Final Flashcards
Activity theory
the more active and involved older adults are, the more likely they are to be satisfied with their lives.
Selective optimization with compensation theory
How people produce new resources and allocate them to the tasks they want to master
- successful aging is related to three main factors: selection, optimization, and compensation
- Selection
- Optimization
- Compensation
- Socioemotional selectivity theory
older adults become more selective about their social networks. Older adults often spend more time with familiar individuals with whom they have had rewarding relationships.
Contemporary life events approach
Approach emphasizing that how a life event influences the individual’s development depends not only on the life event but also on mediating factors
- Be able to apply to certain situations
Wisdom
expert knowledge about the practical aspects of life that permits excellent judgment about important matters.
Adolescents and early adulthood are best times to emerge
- It’s a fallacy that old people have it more
Types of memory
Episodic
- Retention of info about the details of life’s happenings
- Ex. color of walls in room
Declarative/Explicit
- Memory of facts and experiences
- What you want to buy at store, events of a movie
Semantic
- Person’s knowledge about the world
- Field of expertise, school knowledge,
Implicit
- Memory w/o conscious recollection
- Driving car, typing, swinging golf club
Cognitive declines
Speed
- Slows, but variations among different people (correlated with aging)
Previous knowledge can compensate for loss
Usually due to decline in brain and nervous systems
Memory
- Everything declines, but facts decline more than
subconscious memory
Attention
- Can’t focus as well, which is linked to decline in memory
- Can’t remember what to focus on
Perceptual Speed
- Can’t perceive things as well
Cognitive Skills that stabilize or decline
Executive Functions
Cognitive Control and Working memory both decline
Brain can’t work as hard as it needs to, so prioritizes easy or essential stuff
Research on midlife crises (Levinson and Valliant)
Levinson
- Midlife as Crisis
- Middle aged adult is suspended between past and future
- Transition is hard, especially for men
- Success is dependent on how well people adapt to the
changes
Valliant
- Grant Study- middle age is a time for reassessing and recording the truth about adolescent and adulthood years
- Only minority of adults have it
Middle Adulthood Diseases/ Disorders
Men have it more
Heart disease, stroke
Disorders
Depression and Dementia
Diseases
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
Women die more from AD (they are ⅔ of who get it)
Sternbergs Triangular Theory
Passion, Intimacy, Commitment
Strongest, fullest form of love is CONSUMMATE love
Involves all three dimensions
Erikson’s stages for adolescence - late adulthood
Adolescence (10-20 years old)
- Identity vs. confusion: fidelity
Early adulthood (20s,30s)
- Intimacy vs. isolation: love
Middle adulthood (40s, 50s)
- Generativity vs. stagnation: care
Old age “Late
Adulthood” (60s onward)
- Integrity Vs. Despair
Consensual Validation
Individuals are attracted to people who are similar to them
We are supported and validate by behaviors and attitudes like ours
Secure Attachment
adults who have positive views of relationships, find it easy to get close to others, and are not overly concerned or stressed out about their romantic relationships.
Avoidant Attachment
adults who are hesitant about getting involved in romantic relationships and once in a relationship tend to distance themselves from their partner
Anxious Attachment
adults who demand closeness, are less trusting and are more emotional, jealous, and possessive
More prone to causing infidelity
