Lecture 2

Question 1

Age as a variable

Answer 1

Can’t manipulate
Organismic variable
Many are quasi experimental (young and old groups) or descriptive (correlations)

Question 2

Different age types

Answer 2

Chronological- poor markers of bio/psych changes
Bio - stage of lifespan
Functional - competence on daily tasks
Psychological - adapting to change
Sociocultural - role expected for life stage

Question 3

Longitudinal studies

Answer 3

Advantages - directly address change no individual differences
Disadvantage- expensive time consuming may underestimate decline (Zelinski et al 1997)

Question 4

Crosssectional

Answer 4

This dominates measures different ages
Advantages inexpensive quick no repetition
Disadvantages assumes sample representative, individual differences, confound cohort and. Age effects, over estimates age effect (Hofer et al 2001)

Question 5

Schaie

Answer 5

1996- longitudinal.
Fluency verbal spatial number and inductive score highest around 46 then decline

1994- cross sectional
All different peaks

Question 6

Combine cross sectional and longitudinal

Answer 6

Advantages info on time of measurement effect and individual changes

Disadvantages very expensive time consuming complex stats (schaies study)

Question 7

Participant samples

Answer 7

Inference depends on sample
- recruit from a care Home then overestimate decline but those who can come to a lab may underestimate decline
Need representative sample
-important To study middle age too as maybe pre-cursors, useful for interventions early
Many studies but all older people into one group this is bad as 4 times more heterogeneity in order age than early life (baltes and baltes 86, potter grealy 09)

Question 8

Age groups

Answer 8

Young old 65 to 74
old old 75 to 84
oldest Old 85+

Question 9

Variability within older sample

Answer 9

Old old more physiological problems disability and have operations (Parker et al 92) but decreased depression and anxiety (blazer et al 1991)

Oldest old are unique the biological elite (Linn and Linn 1980) superior to a young old in cognitive performance

Question 10

Can’t study people with dementia In a healthy sample

Answer 10

Early stages are hard to diagnose using screening techniques MMSE. (Folstein folstein and McHugh 1975) and NART (Nelson and Willison 1991)

Question 11

Must consider measure used and if it is appropriate for older

Answer 11

Ecologically valid
-more difficult in the lab then in real life e.g. strategies can be applied need to be ecologically valid also need to control over variables

Careful if expert bias if recently tested

Need to measure sensory functioning e.g. insure wearing glasses if needed

Question 12

Ethics

Answer 12

Explained purpose
debrief 
medical expert on hand 
ensure protect self-esteem 
mindful comfortable location 
Anonymity , stop at any time, confidentiality and consent