Chapter 6: Attention and Memory

• Wrote Ageless Memory
•  
• He knew how to take in info from the environment and had an exxceptional memory

elderly forgetting versus youth forgetting the same item. youth is acceptable because they are "just so busy" 

Instead, he said that it is about task and context

Task-related differences--> type and context

• if its something you're familiar with, you should be able to do it
• If the context is hectic, it throws you off. If it is a normal night and you forget, that's reason to worry.

uses a pc metaphor to explain how people process stimuli

• people are active participants in the process
• both quantitative aspects of performance can be examined (how much and type/how relevant)
• Informaiton is processed through a series of hypothetical stages or stores (sensory, short term, and long term)

• info comes in through the outside world--encoding
• from there, you save it/store it in the brain--storage
• when you need it again, you retrieve the information--retrieval

stimulus from the environment--> sensory memory--(encoded)--> STM/ working--(encoding)--> LTM

• Sensory: holds sensory info
• STM: holds info temporarily for analysis
• LTM: relatively permanent storage

• Sensory: Lasts up to 1/2 sec-2
• STM: 30 seconds
• LTM: relatively permanent

maintenance rehearsal

STM to LTM: elaborative rehearsal

LTM to STM: retrieval

• Sensory: unlimited
• STM: 5-9 (7+/-2)
• LTM: relatively unlimited

aka: selective

a brief and almost identical representation of the stimuli that exists in the observable environment

To move it to STM, you need to pay attention or it is lost

functional perspective: attention is composed of separate dimensions serving different functions

Attentional control is linked to the parieto-frontal lobes

they focus on irrelevant information de to parieto-frontal deterioration

how quickly it goes from environmental stimuli to LTM that you can store for later use

It is not the whole process that is slowing down. It depends on the task/ what it is you are working with

• inhibitory loss: older adults have a hard time inhibiting irrelevant information
• --> You can teach strategies that decrease this, provide emotionally supportive messages to give a positive effect; beneficial--> when it becomes relevant, better than youth

attentional changes: older adults can still divide their attention. It just depends on the complexity of the two tasks they are doing/ multitaskign is still a possibility

places minimal demands on attentional capacity; you don't put much time into it; info comes in without us being aware

requires all of the available attentional capacity; you need to stop and think of a plan of action

in the beginning, they begin as effortful and eventually they become automatic.

In certain conditions, things become effortful. Things that were once automatic may well become effortful

• encoding: process of getting info into the memory system (sensory--> STM)
• storage: the manner in which info is represented and kept in memory (STM-->LTM)
• retrieval: getting info back out of memory (LTM--> STM)

the decline of selective attention

making something meaningful as opposed to general

• the neurons are dying, meaning connections are weak; it's hard to pull it back out
• limited plasticity
• illnesses such as dementia, Alzheimer's, etc., thus making it difficult for information to be pulled out
• You can teach them retrieval strategies

allows you to solve a problem, make a decision, and learn new information; the active processes and structures involved in holding information in mind

• solve a problem
• make a decision
• learn new information

• Your ability to stay alert changes
• If you have multiple tasks, it depends on the sequence of the tasks
• Task interference
• Tough juggling; there is a limit; the limit declines with age

the process by which information is held in working memory

• maintenance rehearsal 
• elaborative rehearsal

retrieval of information without conscious or intentional recollection; triggered involuntarily by the outside world

Ex: walking somewhere and smelling a familiar fragrance that reminds you of something

intentional and conscious remembering of information that is learned at a specific point in time

an example is remembering your last vacation

STM

the ability to remember extensiv amounts of info from a few minutes, hours, or decades

• semantic
• episodic
• procedural

learning and remembering the meaning of words and concepts that are not tied to specific occurrences of events in time

general facts and info

conscious recollection of information from a specific event or point in time; memory which you were a part of; you experienced it

"i remember when"

knowledge of how to do something

episodic: stable into 60s and then slows around 65

semantic memory: increases into 60s and then starts to decline less substantially

recall: try to remember without prompts

recognition: try to recognize from items already provided

it declines

older adults perform worse than younger adults on recall tests; omit information and repeat items

it isn't bad

rehearsal strategies are helpful--less efficient at spontaneous use of these strategies

you remember how to do something but you may have physical limitations

• trying to retrieve a word or name you are certain you know, but not accessible at tht moment
• experiences of TOT increase with age

encoding: you need strategies to remember and increase the efficiency of encoding or retrieval 

retrieval: older adults tend to spontaneously use less retrieval strategies than older adults

Pet scans show age differences in how the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus work together

• older= compensation/ prefrontal cortex and hippocampusalways work together
• older= overactive prefrontal cortex during encoding

things you remember having to do in the future-- can be tomorrow, a couple of days from now, etc. 

gets worse with age; you have a hard time remembering what to do when you get older 

to remember, elderly have to write things down

event-based tasks: performing an action when a certain external event happens

• time-based tasks: performing an action after fixed amount of time
• time-based remembering is more age related