PSY210: Late Adulthood Flashcards

Question

Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 1

Incidence Higher with age – about 45% over age 85 Symptoms Forgetting>disorientation>personality change>depression>motor problems>delusions> speech problems>infections irritable, loss of inhibition, depression - recognize it, diff understanding ppl

Answer 2

Brain changes Neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid plaques in cerebral cortex, synapse deterioration buildup of protein: tangles - excess tao = neural death plaque outside of neuron - excess amyloid

Answer 3

Risk factors ! Genetic predispositions ! High-fat diet ! Lifestyle factors chromosome 21 not well understood, only for certain groups

Answer 4

Protective factors Education, active lifestyle ! Mediterranean diet ! Active social life poor exercise, low activity, keeps up thinking by interacting with ppl

Answer 5

lifestyle and genetic contributing to gender diff | shouldn’t be something we overly worry about

Answer 6

Deliberate Recall more difficult context helps retrieval, but slower processing, smaller working memory make context harder to encode deliberate - memory that takes effort - unpracticed decline in deliberate memory

Answer 7

Automatic Recognition easier than recall ! more environmental support maintain performance of auto/implicit memory Implicit memory better than deliberate memory ! without conscious awareness ! depends on familiarity

Answer 8

lower processing speed, decrease in WM, slower recall | not spontaneously using strategies

Answer 9

Difficulty in creating or retrieving links between pieces of information "Using memory cues, enhancing meaningfulness of information, can help binding of 2 bits of info - more decline than typical memory

Answer 10

test diff in item-pair memory test - dramatic drop in late adulthood hard to hold info in WM + bind them + create representations don’t try to bind info, but if they use strategies, it increases performance

Answer 11

! Very long-term recall ! Autobiographical memory testing their knowledge for random LTM info - perform worse autobio memory bump - report few memory betw 30 + 50, but 15-25 most recently is remembered better, but lives are more of the same misbelieve that they have better memory for younger years

Answer 12

``` Remembering to engage in planned actions ! Event-based easier than time- based ! Use reminders, repetition to help prospective - declines in planning event-based do not decline - cues time based - requires cognitive effort ```

Answer 13

Comprehension changes very little Problems retrieving specific words • tip-of-the-tongue state • use more pronouns, pauses in speech comprehension doesn’t really decrease, but production does decline think of concept and word associated with it - associative memory - decreased tip of the tongue - can’t remember word

Answer 14

Problems planning what to say • hesitations, false starts, repetition, sentence fragments • statements less organized more broken speech

Answer 15

Compensation use definition/synonyms for words you forget • simpler grammar, more sentences, gist • symbolic interpretation stories - fewer plot moments + individual details, focus on moral lessons

Answer 16

Real problems • family relations • managing daily living activities improves in everyday problems due to experience - practiced

Answer 17

``` Extend strategies from middle adulthood • avoid interpersonal conflicts • use experience to decide quickly, when possible • consult others • collaborate base on experience making decisions ```

Answer 18

``` Mentally active life • education, stimulating leisure, social participation, flexibility Health higher education, stimulating - musical active mind, practicing, less effortful - automatic ```

Answer 19

Retirement Distance to death • terminal decline retirement - depends on transition, poor cognitive task to boring life, but better if from boring life to active life years prior to dying - steady sharp decline in cognitive ability predictor of death, but can last from 3-14 years

Answer 20

Cognitive interventions • ADEPT, ACTIVE simply teaching them to use strategies + engage in mental tasks increases performance on basic memory tests

Answer 21

Feel whole, complete, satisfied with achievements !Serenity and contentment !Associated with psychosocial maturity

Answer 22

!Feel many decisions were wrong, but now time is too short !Bitter and unaccepting of coming death !Expressed as anger, contempt for others

Answer 23

middle adulthood - contribute to society or you feel like you’re doing nothing some ppl have integrity and feel like they can still learn things attitudes they express coming from their life review

Answer 24

Ego differentiation versus work- role preoccupation retire - don’t do the things that used to define you, role in society is changing lose purpose after work role is lost

Answer 25

Body transcendence versus body preoccupation can become preoccupied with things they are no longer able to do have to be ok with the idea of dying - life had meaning

Answer 26

Ego transcendence versus ego preoccupation | overcome with early generativity

Answer 27

Beyond ego integrity Cosmic, transcendent perspective Directed beyond self " forward and outward

Answer 28

``` Heightened inner calm Quiet reflection unique stage toward end of life efforts and interests beyond self thinking forward in terms of society as a whole ```

Answer 29

Cognitive-affective complexity " declines for many Affect optimization improves " maximize positive emotions, dampen negative ones ability to think complexity of emotions and social relationships improves substantially in early and middle adulthood - not as angry - we understand ourselves and others better

Answer 30

More vivid emotional perceptions " use emotion-centered coping engage in affect optimization - focus on bright side of life better, we recognize the things that don’t matter better in tune with own emotions, focus on it, feel it more

Answer 31

Telling stories about people, events, thoughts and feelings from past " self-focused: can deepen despair reminiscence - involves other ppl self-focused: wanna talk about it regardless if you’re there - fixated interally

Answer 32

other-focused: solidifies relationships " knowledge-based: helps solve problems telling them because you think they wanna hear it - help solve a problem generativity, pass on wisdom

Answer 33

Considering the meaning of past experiences A form of reminiscence For greater self- understanding Can help adjustment life reviews are generally good, reminisce on good times, even if times are bad - can reflect positively on life

Answer 34

``` Secure, multifaceted self-concept " allows self-acceptance " continue to pursue possible selves how they view themselves as a person secure - know who they are still believe they can learn new things, have several possible selves ```

Answer 35

Shifts in some characteristics " more agreeable " less sociable multifaceted - as a partner, parent, retired, employee, sibling greater self acceptance, comfortable with who they are still believe they can learn new things, have several possible selves more agreeable - don’t get upset

Answer 36

greater acceptance of change " Resilience promotes adaptive functioning. interact with fewer ppl, already experienced a great amount of change

Answer 37

Third Age " ages 65 to 79 and beyond " marked by personal fulfillment, self-realization " high life satisfaction

Answer 38

" need more opportunities happy, know they have time to do new things generally knows what’s gonna happen society doesn’t have jobs for elderly, less activities available

Answer 39

" physical decline " need for care

Answer 40

About three-fourths of N.A. elders say religion is “very important.” Over half attend services weekly. ppl go back to church after they have children culture, low income - more religious, W more religious, and low educated

Answer 41

Many become more religious/spiritual with age. " not all: about one-fourth get less religious " cultural, SES, gender differences Physical, psychological benefits " social engagement healthier and happier, less stress - religious religious practice engage in social interaction - with other ppl form friendships, support network

Answer 42

Control versus dependency Health " poor health, depression linked " suicide risk depression - greater in late adulthood, similar to early adulthood

Answer 43

death of partners, children, friends - too much too fast can lead to suicide control vs dependency Negative life changes Social support, interaction

Answer 44

Dependency–support script " attend immediately to dependent behaviours want to feel like we are in control, we have a choice like to have a say in what happens we can’t care for ourselves, losing control over our lives nice intentions may make them feel like their dependent

Answer 45

``` Independence–ignore script " ignore independent behaviours engage in independence - isolated help them - feel dependent just interact with them while they’re being independent ```

Answer 46

Scripts work together " both reinforce dependency " make social contact less pleasant

Answer 47

Disengagement theory mutual withdrawal of elders and society Activity theory social barriers cause declining interaction Continuity theory strive to maintain consistency between past and future Socioemotional selectivity theory social networks become more selective with age; extends lifelong process

Answer 48

emphasize emotion-regulating functions of social contact society gives them space to self-reflection wrong: don’t wanna be isolated activity: things that prevent ppl - inaccessible travel, don’t like being forced into social interaction continuity: want similar types of relationship, quantity less important recognize who we want to be around, we only need a certain groups

Answer 49

mean number of social partners declines overall | close friends don’t reduce quite as much

Answer 50

Communities " majority live in suburbs – higher income " minorities in cities – better transportation, social services " few small town, rural – far from children; interact with neighbours, friends

Answer 51

``` Neighbourhoods " prefer other seniors " fear of crime and victimization Housing " prefer aging in place most live in the suburbs - afford it ```

Answer 52

in cities - lower SES less support and hospitals in rural areas want to live with similar ppl that reinforce world view

Answer 53

least likely to be victims of crime, but in urban centers, more likely victim of pickpocket and theft in urban centres, then victimized at higher rate wanna stay home - familiar space

Answer 54

Ordinary homes 80% " own home – preferred and most control " with family " number living alone increasing widows on the rise value independence so much that we prefer to live in our own homes

Answer 55

Residential communities 15% " congregate housing " life-care communities own apartment, but around other ppl

Answer 56

Nursing homes 5% " restricts autonomy, social integration " Green House model better focus on medical care in nursing homes abysmal conditions in nursing homes - more likely for lower SES treat it more like dorm life

Answer 57

``` MARRIAGE Satisfaction peaks in late adulthood " fewer stressful responsibilities " fairness in household tasks " joint leisure " emotional understanding, ```

Answer 58

regulation If dissatisfied, harder for women happier with partner than when they first got married fewer societal pressures on men to be masculine experience understanding partner - likes/dislikes W more likely to fix it

Answer 59

Few divorces in late adulthood, but increasing " hard to recover; especially women harder due to separation of income, didn’t work so don’t have pension more likely to remain widow ppl just start living with others, do avoid financial reasons

Answer 60

Rates low; decline with age | " higher for divorced than widowed " late remarriage stable

Answer 61

Growing trend " financial and family reasons " relationships stable ppl just start living with others, do avoid financial reasons

Answer 62

Most stressful event of life for many " one-third of elderly " significantly more women than men Few remarry; most live alone " must cope with loneliness Reorganizing life harder for men " more likely to remarry 19 don’t need another person moving forward men have fewer social partners, lose wives social circles

Answer 63

``` Friends provide: " intimacy " companionship " acceptance " link to community " help with loss Feel closest to a few nearby friends Choose friends similar to self Sex differences continue W have higher levels of intimacy + discussions M continue to do activities with friends ```

Answer 64

Quality of relationship affects elders’ physical, mental health Assist each other " direction changes toward children helping as parents age " closeness affects willingness to help " emotional support most often " parents try to avoid dependency

Answer 65

Sex differences " mother–daughter ties often closest physically and mentally better if good relationship less likely to help if they had a terrible relationship avoid codependency form more intimate relationships - mother-daughter

Answer 66

Half of elders have adult grandchildren. " wider network of support Relationships vary " involvement during childhood predicts later relationship

Answer 67

gradually reduced contact for many " grandparents still express affection Limited, but affectionate role with great- grandchildren wider network of support