Chapter 8

Question 1

What are the 3 different kinds of aging?

Answer 1

-biological aging: declines in physical health
-psychological aging: mix of growth, decline, stability
-social aging: stressful intersections of work and family demands

Question 2

What are the 2 components of biological aging?

Answer 2

-Primary aging: biological factors; molecular and cellular changes; oxidative damage
-Secondary aging: lifestyle factors; lack of physical exercise; poor diet

Question 3

What are the physical changes in adulthood?

Answer 3

-graying and thinning hair
-loose skin and wrinkles
-loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia)
-decreased lung efficiency
-cholesterol and fat accumulation
-decreased immune function
-sensory loss (vision and hearing)
-hormonal changes

Question 4

What are some age-related vision problems?

Answer 4

-presbyopia: inability to focus on nearby objects
-floaters: little spots (“cobwebs”) that float around the field of vision
-drop in scotopic sensitivity (ability to see in dimmer light)
-dry eye syndrome: eye doesn’t produce tears properly (evaporate quickly)

Question 5

What are 3 components of menopause?

Answer 5

-climacteric: midlife transition when fertility declines
-perimenopause: ovaries stop releasing eggs & decreased estrogen & progesterone
-menopause: 12 months without menstruation (gradual process of physical change)

Question 6

What are some symptoms of menopause?

Answer 6

-inability to fall asleep
-hot flash (surge of adrenaline produces sweat, disturb sleep)
-vaginal lubrication diminishes & becomes waterier
-osteoporosis: decreased bone mass

Question 7

What is the #1 cause of death?

Answer 7

-heart disease
-atherosclerosis: a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, which is the most common cause of cardiovascular disease

Question 8

What is hypertension?

Answer 8

-high blood pressure
-when the blood flows with a greater force than normal
-when uncontrolled, it can damage the brain’s white matter –> cognitive problems later in life

Question 9

What is the #2 cause of death?

Answer 9

-cancer
-most common type is breast cancer
-next most common are lung and prostate cancer

Question 10

What is rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?

Answer 10

-inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in the joints
-RA is the 2nd most common form of arthritis after osteoarthritis, which is the normal wear and tear on the joints

Question 11

What are common digestive problems?

Answer 11

-prolonged problems with heartburn can lead to more serious complications, including esophageal cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer in the U.S.
-gallstones are present in ~20% of women and 10% of men over the age of 55

Question 12

What sleep disorders are common?

Answer 12

-9% of Americans are diagnosed with a sleep disorder
-of those 71% have sleep apnea
-24% suffer from insomnia

Question 13

How is cognitive functioning affected by age?

Answer 13

-some individuals in middle age have improved cognitive functioning
-amount of white matter (forms connections among neurons) increases into the 50s before

Question 14

What is the difference between fluid and crystallized intelligence?

Answer 14

-fluid: abstract reasoning (flexible thinking); mechanics of cognition; peaks in mid 20s then declines
-crystallized: derived from previous experience; accumulated knowledge and expertise; increases until age 50+; pragmatics of cognition

Question 15

How does fluid and crystallized intelligence change with age?

Answer 15

-fluid intelligence increases til age 30, then gradual decline
-crystallized intelligence increases gradually across life
-most dramatic decline from 25 to 88 is shown in perceptual speed & processing speed
-2nd most dramatic decline is in numeric ability

Question 16

How is information processing affected in middle adulthood?

Answer 16

-crystallized intelligence compensates for declines in fluid intelligence
-information input is compromised
-processing speed slows
-self-regulation stabilizes
-expertise grows

Question 17

How do older adults learn?

Answer 17

-students over 35 accounted for 17% of all college and graduate students in 2009
-older adults may take longer to learn material, but they are less likely to forget it quickly
-older adults are more task-oriented learners and want to organize their activity around problem-solving

Question 18

What is the Plus 50 Initiative?

Answer 18

-assists community college in creating or expanding programs that focus on workforce training and new careers for the plus-50 population

Question 19

What is the difference between expertise and novice?

Answer 19

-expertise: specialized skills and knowledge that pertain to a particular topic or activity (intuitive, automatic, strategic, and flexible)
-novice: someone who has limited experiences with a particular task

Question 20

How does expertise affect an individuals career?

Answer 20

-expertise is one reason why many people often reach the top of their career in middle adulthood
-superior performance of older adults compared to younger novices is task specific

Question 21

What are the characteristics of work in midlife?

Answer 21

-work performance is positively affected by crystallized intelligence
-general stability in employment
-expertise, seniority, and responsibility
-increased risk for burnout (39% work 50hrs+/week)
-job satisfaction tends to peak (do job well & lower expectations and goals)

Question 22

What is glass celling?

Answer 22

-organizational discrimination in the workplace that limits the career advancement of women

Question 23

How is self-esteem in midlife?

Answer 23

-in midlife, we can observe, on average, an increase in self-esteem

Question 24

How do the Big 5 personality change across adulthood?

Answer 24

1. neuroticism decreases (followed by period of emotional stability)
2. extraversion stability (decrease in excitement seeking)
3. openness to experience stability (decrease fantasy engagement)
4. conscientiousness stability (increased competence & deliberation)
5. agreeableness stability (increase in modesty & straightforwardness)

Question 25

What is Erikson’s Psychosocial stage?

Answer 25

-Generativity vs Stagnation (41-65 years old; longest)
-generativity is motivation to cotnribute to the well-being of future generations
-generative people score high on conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, & low on neuroticism

Question 26

What is the difference between generativity and stagnation?

Answer 26

-generativity: parenting; mentorship; career contributions; sharing expertise
-stagnation: feel stuck; bored; disappointed; poor mental health

Question 27

What is a midlife crisis?

Answer 27

-coined by Carl Jung
-time of confusion & turmoil
-no consistent evidence of midlife crisis
-negative life events occur but people have resources to cope
-midlife is typically a period of stability and positivity

Question 28

What are the 2 components of narrative identity theory?

Answer 28

-redemptive stories (linked to generativity): bad to good; growth; perseverance; support; agency
-contamination stories (linked to stagnation): good to bad; loss; regret; negative emotions

Question 29

What is the difference between stressor & stress?

Answer 29

-stressor: stimulus in the environment; demands adaptive response; threatening, demanding, or challenging
-stress: response to stressors, negative emotions (tension, anxiety, overwhelmed)

Question 30

What life events are stressors?

Answer 30

-major changes or disruptions:
-not necessarily “negative”;
-milestones can be stressful

Question 31

What are the 2 types of stress?

Answer 31

-eustress: results from positive events
-distress: results from negative events

Question 32

What are daily hassles that are stressors?

Answer 32

-driving in heavy traffic
-dealing with difficult people at work
-parenting battles
-caring for aging parents

Question 33

What is chronic stress response?

Answer 33

-state of enduring arousal
-demands perceived as greater than resources
-difficulty coping

Question 34

What is general adaptation syndrome?

Answer 34

-3 phase model of stress
1.mobilization of physiological resources phase
2. coping phase
3. exhaustion phase

Question 35

What is the difference between acute and chronic stress?

Answer 35

-chronic and acute stress have different responses and have negative implications for physical and mental health

Question 36

What are the different characteristics of acute & chronic stress?

Answer 36

-acute: physical exertion; activate & maintain energy reserves; response to pathogens; learning, memory
-chronic: high blood pressure, risk of stroke, heart attack; obesity, diabetes; cancer, autoimmune disorders; depression

Question 37

What is suicide risk like in adulthood?

Answer 37

-higher risk for males
-chronic stress
-difficulty in relationships

Question 38

How does personality affect health?

Answer 38

-negative personality traits are tied to health risks
-type A behaviour has 2x the risk of heart disease compared to type B
-given their negative personality style, hostile people often lack a health-protective supportive social network

Question 39

What are the 2 categories of coping?

Answer 39

-problem-focused: actively addressing the event that is causing stress to solve issue
-emotion-focused: regulates emotions that come with stress

Question 40

Which type of coping is better?

Answer 40

-problem-focused coping seems to have the greatest impact on mental wellness
-for uncontrollable events, emotion-focused coping to manage feelings might be the better strategy

Question 41

What is the sandwich generation?

Answer 41

-adults who have at least one parent age 65 or older and are either raising their own children or providing support for their grown children
-47% of middle-aged adults are a part of sandwich gen.

Question 42

What is a kinkeeper?

Answer 42

-person(s) who keep the family connected and promote solidarity and continuity in the family
-mainly mothers, and maternal & paternal grandmothers

Question 43

What is the empty nest/post-parental period?

Answer 43

-time period when children are grown up and have left home
-marital satisfaction often increases during this time

Question 44

What is the empty nest syndrome?

Answer 44

-great emotional distress experienced by parents, typically mothers, after children have left home

Question 45

What are boomerang kids?

Answer 45

-young adults who return after having lived independently outside the home (financial & mental health issues)

Question 46

What are linked lives?

Answer 46

-the notion that people in important relationships, such as children and parents, mutually influence each other’s developmental pathways

Question 47

What are the divorce rates in Canada?

Answer 47

-27% of 45-54 year olds are divorced
-4 in 10 marriages end in divorce
-the average marriage lasts 14.5 years

Question 48

What are the 2 types of divorcees?

Answer 48

-enhancers: use the experience to better themselves & seek more productive intimate relationships
-competent loners: used the experience to grow emotionally, but choose to stay single (mainly women)

Question 49

What are the resources to deal with midlife stress?

Answer 49

-social support
-redemptive life stories
-growth
-perseverance
-generativity
*accumulated resources facilitate resilience into the next life stage

Question 50

What are the 3 styles of grandparents?

Answer 50

-remote: 30% rarely see their grandchildren
-companionate: 55% do things with grandchild but have little authority or control over them
-involved: 15% have frequent contact with and authority over the grandchild (mostly grandmothers)

Question 51

What are the advantages of friendships in adulthood?

Answer 51

-close friends lessen adverse effects of stress on health
-poor social connectedness is associated with higher risk of premature mortality than cigarette smoking, obesity and excessive alcohol use

Question 52

What is the difference between religiosity & spirituality?

Answer 52

-religiosity: engaging with a formal religious group’s doctrines, values, traditions, and co-members
-spirituality: individual’s intrapsychic sense of connection with something transcendent and subsequent feelings of awe, gratitude, compassion, forgiveness

Question 53

What are the effects of spirituality?

Answer 53

-spirituality is related to a higher quality of life for both individuals & societies
-spirituality –> lower levels of negative effect, higher levels of positive affect, personal growth, purpose in life, positive relationships with others, self-acceptance, autonomy
-religion –> higher levels of purpose in life and personal growth (in older adults), lower levels of autonomy

Question 54

What are the effects of religion?

Answer 54

-religion –> higher levels of purpose in life and personal growth (in older adults), lower levels of autonomy