GERIA CHAPTER 10

• Cognition


  The ways people gain information from the environment and the way they interpret and use this information
• Perception


  The collection, interpretation, and recognition of stimuli, including pain
• Cognition


  Intelligence, memory, language, and decision making
• Cognitive-Perceptual Functioning


  1. The environment excites or stimulates the senses

  2. The senses pass these stimuli on to the cerebral cortex

  3. Recognition (perception) and interpretation (cognition) occur
• Sensory deficits


  Stimuli do not enter the brain and there is not enough information for accurate interpretation
• Compensating for sensory deficits

  • People with hearing deficits often lip read or rely on visual cues
  • People with visual deficits rely more heavily on hearing and touch
  • People with multiple sensory deficits have great difficulty collecting information and often experience serious cognitive and perceptual problems
• Sensory changes that occur with aging

  • Presbyopia
  • Night Blindness
  • Cataracts
  • Presbycusis
  • Otosclerosis
  • Tinnitus
• Learning


  When connections develop between nerve fibers of the cerebral cortex from repeated exposure to stimuli, and information can be retrieved as needed
• Memory


  Enables people to retain and recall previously experienced sensations, ideas, concepts, impressions, and all information that has been previously learned
• Fluid intelligence


  The ability to perform tasks or make judgments based on unfamiliar stimuli
• Crystallized intelligence


  The ability to perform tasks and make judgments based on the knowledge and experience acquired throughout a lifetime
• Young people rely more on fluid intelligence, while older people rely more on crystallized intelligence
• Intelligence


  • It is often measured by tests that mainly measure verbal and mathematic ability, so a person with high cognition but limited education can score poorly
  • Cognition is not the same as education, it is the ability to think and reason
• Language


  A product of cognitive function that allows communication of ideas and thoughts
• Sensory and cognitive problems

  Can result in poor language development or loss of language skills
• Damage to language centers of the brain

  Can result in aphasia, an inability to understand or express language
• Many older people considered confused actually perceive their environment inaccurately due to sensory deficits, not confusion
• Confusion


  A mental state characterized by disorientation regarding time, place, or person that leads to bewilderment, perplexity, lack of orderly thought, and inability to choose, act, or perform activities
• Acute confusion (delirium)


  Characterized by disturbances in cognition, attention, memory, and perception, caused by conditions like infection, metabolic disturbances, etc.
• Dementia


  A slow, insidious process that results in progressive loss of cognitive function, caused by damage to the cerebral cortex
• DELIRIUM

  • Rapid onset: hours to days
  • Reduced level of consciousness
  • Variable course over 24 hours
  • Increased or decreased psychomotor activity
  • Disturbed sleep/wake patterns
  • Disorientation and perceptual disturbances, possible visual and auditory hallucinations
  • Memory impairment
  • Decreased attention span with disorganized thinking
  • Generally reversible if underlying problem is identified and treated; may recur with acute illness
• DEMENTIA

  • Slower onset: months to years
  • No change in level of consciousness (initially)
  • Stable over 24 hours
  • Impaired memory with loss of abstract thinking, judgment, language skills (aphasia), motor skills (apraxia), and ability to recognize familiar people or objects (agnosia)
  • Generally not reversible
• Cognition


  The ways people gain information from the environment and the way they interpret and use this information
• Perception


  The collection, interpretation, and recognition of stimuli, including pain
• Cognition


  Intelligence, memory, language, and decision making
• Cognitive-Perceptual Functioning


  1. The environment excites or stimulates the senses

  2. The senses pass these stimuli on to the cerebral cortex

  3. Recognition (perception) and interpretation (cognition) occur
• If the senses are not functioning appropriately

  Stimuli do not enter the brain and there is not enough information for accurate interpretation
• Individuals with sensory deficits


  • Attempt to compensate for these deficits by gathering more information from those senses that function normally
• Sensory deficits


  • Hearing deficits - lip reading or relying on visual cues
  • Visual deficits - relying more on hearing and touch
  • Multiple sensory deficits - difficulty collecting information and often experience serious cognitive and perceptual problems
• Sensory changes that occur with aging

  • Presbyopia
  • Night Blindness
  • Cataracts
  • Presbycusis
  • Otosclerosis
  • Tinnitus
• Learning


  When connections develop between nerve fibers of the cerebral cortex from repeated exposure to stimuli, and information or skills can be retrieved as needed
• Memory


  Enables people to retain and recall previously experienced sensations, ideas, concepts, impressions, and all information that has been previously learned
• Fluid Intelligence


  The ability to perform tasks or make judgments based on unfamiliar stimuli
• Crystallized Intelligence


  The ability to perform tasks and make judgments based on the knowledge and experience acquired throughout a lifetime
• Young people have less knowledge and experience, they must rely more on fluid intelligence. With advanced age comes an abundance of skills and knowledge that has been acquired over time, and crystallized intelligence is used more often.
• Intelligence


  • Often measured by tests that measure verbal and mathematic ability, so a person with good cognitive skills but limited education can score poorly
  • Cognition is not the same as education, it is the ability to think and reason
• Language


  A product of cognitive function that allows humans to communicate ideas and thoughts
• Sensory and cognitive problems

  Can result in poor language development or loss of language skills
• Damage to the language centers of the brain can result in aphasia, a condition in which people are unable to understand or express themselves through language
• Many older people who are considered confused actually perceive their environment inaccurately due to sensory deficits, not confusion