Ch. 1: Issues to Consider in Adult Development Flashcards
1
Q
Terms to use when referring to old people
A
Older adult, older person
2
Q
Key Principles to the study of Development by Paul Baltes (4)
A
- History and context
- Plasticity
- Multiple causality
- Multi-directionality
3
Q
History and context
A
- All individuals develop within a certain set of circumstances that are influenced by the time in which we live as well as the culture in which we live
4
Q
3 Factors influencing lifespan development
A
- Normative age-graded
- Normative history-graded
- Non-normative
5
Q
Normative age-graded
A
- cultural norms
- things that happen at certain ages
- ex: going to University
- social clock
6
Q
Social clock
A
- normal times for things to happen
- you feel judged, behind, strained when you’re off time with your social clock.
7
Q
Normative history-graded
A
- events that affect everyone
- things that influence your context
- ex: world wide web, 9/11, cold war
8
Q
Non-normative
A
- random events
- idiosyncratic
- only happen to some people
- ex: divorce, PhD, wining the lottery
9
Q
Plasticity
A
- it is possible to improve functioning at any age. Many skills can be taught or will improve with practice throughout one’s life, although there are some limits to the degree of improvement.
- you can teach older people ways of remembering things
10
Q
Multiple causality
A
- how an individual develops is shaped by biological, psychological, sociocultural, and life cycle factors
11
Q
Multi-directionality
A
- development can involve both increases and decreases and this varies not only within persons but from person to person as well. As people gain in one area like expertise, for example, they may lose in other areas such as cognitive processing speed.
- some things are getting worse, some are getting better.
- vocabulary increase with age
- working memory decrease with age
12
Q
There’s __________ in age
A
heterogeneity
13
Q
Chronological age
A
- number of years a person has lived
14
Q
Functional age
A
- psychological age + biological age + social age = functional age
- offers advantages over chronological age
- a measure of how well an individual can function in their environment
- to help older adults remain active and engaged in the community, it is much better to know their functional age
15
Q
Biological age
A
- functioning of organ systems
- heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, muscle and bone strength
16
Q
Psychological age
A
- functioning on psychological tests
- reaction time, learning ability, memory, intelligence
17
Q
Social age
A
- social roles occupied
- parental status, grandparental status, work role, retirement status
18
Q
Primary aging
A
- normal age-related changes
- disease-free aging
- wrinkles are normal part of aging
- also called normative aging
- thin hair, gray hair
- changes to vision and hearing that occur with age
19
Q
Secondary aging
A
- disease-related impairments
- cardiovascular disease, dementia
- results from lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, and engaging in unhealthy activities like smoking or drinking too much
- can affect the rate at which primary aging occurs
20
Q
Tertiary aging
A
- rapid decrease in cognitive and functional ability in the years prior to death
21
Q
Optimal aging
A
- changes that improve the individual’s functioning
22
Q
What’s the average number of children per woman right now?
A
1.61 children/woman
23
Q
Why is the Canadian population composition changing over time?
A
- decline in fertility rate
- large “baby boom” generation living longer due to better health care
- women working, studying
24
Q
Stereotypes that contribute to Ageism (3)
A
- Succession: retirement; older adults have “had their turn” and should make room for the younger generations
- Consumption: younger people believe that limited resources should be spent on young people instead of old people
- Identity: younger people believe that older people should “act their age” and not talk or dress like younger people, stealing the younger people’s identity.
25
What is Ageism?
Systematic stereotyping of, and discrimination against, people because they are old, just as racism and sexism accomplish this with skin color and gender
26
____% of Canadians believe that Ageism is the most tolerated form of prejudice
52
27
Manifestations of Ageism (6)
- Ignoring older adults or treating them as invisible
- Treating older adults as if they are incompetent
- Assuming older adults are asexual
- Assuming older adults are wise and benevolent
- Pay disparities in the workplace
- "Elderspeak": talk to older people like talking to kids
28
4 Types of Ageism
1. Personal Ageism
2. Institutional Ageism
3. Intentional Ageism
4. Unintentional Ageism
29
Personal Ageism
- bias against persons or groups based on their older age
30
Institutional Ageism
- missions, rules, and practices that discriminate against individuals and or groups because of their older age
31
Intentional Ageism
- practices carried with knowledge of bias: take advantage of the vulnerabilities of older persons
- scam artists targeting older people
- hiring younger person for a job because you think they're more capable
32
Unintentional Ageism
- practices in which perpetrators unaware of bias against persons or groups based on their older age
33
Sources of Ageism
why do ageism and stereotyping occur?
What perpetuates them?
Media influence -> Perpetuates cultural ideals ("beauty is good") -> Psychological and physical distancing (terror management theory
34
Impact of Ageism and Stereotyping (4)
- Stereotype threat: idea that you internalize all these stereotype
- Self-esteem: obsession with youth/beauty puts pressure
- Economic discrimination: harder to get a job/keep your job when you're older
- Health care
35
How can we decrease ageism?
Contact hypothesis: increase contact between older and younger persons
36
Over ___% of the population are now 65 and older
18
37
TRUE or FALSE
Old people tend to be pretty much alike
False, "heterogeneity is the hallmark of aging"
38
Baby boom
a sudden rise in the number of births from year to year
39
Terror management theory
A theory that proposes basic psychological conflict that results from having a desire to live but realizing that death is inevitable.
This conflict produces terror, an dis believed to be unique to human beings. It explains why people engage in certain behaviors to reduce this conflict
