lecture 1- the study of adult development and aging Flashcards
gerontology
study of aging from maturity though old age–> biological, psychological, sociological changes
what is the preferred way to reference someone over age of 65?
older adult/ older person –> more neutral and acknowledges how experience of aging varies
what are the age groups of: first age, second age, third age, fourth age
1st= youth to early 20s 2nd= early 20s to 40s 3rd= 50-75 4th= >75
what do you call ages 65-74, 75-84, 85+
young-old
old-old
oldest-old
historically, who were the focus of research from developmental perspective?
children and adolescents
what is the older adulthood age group based on?
65+, based on Otto von Bismarck age of social insurance
cohort effects
history and context–> refer to different historical and environmental factors, can lead to significant differences & suggest we cant easily generalize ideas about aging to older adults
who is Paul Baltes?
credited with championing the study of development across the entire lifespan
4 principles of lifespan development
- history and context
- plasticity
- multiple causality
- multi-directionality
4 main forces that influence how we develop?
- biological forces- genetic and health related factors
- psychological- perceptual, cognitive, emotional, personality factors
- sociocultural- interpersonal, societal, cultural, ethnic factors
- life-cycle factors- how same event/ combo of forces affect ppl at diff times in life
four main controversies for explaining the manner in which we develop and age
- nature vs. nurture
- stability vs. change
- continuity vs. discontinuity
- universal vs. context-specific (one pathway for development or is it context specific?)
normative age-graded influences
normal age related changes that most ppl experience
Ex. puberty and menopause
normative history-graded influences
influences that are experienced by most ppl in a specific area or culture at the same time
non-normative influences
random, unexpected events that are unique to an individual
Ex. winning lottery, bad car accident, etc.
chronological age
number of years a person has lived
biological age
description of development based on the aging of various physical systems, age is index of biological health
psychological age
attempt to understand development by how individual thinks, reasons, and acts independent of chronological age
social age
measure of how well a person’s behavior fits with the norms society has for a person of that age
functional age
measure of how well individual can function in his or her environment–> takes into account biological, psychological, social age, and environment
*may be most useful measure
primary aging
refers to normal, disease-free change over the life span, gradual changes that happen to most ppl
secondary aging
developmental changes that are related to disease, lifestyle, and other environmentally induced changes that are not inevitable
tertiary aging
rapid losses/ decreases in cognitive and functional abilities shortly before death
who are fastest growing section in Canadian population?
older adults
oldest area of world=
Europe
youngest area of world=
Africa
world’s oldest population
Japan
what area shows faster growth of older adults, rural or urban areas?
urban areas
centenarians
individual who lives to be 100-110
why is there worldwide population aging?
better healthcare, greater access to healthcare, eradication of childhood diseases, decline in global birth rate
fertility replacement level
number of children born per women necessary for pop to replace itself–> around 2 for most countries (however, total fertility rate lower than this in Canada 1.61)
