Commentary on CALLA

Critiques: Challenges vs. Opportunities of Experience

Fluid vs. Crystal Intelligence

Creativity

Research Directions: Lifecourse Investigations between Generalization and Specialization

Innovation in later life

Purpose Prize: Social innovations based on previous occupational and life knowledge

Implications for Theories of Human Development

Theory of Psychosocial Development (Erikson, 1979)

Interaction between person and societal need

Lifespan approach to development

Bioecological Model (Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, 1994)

Interaction person and environment over time

Macrolevel systems/stigmas/expecations

Internal processes

SOC (Baltes, 1990)

Emerging Adulthood

Target for early intervention (paper)

Retirement

Transition from specialization to generalization

Another target for early intervention

Transition from generalization to specialization

CALLA--Early Life (Broad learning)----Late Life (Specialization)

Implications for Designing Cognitive Interventions for Older Adults (RQ: Why don't cognitive interventions generalize for older adults?)

Six Critical Factors of Intellectual Engagement for Broad Learning: Interventions focused on promoting the underlying factors to generalize cognitive training

Open-minded input-driven learning

Individualized Scaffolding

Forgiving environments

Growth Mindset

Serious commitment to learning

Learning multiple skills simultaneously

Growth in early life

Maintenance in adulthood

Compensation for loss in older adulthood

Need for CALLA in intellectual engagement (p. 4): 1) Key factors of intellectual engagement 2) why and how it declines across the lifespan 3) whether its decline has a causal role in cognitive aging

"we argue that these activities actually decrease throughout the lifespan, not just older adulthood" p. 4

Infancy to older adulthood need to understand cognitive abilities

Decline of Six Factors from Childhood to Aging Adulthood

Prevalence and importance in infancy and childhood

Start of maintance and eventually decline during young adulthood and middle-age

Steep decline during older adulthood

Critiques: Structure to incorporate broad learning?

Ambitious for designing interventions

Promote Broad Learning Factors in Cognitive Interventions for Older Adults

Promote far transfer skills

Earlier intervention in the life course

Balance between specialized and board learning and cognitive abilities

Environmental Factor- increasing support and feedback based on learner

Overall approach to learning in the environment

Environmental Factor - supportive and encouraging learning environment/society

Belief abilities are not fixed

Intrinsic motivation and personal purpose to learning

Learning and using many skills concurrently

Low deactivation of PFC

Problem solving style/processing speed

Build off previous knowledge

Stretch neuroplasticity to beyond the "critical periods" [triggers and brakes]

Decrease automatizing and relying on routines

More efficient to build off knowledge and avoid switch costs

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (Carstensen, 1999)

Time Perception

Open-ended

Broad-based learning

Close-ended

Focus on Emotion-based goals

Specialization

Familar

Seek novelty

Open knowledge-related goals

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