Growing Old in a New Age Growing Old in a New Age
Program Lesson 5 Learning, Memory, and Speed of Behavior
 |
 |
 |
 |
Memory includes sensory, short-term, and long-term elements |
Interesting, meaningful, and novel activities sustain mental ability in aging |
Jane Potter found many challenges at Harvard and graduated at age 58 |
Older adults retain typing speed by picking up larger chunks of information than younger adults |
Learning Objectives
Give three examples that illustrate the concept of person-environment fit in an older adult’s ability to learn
Video
The video consists of three segments: learning, memory, and speed of behavior. In the first segment, we hear how aging affects learning and how older adults can compensate for aging effects in order to enhance life-long learning skills. The second segment focuses on memory. Changes in the ability to store and retrieve information from memory are discussed, along with suggestions for strengthening and aiding one’s ability to remember things. The final segment addresses speed of behavior. Again, while research suggests a true age-related change, many older adults compensate with strategies developed over years of experience and through environmental modification.
Video Quote: Gene Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., found that learning has new meaning in old age
Gene Cohen: "I had a study that I did some years ago on mentally healthy older people and I was interviewing an 80-year old woman who told me that she finally for the first time had an opportunity to do something that she was never able to do before. And that was read historical novels. And she had read 18 of these in the past seven months. She asked me how many I had read during that time. I told her we had to go on to the next question."
Text
Chapter 5, "Cognitive Changes with Aging, " presents information on the relationship between age and intelligence, learning, memory, wisdom, and creativity. For each topic, the text outlines the major findings from research in the area and then suggests things older people can do to maintain and enhance their cognitive functioning.
Sherry Willis: "When you're introduced to a new person, repeating that person's name, linking things about that person to that person's name, thinking about that name shortly after meeting that person, so that you create a whole context of facts and associations related to that name...are all important in the encoding of the learning of the name. And that should facilitate the recall or the retrieval of that information. There have been some studies done on using of imagery associating the name with physical characteristics of the face of that person. And sometimes that can be useful, too."
Pat Nickerson: "I think, because I do a garden and because I do a lawn, I think I'm in fairly good physical condition. Maybe not as much as..I'm sixty-eight. And I think probably if someone my age was not doing the kinds of physical things that I've done all along as far as working in the garden and walking and things like that, they possibly, you know, wouldn't be as active or as able to do things as I am. As far as reaction time, it's really interesting, because every once in a while, when like young people are around, my children and their children, something will start to fall and I'll grab it. And they'll go, 'Yay, Mom. Good reaction, yeah.' So I guess my reactions are pretty good, too, but I think part of that is keeping physically active."
Features of the Study and Faculty Guides
Study Guide (MySocKit)
Key points of the lesson, integrating video and text, are elucidated under the learning objective topics. Self-study questions help students prepare for exams. Descriptions of discussion and essay/research topics provide instructions for a variety of activities that may be assigned by the instructor. The Study Guide also provides a glossary of key terms and concepts covered in the telecourse and a listing of participants in the video.
Faculty Guide
The descriptions of discussion and essay/research topics presented in the Study Guide are reprinted in the Faculty Guide with tips for assigning the activities effectively. In addition, in-class activity suggestions and exam questions/answers are included. The Guide offers options appropriate for faculty using the telecourse in different settings, e.g., in-class, distance learning, interactive television, or a combination of formats. A Video Index helps instructors find segments of the video by time code and topic.
Telecourse Team
Copyright © 1998 -2008 [Center on Aging, University of Hawai'i]. All rights reserved.
