PSY2004 SEMESTER 1 - WEEK 1 Flashcards
socioemotional - psychology of ageing
define gerontology
scientific study of ageing from maturity through old age
define primary ageing
normal, disease-free development during adulthood including change in biological, psychological, socio-cultural, life-cycle processes
define secondary ageing
developmental change related to disease, lifestyle, environmentally induced change which isn’t inevitable (pollution)
define tertiary ageing
rapid loss occurring before death eg: dementia
whats psychological age
functional level of psychological abilities used to adapt to changing environmental demands (memory, intelligence, feelings, motivation)
whats sociocultural age
specific set of roles individuals adopt in relation to other members of societies
what is stereotype threat effect
ironic effect of underperformance on stereotype-relevant task due to anxiety that individual feels about confirming negative stereotypes
give example of stereotype threat in intellectual abilities
assumption that intellectual ability declines with age - task performance in this group was expected to perform 1/2 worse than a control group (cohen’s d = 0.52)
explain the Baltimore longitudinal study of ageing (BLSA) - stereotype threats
asked on peoples stereotypes (older people are absent minded. yes/no)
measured hippocampal volume (memory), cardiovascular events, controlled possible factor(age, depression, BMI, education, BP, family history, smoking, self-rated health)
- all ppts were physically healthy, free of dementia during first test
RESULTS: internalising effects of stereotypes have long-term consequences
why study ageing?
- understand full picture of development (impact, change)
- consider methods to sustain/improve autonomy (accommodation in workplace, assisting positives of being older)
define lifespan perspective
development as change that lasts a lifetime (Baltes)
what 2 phases is lifespan perspective divided into, and describe what they are
early (childhood and adolescence) - rapid age-related increases in size and ability
later (young adulthood, middle age, OA) - slower change in size, but ability continues to develop as continue adapting to environments
define ontogenesis
individual development is continuum in which changes are observed (from birth to full maturity and death)
name the 7 theoretical propositions included in lifespan perspective
development as life-long process
multidirectionality
development as gain/loss
plasticity
historical embeddedness
contextualism
multidisciplinary
outline theoretical perspective of development as life-long process (lifespan perspective)
no age period holds supremacy in regulating nature of development, all stages of lifespan (continuous/cumulative and discontinuous/innovative) processes are at work during development
briefly outline continuous (cumulative) development
adds up across lifetime
outline theoretical perspective of multidirectionality (lifespan perspective)
development involves both growth and decline, may grow in one area and decline in another area. even within same domain, diversity and plurism are evident in directionality of ontogenetic change
-direction of changes depend on behaviour
-some systems increase and others decrease in functioning
outline mechanics of intelligence (theoretical proposition of multidirectionality lifespan perspective)
basic architecture of info processing and problem solving dealing with basic cognitive operations and cognitive structures (eg; perceiving and classification)
outline pragmatics of intelligence (theoretical proposition of multidirectionality lifespan perspective)
content and knowledge-related application of mechanics of intelligence
general systems of factual and procedural knowledge
why is pragmatics of intelligence referred to as crystallised
“crystallised” - get stronger and more hardened, and less flexible over time (improve)
often specialised due to expertise, knowledge about factors of performance relevant to using intelligence in specific context
explain theoretical proposition of development as a gain/loss (lifespan perspective)
joint occurrence of gains (growth), loss (decline) changes across lifetime
how we deal with loss may be a gain itself
SOC approach
explain what selective optimisation with compensation (SOC) approach (lifespan perspective theoretical perspective of gains/losses)
concerns dynamics between gains and loss in successful ageing
life-span development consist of dynamic interactions between growth, maintenance + loss regulation. 3 critical factors:
1. as people age they focus on abilities essential for their functioning
2. then optomise behaviour and focus
3. learn to compensate for decline using workaround strategies
explain theoretical perspective of plasticity (lifespan perspective)
capacity not predetermined, many skill can be trained later in life. intraindividual plasticity in psychological development depends on life conditions and experiences
state 3 factors that plasticity depends on
- baseline performance: initial performance level on given task without interventions (how fast running 5k)
- baseline reserve capacity: upper range of individuals performance potential when given all available resources to optomise performance (speed of 5km with special trainers)
- developmental reserve capacity: when conditions added strengthening baseline reserve through intervention or development (speed of 5km run after training)
what does distinguishing between 3 aspects (baseline performance, baseline reserve capacity, developmental reserve capacity) allow in studying plastivity
allows study of constraint/norm of reaction, intended to index biological and sociocultural limits restricting formation of given behaviours, and its open development
explain theoretical perspective of historical embeddedness (lifespan perspective)
ontogenetic development varies with historical-cultural contexts with development being influenced by sociocultural conditions and their evolution
eg: improving health care, educations
how does historical embeddedness apply to research, and what does Baltes state for it
are OA that are tested in 2024 same as OA tested in 2074?
depending on prevailing cultural conditions, level and course of intellectual ageing can vary markedly. any single cohort-specific observation doesn’t tell final story on nature of intellectual ageing
explain theoretical perspective of contextualism (lifespan perspective)
individual development is affected by complex interaction between age-graded, normative history-graded and non-normative factors
OA growing up in WW2 develops differently
define normative age-graded influence (theoretical proposition of contextualism lifespan perspective)
biological, psychological, environmental determinants having fairly strong relation with chronological age and so predictable in temporal sequence (onset and duration), so are similar in direction among individuals
eg; biological maturation representing major change regardless of culture, environments like marriage and retirement
define normative history-graded influences (theoretical proposition of contextualism lifespan perspective)
biological and environmental determinants associated with historical time and define larger evolutionary, biocultural context where individual develops
1. long-term change (eg, toward modernity)
2, time-specific (eg, WW2)
explain non-normative influences (theoretical proposition of contextualism lifespan perspective)
biological and environmental determinants whose occurrence, patterning and sequencing are not applicable to many individuals and not tied to dimensions of developmental time, not following general or predictable course eg; refugees, or a one off like winning the lottery
explain life-cycle forces and their implications on understanding age-related difference
normative history-graded influence might produce generational differences and conflict, has implication on understanding why differences may be age-related
why is cultures important in gerontology
how we define concepts like person, age and life-courses differ across cultures and has different meanings
explain theoretical proposition of multidisciplinary (theoretical proposition of contextualism lifespan perspective)
biopsychosocial framework with 4 interactive forces
biological (menopause)
psychological (perceptions, cognitive, emotional, personality)
socio-cultural
life-cycle
outline interdisciplinary context
anthropology, biological, sociology, psychology is concerned with human development
“purist” view giving incomplete picture of behavioural development from birth to death
explain socio-cultural “interactive force” of biopsychosocial framework (multidisciplinary life-span perspective)
interpersonal, societal, cultural, ethnic providing overall development context
explain life-cycle “interactive force” of biopsychosocial framework (multidisciplinary in lifespan perspective)
differences in how same event/combination of biological, psychological, sociocultural forces affects people at different points in life
briefly outline change in social network
decrease in size, social pruning 30-40, preference for familiar, emotionally close partners
what does social pruning result in
interpersonal conflict reduce, less problematic relationships and interpersonal stressors, when conflict arises view partners emotions favourably with less negative emotions
give some values of positive social networks
better cognitive functioning, recovery from stroke, reduced signs of dementia, morbidity, mortality
in relation to younger adults, older adults experience what in social relationship
higher level of positive emotions and less intense negative emotions, greater support and better quality ties with family, positive marriage, greater satisfaction
outline aging paradox
despite declines in physical and cognitive health, older adults report positive relationships/wellbeing
what did Fung (1999) find in regard to social preferences
having more time to invest in new relationships still didn’t mean older adults wanted to stray from familiar relationships (eg: having 30min to speak to someone before a long solo trip… chose familiar friend over chatting with famous celeb)
expanded time horizon= prefer familiar social partner
limited time horizon= both preferred familiars
outline socioemotional selectivity theory
consciously and subconsciously monitor time, play fundamental role in motivation and emotion for goals we set, pursue, evaluate
focus on optomising wellbeing, seeking similar goals partner, narrow horizon, reduce problematic partners
what is role of environment in social selectivity theory
less social stressors (retirement, children, work problem) but new issues like caring and grief
outline social input model (SIM)- social selectivity theory
OA typically act in way enhancing positive qualities of relationship, and social partner will reciprocate. eg: treat OA with kindness, creating kinder social environments
name 2 primary trajectories of social motive throughout life, in social selectivity theory
- emotion trajectory: motives to achieve emotional satisfication and meaning
- knowledge trajectory: motives to acquire new info and achieve in domains that are relevant to successful adaptation in future
how do social selectivity theory trajectories change as we age
YA motivated by knowledge, OA motivate emotion as time constrained, already has knowledges to prioritise emotional goals
1. increased attention to emotional regulation and goals (cognitive positivity bias), allocate more resources to emotional tasks
2. emotion regulation is more automatic, easier to engage in strategy that effort strategy of new info
outline positivity bias
attend to positive and avoid negative experience
what does research show about positivity in OA (Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998 emotion questionnaire measuring negative/positive affects)
positivity increase, negativity decrease
YA focus on social partner motivation, negative comment but OA less interest and has positive evaluations
due to social expertise, judge partners to avoid confrontation, unfavourable trait, use disengagement strategies (regulate own emotions, not confrontations)
outline Mather & Cartensen (2003) research on dots studying emotion
ppt press key when dot appeared on side as screen
faces briefly appeared before dot, pos/neg/neutral
if biased to look at specific emotion, will have faster reactions (attentional bias)
YA less bias but OA stronger bias to positive face
outline Luong & Charles study on SST and emotional regulation
limitied time so shift priority to emotional goals and less negative social experiences
a. steal antidote to save life
b. dont, but they will die
confederate argued back
in high stress confrontation, OA less reactive in self-rated and negative affect, pulse rate
appraised task and confed pos, endorsed goal to do well on solving tasks, less likely to endorse goal to change confed opinion
name other things found in studies which OA differ to YA on
less negatively reactive to daily stressor
decision avoidant strategies for interpersonal conflict
less willing to take social risks
name 3 issues in socioemotional ageing
- stability change issue
- continuity-discontinuity controversy
- universalVScontext specific development
outline issue socioemotional ageing - stability change
degree to which people remain same over time - how specific characteristic are defined and measured
outline issue socioemotional ageing - continuity-discontinuity controversy
whether particular developmental phenomenon represents smooth progression over time or series of abrupt shifts (discontinuity)
- continuity approach- amount of characteristic person has
- discontinuity approach: kinds of characteristics person has
- day-to-day behaviours look similar but over months can look discontinous
outline issue socioemotional ageing - universal Vs context-specific development controversy
in Kung (south-west Africa), asking ‘how old are you?’ has no meaning. social roles are not differing due to age compared to western cultures. if development involves interaction with environment, then different development for differing environments
