6/28/2004
desjardins/honig                                            COGNITION
82
Factors affecting Intellectual Functioning
•Overall health status
–Anemia, lung disease, poor circulation hypertension, diabetes, thyroid or nutrition imbalance
•Medications
–Polypharmacy
–Prescribed and OTC may slow or interfere with cognition based on slower elimination
•Sensory impairments
–Specially vision and hearing that interfere with integration of sensory input
–Affects fluid intelligence
•Using more time to do something or deliberate caution
•Adaptive mechanism of conserving time and emotional energy rather than showing assertion.
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