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