CASL Lesson 6

The study of mental processes.

A measure of divergent thinking; the production of alternative solutions; most elusive mental process to define and measure.

The acquisition of practical experience in everyday life.

A measure of intellectual ability.

Refers to reasoning, memory, and information processing skills; involves the ability to devise novel solutions to unforseen problems; required to indentify relationships and to draw inferences on the basis of that understanding.

Age-related declines in verbal and performance intelligence among people 60 or older.

Intelligence based on the information, skills, and strategies that people have learned through experience; reflects accumulated past experience and socialization.

The process of acquiring knowledge and skills.

The retention or storage of knowledge.

A stage of memory when information that is learned is stored for later use.

The reflects that makes an individual blink when air is blown into the eye.

Working memory; a limited capacity system that keeps memory in consciousness; only lasts a few seconds.

The permanent storage site for past experiences; involes the ability to recall distant people and events; helps people make meaningful connections between the past and the present.

A form of mental illness that mainly occurs in old age.

Severe organic deterioration of the brain that affects memory, cognitive functions, and personality to a degree sufficient to interfere with normal activities and social functioning; symptoms include impairment of memory, intellect, judgement, and orientation and excessive or shallow emotions; the most common type of dementia.

A common form of dementia; results from the cumulative effect of a number of small strokes, which eventually impair brain functioning; symptoms include blackouts, heart problems, kidney failure and hypertention.

A rupture or obstruction of a blood vessel to the brain that damages brain tissue; symptoms include memory defecits, emotional liability and depression.

Involves damage to the speech and language centers in the brain; one of the consequnces of a stroke; occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen; patients may be unable to produce meaningful speech or to understand spoken or written language.

A set of symptoms that include depressed mood, loss of interest in pleasurabe activities, loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, difficulties in thinking and concentration, psychomotor disturbances, and suicidal notions.

The attributes used to measure all facets of personality - who we are and how we react to events in our environment.

A theory that everyone has most personality traits to some degree, but that everyone also has a core group of traits that define his or her personality; defining traits include 5 major factors: neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

The organized and integrated perception of self; consists of such aspects of self esteem, self-image, beliefs and personality traits.

A state of compatibility between the individual and the environment so that the individual maintains a sense of well-being or satisfaction with quality of life.

A range of behaviors to meet demands; includes developing habits to confront problems and manage frustration and anxiety.

One of Levinson's developmental periods of adulthood, ages 17 to 45.

One of Levinson's develpmental stages; the era where childhood draws to a close; the developmental tasks are to begin forming an adult identity and to separate from one's family or origin.

One of Levinson's developmental periods of adulthood; major tasks in this period are establishing a niche in society and developing competence in a chosen craft and then working at succeeding.

One of Levinson's developmental stages; terminates the era of early adulthood.

One of Levinson's developmental stages; lasts from age 40 to 65 following midlife transition.

One of Apter's types of midlife women; stayed within the conventional feminine framework and define themselves in term of their family roles.

One of Apter's types of midlife women; women who were pioneers in a men's world.

One of Apter's types of midlife women; these women sought fundamental change in their lives in midlife.

One of Apter's types of midlife women; had faced early responsibilities that constrained their first years of adulthood; sought ways to develop the spontaneity they had missed earlier.