lifespan perspective and socioemotional ageing Flashcards
negative perceptions of aging - are they reality?
memory loss, inability to drive, serious illness, lonely, financial issues, lack of social life
reality is much better than predicted by under 65s when compared with reality for over 65s
issues exist but not as common as predicted
stereotype threat effect and example with old people
ironic effect of underperformance on a stereotype-relevant task due to the anxiety felt about confirming negative stereotypes
when told intelligence declines with age, old people perform worse on IQ tests (meta-analysis of data)
why study aging (5)
full picture of development - not just early years - physically and psychologically
reduced stereotypes of “aging = negative”
can improve autonomy and wellbeing in older age
adjust environment to accommodate changes later in life - tools to assist older people and improve their lives
reduce number of negative consequences of not taking care of yourself associated with age → therefore less pressure on health services etc
stereotypes around old people and health conditions study - 2 variables for correlation
Baltimore Longitudinal study of aging
survey asked about attitudes towards old people with yes/no questions
measured number of cardiovascular issues (e.g. stroke)
* controlled for: age, BMI, chronic conditions etc. (which could contribute to likelihood of having cardiovascular health event)
* negative stereotypes = more likely to have cardiovascular health issue
measured hippocampal volume
* people with positive age stereotypes were less likely to have steep decline in hippocampal volume than those with negative age stereotypes
shows impact of internalising these stereotypes
aging demographic of the world - 1990, 2011, 2050 predictions
increase in over 60s:
9.2% in 1990
11.7% in 2013
predicted 21.1% in 2050
therefore 2 billion over 60s by 2050
lifespan perspective of development
broad perspective, embraces complexities, embodies all subdisciplines - diversity of experiences
* doesn’t fall into the issue other subdisciplines have with only focussing on one of these and ignoring other elements
* not one-size-fits-all
7 characteristics of lifespan perspective
- development as a life-long process
- multi-directionality
- development as gain and loss
- plasticity
- historical embeddedness
- contextualism as a paradigm
- multidisciplinary
characteristic of lifespan perspective: development as a lifelong process
no age period holds supremacy in regulating nature of development - not just children
both continuous (cumulative) and discontinuous (innovative) processes work at all stages
diverse change patterns that differ in timing (onset, duration, termination), direction, and order
characteristic of lifespan perspective: multi-directionality
diversity/pluralism in directionality of ontogenetic change
* direction of change depends on behaviour
in one developmental phase, systems of behaviour show increases whilst others decrease
mechanics of intelligence
* basic architecture of info processing and problem solving
* basic cognitive operations and structures associated with tasks
pragmatics of intelligence
* content and knowledge-related application of mechanics of intelligence
* general systems = factual and procedural knowledge - crystalised intelligence
* specialised systems = e.g. occupational expertise
* knowledge of performance or skills for activation of intelligence in specific contexts
characteristic of lifespan perspective: development as loss and gain- SOC framework
both growth and decline occurs with age - not all bad - more growth earlier than later
e.g. loss of not being able to drive doesn’t limit their ability to get around - use of public transport instead
- gerontology views aging as decline → limited view, mainly biological
- development is any change - any direction
- progression at same time as decline - no change is pure gain
- SOC - selectivity, optimisation and compensation framework - dynamics between gain and loss (especially in successful aging)
characteristic of lifespan perspective: plasticity - with 3 aspects
intraindividual plasticity in development
depends on life conditions and experiences
3 aspects of plasticity:
baseline performance = initial level of performance without intervention or special treatment (e.g., 5k run speed)
baseline reserve capacity = upper range of performance potential - when all available resources are used to optimize performance (e.g., 5k run speed with special trainers?)
developmental reserve capacity = strengthen baseline reserve capacity through intervention or development (e.g., 5k run speed after weeks of personal training)
distinction between these 3 is important - could just be out of practice - could achieve it with intervention
characteristic of lifespan perspective: historical embeddedness
ontogenetic development varies with historical-cultural contexts
* e.g. health care differences, education access
development is influenced socio-culturally within a specific time period and how they evolve over time - doesn’t occur in a vacuum
single cohort observations cannot tell all about aging
characteristic of lifespan perspective: contextualism as a paradigm - 3 factors
individual development is affected by complex interaction between:
age-graded influences
* correlated with age and predict their sequence
* biological maturation and age-graded socialisation e.g. puberty, menopause
* could include factors like marriage and retirement which often happen in an order with age - not just biological
history-graded/normative influences
* historical time an biocultural context in which individuals develop - applicable to many people in a group
* long term change functions e.g. toward modernity
* time-specific e.g. war, COVID pandemic
nonnormative influences
* not applicable to many people (more individual), don’t follow general predictable course
* e.g. refugees experience, effect of winning the lottery
characteristic of lifespan perspective: multidisciplinary
interdisciplinary - anthropology, biology, and sociology with psychology
purist psychological view is incomplete
integration of knowledge vs separatist differentiation of disciplinary knowledge
socioemotional processing - changes in social networks with age
size decreases with age
social pruning begins in 30-50s
older people show a preference for familiar and emotionally close partners = quality over quantity
socioemotional processing - value of positive social networks with age (4)
better cognitive functioning
reduced signs of dementia
better recovery from stroke
lower risk of morbidity and mortality
socioemotional processing - quality of social relationships in older age
higher levels of positive emotions and less intense negative emotions when interacting with friends and family
derive greater support from close relationships
greater satisfaction an fewer negative interactions with members of social network
conflicts view of old people as lonely - not that this doesn’t happen, but you can be young and lonely
socioemotional processing - aging paradox
despite decline in physical and cognitive health, older adults often report positive relationships and wellbeing
social preference study - limited or expanded time horizons
Fung et al (1999)
2 condition - limited (30 minutes till you move country) or expanded (20 years to live) time horizons
expanded = older adults preference for familiar social partners (younger adults more often will choose less close people)
limited = both age groups preferred familiar social partners (e.g. want to spend last half hour with close people)
socioemotional selectivity theory - what is it
consciously and subconsciously monitor time which plays fundamental role in motivation and emotion in sense of goals we set, pursue, and evaluate
age-related improvements in emotional affect → maybe due to improved emotional regulation in older adults
socioemotional selectivity theory - 2 trajectories of social motives
2 primary trajectories of social motives:
* emotion - achieve emotional satisfaction and meaning
* knowledge - acquire new info and achieve in domains relevant to success in the future
socioemotional selectivity theory - patterns and changes with age
shift towards emotion and away from knowledge with age → due to perceived time constraint on life
* want to be happy with the time they have left
* don’t need knowledge for careers etc with retirement - already achieved this
socioemotional selectivity theory - predictions from this theory (2)
predictions from this:
* positivity bias - focus on emotional regulation and goals should lead to more cognitive resources allocated to emotional tasks
* emotional regulation becomes more automatic with age - more relative ease - therefore can engage more in more effortful strategies for acquiring new info
socioemotional processing - positivity and age study - cues
positive affect increases with age
Mather and Cartensen (2003)
method:
* two faces shown on screen (happy or sad or neutral) - told they are irrelevant
* a dot appears on left or right and report which side of screen it was on (press left or right key)
results:
* idea that bias towards happy face and would mean attending to spot location quicker when it is on that same side
* younger adults = not much bias either way
* older adults = strongly biased toward positive faces and against negative (look at neutral instead over negative)
old people also tend to remember positive images compared to neutral and negative images
socioemotional processing - emotional regulation difference with age study (and discussion)
socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) = shifting priorities and emotional goals → less negative social experiences and better emotional regulation in older age
Luong and Charles (2014)
method:
- participant and confederate given scenario where an expensive antidote is needed to save a family member
- decide whether to steal it (morally wrong) to save them or don’t steal it and they die
- confederate always says opposite to the participant → creates confrontational environment - high-stress situation
- report how they felt before, during, and after task
- measured pulse rate for physiological impact of negative affect
results:
- older adults less reactive than younger in terms of self-rated negative affect
- both more negative during and positive after - just greater negativity with younger
- older = pulse rate stayed same before and during
- younger = pulse rate increased massively during task
discussion:
older people:
- appraised task and confederate more positively
- focussed on performing well on the task
- less likely to try and change confederates mind
consistent with research that shows that older people are: - less negative reactions to daily stressors
- use decision avoidant strategies used for interpersonal conflict - go with it more
- less willing to take social risks
difference in emotional regulation between two age groups was shown by how they appraised situations
