Module 5

Question 1

cognitive psychology

Answer 1

• Study of mental processes
  
  • Health pyscosocial history, indidivual identity and enviornmental factors

Question 2

creativity

Answer 2

• Measure of divergent thinking (ability to produce alternatie solutions)
  No clear assoication has been found in research of creativity and age

Question 3

wisdom

Answer 3

• Refers to the accumulation of knoweldge from expereince on fundamental aspects of life
  
  • Includes ability to reason, learn from expereince, make judgements and use information
  • Believed to accumlate over the life course

Question 4

intelligence

Answer 4

• Crystalized: the result of information, skills, and strategies people learn, little or no decline with age
  Fluid: ability to process new information, believed some declines occur with age

Question 5

memory

Answer 5

• Retention or storage of knowledge
  
  • Learning is the process of aquiring knoweldge skills and encoding is the process through which learned information is stored in memory for later us

Question 6

memory storehouses

Answer 6

• Working memory
  ○ Ability to temporarily store and manipulate information
  
  • Long term memory
    ○ Permanent storage of past experiences

Question 7

dementia

Answer 7

• Mental disorders caused by severe deteroiartion of the brain
  
  • Symptoms include: imapirment of memory, intellect, judgement, and orientation and changed emotions
    Most common are alzheimers and vascualr dementia

Question 8

normal aging vs dementia

Answer 8

• Not being able to remember details of a conversation that took place a year ago vs not being able to recall details of a recent event or conversation
  
  • Not being able to remember the name if an aquitance vs not recognzing or knowing the names of famiy members
  • Forgetting things and events occasionally vs forgetting things or events more frequently
  • Occasionally have difficulty finding the words vs frequent pauses and substituions when finding words
  • You are worried about your memory but your relatives are not vs your relatives are worried about your memory, but you are not aware of any problems

Question 9

causes of dementia

Answer 9

• Not fully understood
  
  • No cure for dementia but there are some pharmological treatments avaivble that are believed to help slow the onset of diseases
  • Most treatments availible focus on managing the symptoms and improving the quality of life

Question 10

global impacts of dementia

Answer 10

• Estimated number of people living with dementia in 2011 was 340,200 and this is expected to double to 674,000 by 2031
  
  • Almost half 45% of people living in residential care facilties have dementia
    Globally it has been estimated that 46.8 million people are living with dementia

Question 11

vascular dementia

Answer 11

• Is the second most common dementia. Vascular dementia usually begins around age 60-75 and is more common in men
  
  • Unlike AD we have a better understanding of how vascular dementia occurs. Vascular dementia has been clearly linked to atherscolorosis and stroke.
  • Main risk factors for vascular dementia is high blood pressure as well as obesity and smoking

Question 12

depression

Answer 12

• Diagnosed based on having a depressed mood and loss of interest in activites plus 3 other symtpoms

Question 13

personality and aging

Answer 13

• Persoanlity refers to who we are now and how we react to events/situations
  
  • Personality traits are enduring dispositons of thoughts feelings and behaviours
  • Self concept refers to our perception of self

Question 14

trait theory

Answer 14

proposes that everyone has most personality traits (neurotisicm, extroversion, openess, agreeableness and counscientiousness) to some degree

Question 15

coping behaviours

Answer 15

• Personality style can have an effect on death
  
  • Coping refers to a state of compatability between the person and their enviorment that allows them to maintain wellbeing and a sense of satisfaction
  • Coping strategies may be active or passive
    Adaptation refers to specific behvaiours an indidivual uses to meet challenges

Question 16

three adaptive skills for coping

Answer 16

1. Ability to marshal social support
   
   2. Ability to adopt new social roles
   3. Being able to modify your enviroment

Question 17

eriksons theory of adult development

Answer 17

• Proposes that over the life course there are eight development stages charachterzed by a series of opposing possibilities or dilemmas

Question 18

gender and stage theories of adulthood

Answer 18

• Levinsons transtion throigh adulthood built on the work by erikson and attempted to fill the gaps that occur
  
  • Also differentiates between paths expereinced by men and women

Question 19

four types of women with mid-life

Answer 19

• Tradiotnal: role of wife/mother crucial to identity, needs of family have priority, ambiton channeled into domestic activity
  
  • Innovative: strong career ambitons: gaurds against distractions, works hard to minimize traditonal femine roles
  • Expansive: actions guided by others expectations: famililar patterns and relashonships sought for safety, challenges avoided bc of lack of confidence
  • Protestors: early maturity due to truamtic expereince; needed to be responsible and dependable supressed desires and ambtions lurked in the background