflection of people's position in the educational and occupational ranks of a society. |
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Whitehall II |
A survey of a large sample of British adults focusing on the relationships between health, social class, and occupation. |
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Religion |
An individual's identification with an organized belied system. |
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Baby boom generation |
The generation of people born in the post- World War II years of 1946 to 1964. |
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Life expectancy |
The average number of years of life remaining to people born within a similar period of time. |
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Health-adjusted life expectancy (Health expectancy) |
The number of years a person could expect to live in good health if current mortality and morbidty rates persist. |
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Compression of morbidity hypothesis |
The concept that the illness brden to a society can be reduced if people become disabled closer to the time of their death. |
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Life span perspective |
The view of development as continuous from childhood through old age. |
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Contextual influences on development |
The effects of sex,race, ethnicity, social class, religion, and culture on development. |
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Developmental science |
A term replacing "developmental psychology" that expands the focus of life span development to include a broader variety of domains. |
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Geriatrics |
The medical specialty in aging. |
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Niche-picking |
The proposal that genetic and environmental factors work together to influence the direction of a child's life. |
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Organismic model |
Proposes that heredity drives the course of development throughout life. |
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Mechanistic model |
Proposes that people's behaviour changes fradually over time, shaped by the outside forces that cause them to adapt to their environment. |
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Interactionist model |
The view that not only do genetics and environment interact in complex ways to produce their effects on the individual, but that individuals actively shape their own development. |
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Plasticity |
The course of development may be altered ( is plastic) depending on the nature of the individual's specific interactions in the environment. |
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Reciprocity in development |
The idea that people both influence and are influenced by the events in their lives. |
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Ecological perspective |
Identifies multiple levels of the environment as they affect the individual's development. |
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Microsystem |
From the ecolgical perspective, the setti g in which people have their saily interactions and that therefore have the most direct impact on their lives. |
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Exosystem |
From the ecolgical perspective, includes the environments that people do not closely experience on a regular basis but that impact them nevertheless. |
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Macrosystem |
From the ecological perspective, the larger social institutions ranging from a country's economy to its Laws and social norms. |
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Mesosystem |
From the ecological perspective, the system in which interactions take place between two or more microsystems. |
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Chronosystem |
From the ecological perspective, changes that take place over time. |
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Life course perspective |
The norms, roles, attitudes, about age that have an impact on the shape of each person's life. |
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Social clock |
The expectations for the ages at which society associates with major life events. |
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Activity theory |
The view that older adults are most satisfied if they are able to remain involves in their social roles. |
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Disengagement theory |
The view that the normal and natural evolution of life causes older adults to wish to loosen their social ties. |
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Continuity theory |
Proposes thatt whether disengagement or activity is beneficial to the older adult depends on the individual's personality. |
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Ageism |
A set of beliefs, attitutudes, spcial institutions, and acts that denigrate individuals or groups based on their chronological age. |
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Terror management theory |
Proposes that people regard with panoc and dread the thought of the finitude of their lives. |
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Modernization hypothesis |
Proposes that the increasing urbanization and industrialisation of Western society is what causes older adults to be devalued. |
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Multiple jeopardy hypothesis |
Theorizes that older individuals who fit more than one discriminated-against category are affected by biases against each of these categorizations. |
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Age as leveler view |
Proposes that as people become older, age overrides all other "isms" |
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Inoculation hypothesis |
The belief that older minorities and women have actually become immune to the effects of ageism through years of exposure to discrimination and stereotyping. |
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Psychosocial theory of development |
The view proposed by Erikson that at certain point in life, a person's biological, psychological, and social changes come together to influence his or her personality. |
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Epigenetic principle |
In Erikson's theory, the proposal that asserts that each stage unfolds from the previous stage according to a predestined order. |
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Identity achievement versus identity diffusion |
When individuals must decide "who" they are and what they wish to get out of life |
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Intimacy versus isolation |
When individuals are faced with making commitments to close relationships. |
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Generativity versus stagnation |
The stage in Erickson's theory when middle-aged adults focus on the paychosocial issues of procreation, productivity, and creativity. |
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Ego Integrity versus Despair |
Stage in Erikson's theory toward the end of adulthood, when individuals face psychosocial issues related to aging and facing their mortality. |
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Schemas |
The mental structures individuals use to understand the world. |
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Assimilation |
The way in which people use their existing schemas in order to understand the world around them. |
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Accommodation |
The situation when people change theor schemas in response to new information about the world. |
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Equilibrium |
When assimilation and accommodation are perfectly balanced. |
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Identity process theory |
Proposes that identity contiues to change in adulthood in a dynamic manner. |
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Identity |
A composite of how people view themselves in the biological, psychological, and social domains of life. |
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Identity assimilation |
The interpretation of new experiences in terms of a person's existing identity. |
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Identity accommodation |
The process of making changes in identity in response to experiences that challenge people's current view of themselves. |
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Identity balance |
The dynamic equili rium that occurs when people tend to view themselves consistently but can make changes when called for by their experiences. |
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Selective optimization with compensation model |
Proposes that adults attempt to preserve and maximize the abilities that are of central importance and put less effort into maintaining those that are not. |
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Genome |
The complete set of instructions for building all the cells that make up an organism |
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Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA |
A molecule capable of replicating itself that encodes information needed to produce proteins. |
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Gene |
The functional unit of DNA molecule carrying a particular set of instructions for producing a specific protein. |
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Chromosomes |
Distinct, physically separate units of coiled threads of DNA and associated protein molecule. |
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Mutations |
Alterations in genes that lead to changes in theor functions. |
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Programmed aging theories |
Propose that aging and death are built into hardwriting of all organisms and are therefore part of the genetic code. |
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Life span |
The maximum length of life for a given species |
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Gompertz function |
Plots the relationship between age and death rates for a given species. |
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Replicative senescence |
The loss of ability of cells to reproduce |
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Telomeres |
Repeating sequences of proteins that contain no genetic information. |
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Random error theories |
Hypothesized that aging reflects unplanned changes in an organism over time. |
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Wear and tear theory |
Proposes that as people age, they believe they are " falling apart" |
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Cross linking theory |
Proposes that aging causes deleterious changes in cells of the body that make up much of the body's connective tissue. |
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Collagen |
The fibrous protein that makes up about one quarter of all bodily proteins. |
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Free radicals |
Unstable compounds produced when certain molecules in cells react with oxygen. |
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Free radical theory |
Proposes that the cause of aging is the increased activity of unstable compounds that compromise the cell's functioning. |
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Antioxidants |
Chemicals that prevent the formation of free radicals. |
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Caloric restriction hypotheis |
Proposes that the key to prolonging life is to restrict caloric intake. |
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Autoimmune theory |
Proposes that aging is due to faulty immune system functioning in which the immune system attacks the body's own cells. |
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Error theories |
Proposes that mutations acquired over the organism's lifetime lead to the malfunctioning of the body's cells. |
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Error catastrophe theory |
Proposes that the errors that accumulate with aging are ones that are vital to life itself. |
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Variable |
A characteristic that varies from individual to individual |
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Dependent variable |
The outcome that researchers observe. |
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Independent variable |
The factor that the researcher manipulates |
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Experimental design |
Research method in which an independent variable is manipulated and scores are then measured on a dependent variable. Imvolves random assignment of respondents to treatment and control groups. |
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Quasi experiment design |
A research design where groups are conpared on predetermined characteristics. |
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Descriptive research design |
A design that provides information about age differences but does not attempt to rule out social or historical factors. |
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Age |
An objectively determined measure that indicates how many years, months amd days a person has lived up to the present moment. |
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Cohort |
The year of a person's birth. |
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Cohort |
The year of a person's birth. |
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Time of measurememt |
The year or period in which a person is tested. |
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Cohort effect |
The social, historical, and cultural influences that affect people during a particular period of time. |
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Longitudinal design |
A research design where people are followed repeatedly from one test occasion to another. |
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Prospective study |
A variant of longitudinal design in which researchers sample from a population of interest before they develop a particular type of illness or experience a particular type of life event |
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Selective Attrition |
The fact that the people who drop out of a longitudinal study are not necessarily representative of the sample that was originally tested. |
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Terminal decline |
The gradual loss of cognitive abilities as an individual draws closer to death. |
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Cross sectional design |
A research design where groups of people are compared with different ages at one point in time. |
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Most efficient Design |
A set of three designs manipulating the variable of age, cohort, and time of measurement |
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Correlational design |
A research design in which researchers investigate relationships between two or more variables. |
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Correlation |
Expresses the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables. |
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Multivariate correlational design |
A research design where researchers simultaneously evaluate the effects of more than two variables. |
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Multiple regression analysis |
A multivariate correlational research design in which a set of variables is used to predict scores on another variable. |
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Logistic regression |
A method in which researchers test the likelihood of an individual receiving a score on a discrete yes-no variable. |
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Mediation |
A method used to compare the correlation between two variables with and without their joint correlation to a third variable. |
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Moderation |
When two variables are believed to have a joint influence on a third |
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Path analysis |
A method where researchers test all possible correlations among a set of variables to see of they csn be explained by a single model |
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Latent variable |
A statistical composite of several variables |
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Structural equation modelling |
A process where researchers test models involving relationships that include latent variables. |
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Hierarchal linear modelling (HLM) |
A statistical methodology where researchers study the patterns of change within individuals over time. |
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Laboratory studies |
The testing of participants in a systematic fashion using standardized procedures. |
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Qualitative method |
A flexible approach used by researchers to understand the main themes in their data. |
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Archival method |
When investigators use available records to provide data on the hypothesis they wish to test. |
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Survey method |
A way to gain information about a sample that can then be generalized to a larger population. |
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Epidemiology |
The study of the distribution and determinants of health related states or events (including disease). |
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Prevalence statistics |
Data that provides estimates of the percentage of people who have ever had symptoms in a particular period. |
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Incidence statistics |
Data that provide estimates of the percent of people who first develop symptoms in a give period. |
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Case report |
Provides in depth data from a relatively small number of individuals. |
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Focus group |
A meeting of respondents to discuss a particular topic that the researcher assigns to them. |
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Observational method |
A way for researchers to conduct a systematic examination of what people do in particular settings. |
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Meta analysis |
A statistical procedure that allows for a combination of findings from independently conducted studies |
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Reliabilty |
A measure of consistency of a test and whether it produces the same results each time it is used |
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Validity |
A test's ability to measure what it is supposed to measure. |
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Informed consent |
Written agreement to participate in research based on knowing what participation will involve. |
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Capacity |
Refers to the ability of porspective or actual participants to understand information presented about a research project. |
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Debriefing |
A procedure that reveals a study's purpose and answer to the participant after testing has been completed. |
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Deception |
When the researcher actively misleads participants when describing the aims of the study. |
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Epidermis |
The outmost layer of the skin that protects the underlying tissue. |
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Dermis |
The middle layer of the skin containing protein molecules of elastin and collagen, among which various nerve cells, glands, and the hair follicles reside. |
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Subcutaneous |
The bottommost layer of skin, giving the skin its opacity and smoothinf the curves of the arms, legs, and face. |
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Photo aging |
Age changes caused by radiation |
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Androgenetic alopecia |
Male or female pattern hair loss. |
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Fat free mass |
Lean tissue |
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Body mass index |
An index of body fat calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by (height in metres) squared. |
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Sarcopenia |
A progressive age-related loss of muscle tissue. |
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Bone remodelling |
A process in which old cells are destroyed and replaced by new cells |
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Plaque |
Hard deposits inside the arterial walls consisting of cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin. |
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Aerobic capacity |
The maximum amount of oxygen that can be delivered through the blood. |
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Cardiac output |
The amount of blood that the heart pumps per minute. |
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High density lipoproteins hdl's |
The plasma lipid transport mechanism that carries lipids from the peripheral tissues to the liver. Where they are excreted or synthesized into bile acids. |
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Low density lipoproteins ldl's |
The plasma lipid transport mechanism that transports cholesterol to the arteries. |
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Urge incontinence |
A form of urinary incontinence in which the individual experiences a sudden need to urinate and may even leak urine. |
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Stress incontinence |
A condition where the individual is unable to retain urine while engaging in some form of physical exertion. |
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Endocrine system |
A large and diverse set of glands that regulate the actions of the body's other organ systems. |
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Hormones |
The chemical messengers produced by the endocrine systems. |
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Hypothalamus releasing factors |
Hormones produced by the hypothalamus that regulate the secretion of hormones in turn produced by the anterior pituitary gland. |
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Somatopause of aging |
A decline in the somatotrophic axis (GH and IGF-1). |
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Cortisol |
The hormone produced by the adrenal gland |
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Glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis |
The view that increased cortisol levels accelerate neuronal loss in the hippocampus and that repeated (cascading) increases in cortisol over the lifetime lead to further degeneration. |
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Basal metabolic rate |
The rate of metabolism at rest |
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Melatonin |
The hormone manufactured by the pineal gland responsible in part for the sleep-wake cycle. |
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Circadian rhythm |
The daily variations in various bodily functions |
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Dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA |
A weak male steroid (androgen) produced by the adrenal glands. |
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Adrenopause |
The phenomenon where DHEA, which is higher in males than females, shows a pronounced decrease over the adult years. |
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Menopause |
The point in a woman's life when menstruation stops permanently. |
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Climacteric |
The gradual winding dow of reproductive abolity in men and women. |
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Perimenopause |
A three to five year span in which a woman gradually loses her reproductive ability; it ends in menopause when a woman has not had her menstrual period for one year. |
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Hormone replacement therapy HRT |
A therpeutic administration of lower doses of estrogen than in estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) along with progestin to reduce the cancer risk associated with ERT. |
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Andropause |
Age related decline in the male sex hormone testosterone. |
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Erectile Dysfunction |
A condition in which a man is unable to achieve an erection sustainable for intercourse |
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Immune senescence |
The belief that there are widespread age-related declines in immune system functioning |
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Neuronal fallout model |
Proposes that individuals progressively lose brain tissue over the life span because neurons do not have the ability to replace themselves when they die |
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Plasticity model |
A view of the aging nervous system that proposes that although some neurons die, the remaining ones continue to develop |
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Electroencaphalogram (EEG) |
A brain scanning method that measures electrical activity in the brain |
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Computer axial tomography CAT or CT scan |
An imsging method that clincians and researchers use to provide an image of a cross-sectional slice of the brain from any angle or level. |
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Magnetic resonance imaging |
A brain imaginf method that uses radio waves to construct a picture of the living brain based on the water content of various tissues. |
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Functional Magnetic resonance imaging fMRI |
A type of scan that can be used to show changes in the brain over the course of a mental activity. |
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Positron emission tomography PET scan |
A brain scan method that shows radioactive compounds in the blood as they pass through the brain. |
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Single photon emission computed technology (SPECT) |
A brain scan method that detects radioactive compounds as they pass through the brain |
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Hippocampus |
The structure in the brain responsible for consolidating memories |
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White matter hyperintensities |
Abnormalities in the brain thought to be made up of parts of deteriorating neurons |
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Sleep apnea |
A disorder in which the individual becomes temporarily unable to breathe while asleep |
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Dysthermia |
A condition in which the individual shows an excessive raising of body temperature (hyperthermia) or ezcessive loweri g of body temperature (hypothermia). |
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Presbyopia |
The loss of the ability to focus vision on near objects |
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Cataract |
A clouding or opacity in the lens of the eye |
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Age related macular degeneration (ARMD) |
A condition caused by damage to the photoreceptors located in the central region of the retina known as the macula. |
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Glaucoma |
A group of conditions causing blindness related to changes in pressure within the eyeball. |
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Presbycusis |
An age related hearing loss due to degenerative changes in the cochlea or auditory nerve leading from the cochlea to the brain. |
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Tinnitus |
A symptom in which the individual perceives sounds in the head or ear (such as a ringing noise) when there is no external source. |
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Fear of falling |
Anxiety about falling; this anxiety can create a vicous cycle in which older individuals increaselingly restrict their movement. |
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Dizziness |
An uncomfortable sensation of feeling light-headed and even floating. |
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Vertigo |
The sensation of spinning when the body is at rest. |
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Ff |
Fg |
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Health |
A state of complex physical, mental, and social well-being; not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. |
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Activities of dail living (adl) |
Requirements of everyday life ( bathing, dressing, transferring, using the toilet, and eating) often used as a measure to assess an older adult's ability to perform |
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Instrumental activities of daily living (iadl) |
The ability to use the telephone, go shopping, prepare meals, complete housekeeping tasks, do laundry, use private or public transportation, take medications, and handle finances. |
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Metabolic syndrome |
A cluster of symptoms associated with high-risk factors for cardiovascular ( and other) diseases, including high levels of abdominal obesity, high blood fats, abnormal levels of blood cholesterol, hypertension, and glucose. |
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Arthritis |
A general term for conditions affecting the joints and surroudning tissues that can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints and other connective issues. |
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Osteoarthritis |
A painful, degenerative joint disease that often involves the hips, knees, neck, lower back, or the small joints of the hands. |
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Osteoporosis |
A disease that occurs when the bone mineral density reaches the point that is more than 2.5 standard deviations below the mean of young, white, non-hispanic women |
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Diabetes |
A disease where individuals are unable to metabolize glucose, a simple sugar that is a major source of energy for the body's cells. |
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Adult-onset diabetes or type 2 diabetes |
A disease that develops over time and gradually reduces the individual's ability to convert dietary glucose to a form that can be used by the body's cells. |
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Chronis obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) |
A group of diseases that involve obstruction of the airflow into the respiratory system. |
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Elastase |
An enzyme that breaks down the elastin found in lung tissue. |
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Neurocognitive disorder |
A condition where an individual experiences a loss of cognitive function severe enough to interfere with normal daily activities and social relationships. |
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Dementia |
A loss of cognitive abilities. |
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Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) |
A form of neurocognitive disorder that signifies that the individual may be at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. |
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Amnesia |
A condition where the individual has as the main symptom profound memory loss |
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Alzheimer's disease |
A form of neurocognitive disorder in which the individual suffers progressive and irreversible neuronal death. |
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Amyloid plagues |
The formation of abnormal deposits of protein fragments. |
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Amyloid plagues |
The formation of abnormal deposits of protein fragments. |
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Beta-amyloid-42 |
The form of amyloid most closely linked with Alzheimer's disease and that consists of a string of 42 amino acids. |
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Amyloid precursor Protein (app) |
A larger protein found in the normal brain. |
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Secretases |
In healthy aging, the part of APP remaining outside the neuron that is trimmed by enzymes. |
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Caspase theory |
Proposes that beta-amyloid stimulates the production of substances called caspases-enzymes that are lethal to neurons. |
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Apoptosis |
The destruction of neurons. |
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Neurofibrillary tangles |
Abnormally twisted fibres within the neurons themselves |
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Tau |
The protein that makes up neurofibrillary tangles. |
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Early onset familial Alzheimer's disease |
A form of Alzheimer's that strikes at a relatively young age of 40 to 50 years. |
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Late onset familial Alzheimer's disease |
A form of familial Alzheimer's disease that starts at the age of 60 to 65 years. |
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Apolipiprotein E (ApoE) gene |
One of the prime genes thought to be involved in late-onset familial Alzheimer's disease. |
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ApoE |
A protein that carries cholesterol throughout the body but also binds to beta-amyloid, possibly playing a role in plaque formation. |
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APP gene |
Appears to control the production of APP, the protein that generates beta-amyloid |
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APP gene |
Appears to control the production of APP, the protein that generates beta-amyloid |
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Presenilin genes (PS1 and PS2) |
Genes that may lead APP to increase its production of beta-amyloid, which in turn causes neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plagues. |
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Cognitive reserve |
The ability of tje brsin to cooe with damage by using compensation strwtegies or different brain processes to continue to function well. |
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Acetylcholinesterase |
The enzyme that normally destroys acetylcholine agter its release into the synaptic cleft; also called cholinesterase. |
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Vascular Neurocognitive Disorder |
A progressive loss of cognitive functioning due to damage to the arteries supplying the brain. |
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Multi infarct dementia (MID) |
The most common form of vascular neurocognitive disorder; caused by transient ischemic attacks. |
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Frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder (FTD) |
a neurocognitive disorder that involves specifically the frontal lobes of the brain. |
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Parkinson's disease |
A disease that shows a variety of motor disturbances, including tremors, speech inpediments, slowing of movement, muscular rigidity, shuffling gait, and postural instabilty or the inabilty to maintain balance. |
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Neurocognitive disorder with Lewy bodies |
A condition first identified in 1961; similar to Alzheimer's disease in that it causes progressive loss of memory, language, calculation, and reasoning as well as other higher mental functions |
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Pick's disease |
A form of dementia that involves severe atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes. |
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Reversible neurocognitive disorders |
Disorders due to the presence ofedical conditions that affects but does not destroy brain tissue. |
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Normal-pressure hydrocephalus |
A reversible form of dementia that can cause cognitive inpairment, dementia, urinary incontinence, and difficulty in walking. |
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Subdural haematoma |
A bloodclot that creates pressure on brain tissue |
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Delirium |
An acute cognitive disorder that is characyerized by temporary confusion. |
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Polypharmacy |
A condition in which an individual takes multiple drugs |
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Wernicke's disease |
An acute condition caused by chronic alcohol abuse involving delirium, eye movement disturbances, difficulties maintaining balance and movement, and deterioration of the nerves to the hands and feet. |
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Korsakoff syndrome |
A form of dementia progressing from Wernicke's disease to a chronic form of alcohol induced neurocognitive disorder |
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Pseudodementia |
A condition where cognitice symptoms appear causing, causing impairment similar to neurocognitive disorder. |
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Cognition |
The way the mind works; specifically, the process of attention, memory, intelligence, problem solving, and the use of language. |
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Processing speed |
The brain's efficiency in processing information. |
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Reaction time |
The basic measure of processing speed |
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Simple reaction time tasks |
Tasks used to measure processing speed in which participants are instructed to make a response, such as pushing a key as soon as a target appears. |
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Choice reaction time tasks |
Tasks used to measure processing speed in which respondents must make one response for one stimulus and another response for a different stimulus |
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General slowing hypothesis |
Proposes that the increase in reaction time reflects a general decline of information processing speed within the nervous system of the aging individual. |
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Age -co plexity hypothesis |
Proposes that through a slowing of the central processes in the nervous sytem, age differences increase as tasks become more complex and the older adult's processing resources are stretched more and more to their limit. |
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Age -co plexity hypothesis |
Proposes that through a slowing of the central processes in the nervous sytem, age differences increase as tasks become more complex and the older adult's processing resources are stretched more and more to their limit. |
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Age -co plexity hypothesis |
Proposes that through a slowing of the central processes in the nervous sytem, age differences increase as tasks become more complex and the older adult's processing resources are stretched more and more to their limit. |
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Brinley plot |
The measure of reaction times of older groups of adults as plotted against the times of younger adults |
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Attention |
Involvew the ability to focus or concentrate on a portion of experience, to be able to shift that focus as demanded by the situation, and to be able to coordinate information from multiple sources. |
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Visual search tasks |
A method used instudies on aging and attention that requires the observer to locate a specific target among a set of distractors |
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Simple visual search |
A method used in studies on aging and attention where the target differs from the other stimuli by only one feature, such as shape, colour, or size |
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Conjunction visual search |
Aethod used in studies on aging and attention where the target differs from the distractors in more than one way. |
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Inhibitory control |
The process of turning off one response while performing anotherm |
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Sustained attention |
What happens whe participants co pleting a task must respond when they see a particular target appear out of a continuous stream of stimuli. |
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Attentional resource |
A theory that regards attention as a process reflecting the allocation of cognitive resources. |
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Inhibitory deficit hypothesis |
Suggests that aging reduces the individual's ability to inhibit or tune out irrelevant information. |
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Event related potentials ERPs |
Measures the brain's pattern of electricity in response to stimuli. |
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Useful field of view UFOV |
A test of people's ability to respond to stimuli appearing in the periphery of their vision. |
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Working memory |
Keeps information temporarily available and active in consciousness. |
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Default network |
A circuit in the brain that is active while the brain is at rest |
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Long-term memory |
The repository of information that is held for a period of time ranging from several minutes to a lifetime |
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Episodic memory |
Memory for events that took place in the past. |
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Associative deficit hypothesis |
States that older adults have more difficulty forming and retrieving links among single bits of information than, for example, between two items or an item and its source. |
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Remote memory |
The recall of information from the distant past in general. |
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Autobigraphical memory |
The recall of information from a person'd own past. |
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Reminiscence bump |
clear memories from the age of about 10 to 30 years. |
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Flashbulb memory |
The recall of important and distinctive events that stand out from other memories of past events |
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Semantic memory |
The ability to recall word meanings and factual information. |
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Procedural memory |
The recall of the actions involved in particular tasks, such as sewing on a button, playing the piano, and riding a bike. |
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Implicit memory |
Long-term memory for information that people acquire without intending to do so. |
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Source memory |
The recall of where or how an individual acquires information. |
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Prospective memory |
The recall of events to be performed in the future |
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Memory self-efficacy |
The degree to which an individual believes he or she can successfully complete a memory task. |
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Stereotype threat |
Suggests that people perform in ways consistent with negative stereotypes of the group to which they see themselves as belonging |
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Memory controlabilty |
Beliefs about the effects of the aging process on memory, such as the extent to which the individual believes that memory decline is inevitable with age. |
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Theory of Mind (ToM) |
The psychological process that requires you to infer other people's desires, beliefs, intentions, and feelings. |
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Executive functioning |
Higher order cognitive skills, including judgement, knowledge, and decision-making |
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Neuropsychological assessment |
Involves gathering information about a client's brain functioning from a series of standardized cognitive tests. |
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Intelligence test |
Provides and assessment of an individual's overall cognitive status along a set of standardized dimensions. |
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Wechsler adult intelligence scale |
The most well known individual test of adult intelligence |
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Primary Mental Abilities Test (Pmat) |
Assesses the seven abilities of Verbal Meaning, Word Fluency, Number, Spatial Relations, Memory, Perceptual Speed, and General reasoning. |
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Elderspeak |
A speech pattern directed at older adults similar to the way people talk to babies. |
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Communication predicament model |
A predicament where older adults are thought of as mentally incapacitated, leading younger people to speak to them in a simplified manner (using elderspeak). Over time, this can have the effect of reducing the adult'd actual ability to use language. |
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Everyday Problem solving |
Involves problems that typically occur in people's daily lives, that can be solved in more than one way, and that require the problem-solver to decide which strategy will lead to the desired result. |
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Formal operations |
The ability of adolescents and adults to use logic and abstract symbols to arrive at solutions to complex problems |
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Dialectical thinking |
Related to the postformal stage of cognitive development involving an interest in and appreciation for debate, arguments, and counter-arguments. |
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Dialectical thinking |
Related to the postformal stage of cognitive development involving an interest in and appreciation for debate, arguments, and counter-arguments. |
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Dialectical thinking |
Related to the postformal stage of cognitive development involving an interest in and appreciation for debate, arguments, and counter-arguments. |
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Postformal operations |
A stage proposed by adult development researchers that refers to the way that adults structure their thinking overand beyond that of adolescents. |
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Intelligence |
An individual's mental ability. |
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Classic aging pattern |
An inverted U-shaped pattern, with a peak in early adulthood followed by steady decline. |
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G or general factor |
The ability to infer and apply relationships on the basis of experience |
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Fluid-crystalized theory (gf-gc) |
The view that intelligence should be divided into two distinct factors. |
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Fluid-crystalized theory (gf-gc) |
The view that intelligence should be divided into two distinct factors. |
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Fluid reasoning (gf) |
The individual's innate abilities to carry out higher-level cognitivie operations involving the integration, analysis, and synthesis, of new information. |
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Crystalized intelligence |
Represents the acquisition of specific skills and information that people gain as the result of their exposure to the language, knowledge, and conventions of their culture. |
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Comprehension knowledge (gc) |
Originally called crystalized intelligence, the acquisition of specific skills and information that people gain as the result of their exposure to the language, knowledge, and conventions of their culture. |
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Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence |
Proposes that there is a three-tier structure to intelligence |
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Reserve capacity |
Abilities that are there to be used but are currently untapped. |
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Testing the limits |
The process of continuing to train people until they ahow no further improvement. |
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Mechanics of intelligence |
Involves cognitive operations such as speed, working memory, and fluid intelligence. |
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Pragmatics of intelilligence |
An individual's aptitude to apply his or her abilities to the solution of real-life problems. |
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Berlin Wisdom paradigm |
Proposes that wisdom is a form of expert knowledge in the pragmatics of life. |
