COGNITIVE AGING
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ilmiye Seçer
COGNITIVE SKILLS
• A number of cognitive skills:
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Memory
Attention
Spatial
Visual
Mental Rotation
Executive Functions
Speed of Processing
Reaction Time
Eye-Hand Coordination
AGING & COGNITIVE SKILLS
• Research shows that cognitive skills decline with
increased age (Craik & McDowd, 1987).
• Speed of processing (T. Salthouse)
• Reduced attentional processing (F. Craik)
• Important to investigate ways of improving
memory among older adults
SKILLS OF MEMORY
• Activities of daily living (ADL)
• Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)
MEMORY DECLINE
• Craik and McDowd (1987)
• Older participants perform more poorly on cued recall
tasks than recognition tasks
• Rendell et al. (2005)
• Older adults had greater difficulty as opposed to
younger adults in recalling the names of famous people.
• Basso et al. (2005)
• Long term memory diminished with increasing age.
• By the age of 90 years memory performance declined
significantly.
MEMORY DECLINE
• Age related difficulties in memory
– Lack of semantic encodings
– Difficulty in initiating effective retrieval processes
e.g., searching for relevant cues that lead to
effective recall
• Possible to reduced or even eliminate age related
decrements in memory performance
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE MEMORY
• Mnemonic strategies
• Cognitive training
– Video game play
– Memory recollection
• Fitness training
• Self Belief
• Education
METHOD OF LOCI
PEGWORD
 Pegwords can be used when numbered or ordered
information needs to be remembered.
 Pegwords are rhyming words for numbers and include the
following:
One is a bun
two is a shoe
three is a tree
four is a door
five is a hive
six is sticks
seven is heaven
eight is gate
nine is vine
ten is hen
ACRONYMS
• Short poems:
– NEVER (NORTH)
– EAT (EAST)
– SOGGY (SOUTH)
– WEATBIXS (WEST)