Let's get started ....
Heier, Holly Marie
Jones, Karen Alison
Mason, Earnest
"Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem
several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It
implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the
confused, dazed, scatterbrained state which in French is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German."
remarked: William James, in his monumental Principles of Psychology (1890)
James, W. (1890). The Principles of Psychology. New York: Henry Holt, Vol. 1, pp. 403-404.
Cognitivism
Cognitivism was oriented to the 20th century by Wilhelm Wundt, the first psychologist. Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary
field involving in psychology, linguistics, computer science physiology, and etc. In contrast to behavioristic focus on behavior
investigation, the cognitive school "went inside the head of the learner" to make the exploration of mental processes
underlying behaviors. In cognitive theories, cognition is viewed as an internal process of individuals, which constructs and/or
reconstructs information abstractly rather than a simple stimulus-response adaptation. The cognitivists discovered and
modelled the mental processes on the part of the learner during learning process. From their view, learning is abstract
reasoning, creative problem solving, complex information processing and active schema process. Cognitive theories have many
implications for instruction, such as teaching learning styles, encouraging discovery, activating prior knowledge and so on.
Three Parts of Long-term Memory
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Episodic memory Storing personal experience: |
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Semantic memory Storing facts, generalized information, concepts, problem-solving skills and learning strategies in the form of schema: |
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Procedural memory Storing the knowlege of how to do something, especially a physical task:
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http://online.sfsu.edu/~foreman/itec800/finalprojects/annie/long-termmemory.html
Memory Strategies
| 1. Pair-associated learning | stimulus | response |
| 1+1 1+2 |
=2 =3 |
| 2. Serial learning | Name the wars in America according to time-line |
| Learning facts in a particular order | 1. Independent War 2. Civil War |
| 3. Free-recall learning | Recalling the names of the fifty states (not in order) |
| 4. Imagery Forming mental images |
occupation- |
did-an action |
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| 5. Keyword mnemonics | key word-scream evoking the recalling of the French word l'escrime |
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| 6. The Loci Method | Employing imagery associated with a list of location |
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| 7. Rhyming Pegword |
| Fifty-four forty or fight! |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P..., |
| When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. |
| 8. Initial-letter strategies | |
| ERIC | Education Resource Information Center |
| URL | Universal Resource Location |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format |
| CD-ROM | Compact Disk-Read Only Memory |
Say aloud the colors of these each of these words, as fast as you can:
Green Red Blue
Yellow Blue Yellow
Blue Yellow Red
Green Yellow Green
If naming the first group of colors is easier and quicker than the second, then your performance exhibits the Stroop effect
Delirium in the Older Person
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Delirium is a sudden change in mental state which disturbs thinking and attention, and results in changed behaviour.
These web pages are for professionals and family members who support seniors and the elderly who
develop delirium.
http://www.viha.ca/ppo/learning/delirium
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Attention Training May Help Older Adults Improve Concentration | |
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| When we are young, we can easily block out the TV while we talk on the phone or work on the computer |
Do you have trouble concentrating on a phone call, when the TV is on in the background? Or maybe
reading a newspaper, when people are talking nearby? According to Dr. Paul Laurienti, associate
professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this problem often gets worse with
age. Over the past five years, he has studied the phenomenon of "multi-sensory integration": how as we
get older, we tend to combine, and often confuse, what we see and what we hear.
His research suggests that older adults have trouble ignoring one sense when they're trying to pay
attention to another. For example, if they're reading a book, they may be more easily distracted by sound
than a younger person would be.
In his current study, Dr. Laurienti is looking at the effects of "attention training." The idea is to determine whether older adults
can learn to block out distractions, and, with practice, actually improve their concentration.
The training involves coming into his lab once a week for eight weeks, and performing a series of tests. The tests start out
easy, but get more and more difficult over time. Dr. Laurienti compares the attention training to working out at the gym. "If
you go to a personal trainer, they're going to start you out lifting very light weights," he explains. "Then they'll add more
weight and more weight, until you're very strong."
In Dr. Laurienti's study, the "weights" are audio-visual tests. For example, a participant might be shown five letters on a screen
and asked to rearrange those letters to spell a word. The trick to the test is that, at the same time, the person would need to
ignore distracting sounds, or unrelated visual information.
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| Training can help older adults improve concentration |
The final study will include 66 participants, with an average age of 70. Half will go through attention
training, while the other half will just attend lectures and participate in educational activities. Dr.
Laurienti hopes that comparing the two groups will show whether attention training improves
concentration more than simply being mentally active. At about half-way through the study, he says it
looks like it does and is excited by the potential implications.
"If these results hold, at the end of the study we can really come out and say, 'look older adults are
more distractible, but this doesn't have to be permanent,'" he says. "You can actually intervene, and you, yourself ,as an older
adult, can actually do some things to make yourself better."
Dr. Laurienti hopes that in the future, programs will be developed to help older adults focus their attention and enhance their
memory, ultimately improving their quality of life. His preliminary findings were presented last week at the Organization for
Human Brain Mapping conference in Chicago. Dr. Laurienti expects to complete the study next spring, in time to present the
final results at next year's conference.
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-06/2007-06-25-voa21.cfm?CFID=266167359&CFTOKEN=11341585
Everyone got a big laugh out of this commercial for life-alert bracelets and equipment, but to the elderly, it's no laughing matter. Falls are a very serious matter in the elderly and can affect their ability to live independently and comfortably.
There are many factors that can cause the elderly to fall, especially in their own home. Some of these factors are constructional, some are due to changes in the body as we age, chronic health conditions, and medications. Let's look at constructional hazards and what we can do to prevent a disaster from happneing to the elderly in an environment that should provide comfort and safety.
If you were designing a new home which will include a suite for "Grandma", the following are some tips you should discuss with your architect to protect Grandma from falling and possibly ending up in the local nursing home.
1. Stairways and hallways: all stairways and hallways should be well equiped with bright lights and several outlets for "night lights" for those late night trips to the bathroom. Light switches should be installed at both ends of the hallway and stairs so the lights can be turned on before the journey begins. Handrails are extremely important for stability. They should be installed on both sides of the steps, if possible. Make sure the carpet is secure so there is no chance of tripping over humps or buldges under Grandma's feet.
2. Bedroom: A bedside light switch should be installed within Grandma's reach. An outlet should be installed close to the doorway so a night light can be used. A telephone jack needs to be located near the bedside so a telephone will be within easy reach.
3. Bathroom: Grab bars should be installed on the walls around the shower and tub, and beside the toilet. These bars should be strong enough to hold adequate weight. The toilet should be raised so Grandma will not have a hard time getting up and down. Liquid soap dispensers should be installed in the tub/shower area to prevent dropping the soap and making the tub surface slick. A hand-held/portable shower head should be installed in the shower so Grandma can be seated in a shower chair while bathing. Nonskid mats or carpet should be installed on the bathroom floor to prevent slipping if the floor becomes wet.
4. Kitchen: Counters should be installed at a comfortable level for easy use. Cabinets should be within a comfortable reach where possible. Appliance cords should be well out of the way when appliances are installed. Nonskid flooring should be installed, especially around the sink area.
5. Living Room: This room should be designed for easy access and mobility for Grandma since this is where she will most likely spend most of her time during the day. There needs to be plenty of windows for outside light. Outlets and telephone jacks should be located near the sofa, or Grandma's favorite chair for easy access and lamps to provide plenty of light. Nonskid flooring or carpet should be installed in this room also.
And finally, some tips that apply to all rooms in Grandma's new suite: install an electronic emergency response system throughout. Use contrasting paint and carpet colors that may que Grandma to surface and level changes. Secure all carpet edges and make sure the carpet is pulled snug against the walls. Install a telephone jack in every room, not just the living room and bedroom, so when Grandma receives a phone call, she won't have to rush into the next room to answer the phone. Make sure thresholds are as flush to the surface as possible and secured tightly to the floor so as not to cause tripping or stumbling. Make all doorways and entryways extra wide for wheelchair access in case it's ever needed. Most importantly, a fire/smoke alarm should be intalled in every room throughout the suite.
Lastly, we don't want to forget about the outdoors. Grandma will want to enjoy nature and the sunshine from time to time. Adequate lighting should be installed down pathways. Abrupt edges should be avoided along the edges of sidewalks and driveways. Shubbery should not be installed too close to the doorway to impede Grandma's movement in and out of the door. Install handrails where necessary. Make sure the treshold of the door is not too high. Choose outdoor furniture that is easy for Grandma to get in and out of, and make sure it is secure and does not roll. Surface drainage is also very important so no ice will form in cold weather to cause Grandma to slip and fall on her way to the car.
Falls are the leading cause of death from injury in people 65 and older. Approximately two-thirds of those who experience a fall will fall again within a six month period. Among the elderly, one out of every 200 falls result in some type of hip fracture. One fourth of these people who obtain a hip fracture will die within six months. The most profound effect of falling for the elderly is the loss of independence. For this reason, they do not want to report the truth of their fall in fear of being admitted to a nursing home.
Although constructural hinderances are only a small factor in fall prevention in the elderly, it is a great place to start in keeping Grandma and others safe and secure in their loving homes and environments. After all, we want to keep Grandma with us as long as we can!
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/consumer/10242.html