Key Themes in Ageing Research

Question 1

what is the name of studying ageing?

Answer 1

gerontology

Question 2

what factors converge to effect ageing?

Answer 2

biological (genetics, physiology)
psychological (cognition, personality)
social (culture, interpersonal relationships)

Question 3

what are the four principles of ageing?

Answer 3

continuity - early experiences influence later life
survivor
individuality
health vs pathology

Question 4

what is primary ageing?

Answer 4

• gradual and inevitable
• genetic/pre-programmed coding
• independent of disease and environment

Question 5

what is secondary ageing?

Answer 5

• environmental and disease related
• smoking, obesity/diet, lack of physical activity (reduced bone density)

Question 6

what are more personal social factors that effect ageing?

Answer 6

• sex & gender
• socioeconomic status
• race/ethnicity

Question 7

what are more personal psychological factors that effect ageing?

Answer 7

• mental health
• identity/self-esteem
• cognition - memory, attention, reaction time all start to decay

Question 8

what are more personal biological factors that effect ageing?

Answer 8

• skeletal system (loss of bone material in vertebrae)
• immune system (loss of resilience to illness)
• CNS - a change in info processing and responses to stimuli due to volume of hippocampus & deterioration of the frontal lobes