Five Primary Mental Abilities Verbal Meaning Spatial Orientation Inductive Reasoning Number Ability Word Fluency

* Senescence causes relatively small decline in the

sensitivity & power of the brain's capacity of the sensory register. To overcome this small decline one can use techniques such as asking others to speak slowly or by looking longer or more intently at a significant image. decline in sensory acuity can be large.

* sensory register itself declines only a small amount, the

*most substantial decline with age

Reason: Processing takes longer with age.

-Increased demands on the information-processing capacity, whether cause by the complexity of the task or by distractions

*Long

term memory as well as the short term memory are diminished in older adults.

*Test for the memory is mostly based on the

explicit memory.

*Implicit

memory is more accessible than the explicit memory.

*less

efficient at managing control processes, especially decision making NOT to gather and consider all relevant data, but instead rely on prior knowledge, general principles

*prefer

*Top-down strategy

1. Mental processes slow down with age. 2. The elderly do show memory declines. 3. The elderly are less likely to use memory strategies. 4. Memory in late adulthood is not as weak as anticipated.

1. Eating low-fat diets that reduce arteriosclerosis 2. By consumption of antioxidants 3. By estrogen replacement in women 4. The use of anti-inflammatory drugs.

*More interested in arts. *Self-actualization *WISDOM