Issues In The Psychology Of Aging

7 Pages 1636 Words

I really don't know how I’m going to deal with this aging process we go through, especially after researching the information I have. At my age, I find that I can become really frustrated when I can't remember what I have just done after doing it, or the name of a really good friend of mine that is standing right next to me. I chose to do my paper on the question that dealt with memory, because I, like most other people, have never taken the time to think about this aspect of getting old that naturally happens and that I may be able to prolong if I take the right measurements. Although there are many types of memory, only a majority of them are affected by aging, and only some of the reasons are due to nature. Regardless of the amount of loss we suffer, there's always an impact, we just need to learn how to cope with these declines.
Three things happen when the mind wants to store knowledge: it is translated so the brain can encode it, it is stored for the essential amount of time, and when necessary, it can be retrieved. It was noted in our text that by the age of twenty-five, the speed that information is processed slows down. This issue is not one to be argued with because of substantial amount of research and evidence there is that proves this. The generalized slowing hypothesis, or Birren hypothesis, suggests that the slowing of information processing is an indivisible determinant of cognitive ability (Cunningham, 1989). This means speed has a direct impact on cognition. Memory is one of those aspects that can be greatly influenced.
Information is able to be passed through the brain in three different storage sizes, and they all are affected by aging on different degrees. Short term memory is an example of that which is able to stay constant with age. It is something that is in use constantly and consists of a limited capacity that is able to store temporary information that is either being used at that momen...