Unit 1 Flashcards
Gerontology
The study of the aging process
Identity
How people view themselves in the bio, psycho, and social domains of life. Interactions of those domains form the self
THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING
Change is inevitable
Survivors grow old
Individuality matters
Normal aging is different from disease
The Continuity Principal
Changes in later adulthood build on the experiences we had earlier years.
-Affects our identity
The Survival Principal
The people who live to old age are the ones who managed to outlive threats that could have caused their deaths.
Bio, psycho, and social factors may have contributed to their survival.
The Individuality Principal
As we age, we gain more individuality.
Divergence in People Occurs In
Physical
Mental
Relationships
Interest in work
Economic security
Personality
Interindividual Differences VS Intraindividual Differences
Interindividual differences are differences between people while intraindividual differences are the variations in performance within the same individual.
Multidirectionality
Development can proceed in multiple directions within the same person
The types of Aging
Primary/Normal Aging
Secondary/Impaired Aging
Tertiary Aging
Primary/Normal Aging
The normal changes over time that occur due to universal, intrinsic, and progressive alterations in the body’s systems
Secondary/Impaired Aging
Impairment due to disease rather than normal aging
Tertiary Aging
Rapid loss of functions across multiple areas at the end of life
Emerging Adulthood
18 to 29, assuming the full responsibilities of adulthood
The Different “Old Ages”
Young-old- Ages 65 to 74
Old-old- Ages 75 to 84
Oldest-old- Ages 85 and older
Centenarians- People over the age of 100
Supercentenarians- People 110 and older
Functional Age
How we perform, revealing our true characteristics and abilities
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
“Social class,” reflects people’s position in the educational and occupational ranks of a society
Life Expectancy
The average number of years of life remaining to people born within a similar period of time
Life Span
The maximum age for a given species
Developmental Science
The focus of life span development
Contextual Influences on Development
Sex, race, ethnicity, social class, income, religion, and culture
Life-Span Perspective
Childhood - old age
Geriatrics
Medical specialty in aging, sociology, anthropology, the humanities, and other behavioral and social sciences
Niche-Picking
Genetic and environmental factors that influence the direction of a child’s life.
Organismic Model
Heredity drives the course of development throughout life
Mechanistic Model
People’s behavior changes-with-need to adapt to their environments
-Growth occurs with learning opportunities
-No definable stages
Interactionist Model
Genetics, environment, and the individual interact with development
Plasticity in Development
Development may be altered (is “plastic”) depending on individual’s specific interactions in the environment.
-Mental and Physical exercise
-Avoiding risky behavior
Reciprocity in Development
People reciprocate-influence-for-development
Ecological Perspective
The environment affects the individual’s development
Environmental Levels of the Ecological Perspective
Macrosystem
Ecosystem
Mesosystem
Microsystem
The Individual
Chronosystem
From the ecological perspective, changes that take place over time.
Life Course Perspective
The norms, roles, and attitudes about age that impact the shape of our lives
Social Clock
The expectations for the ages by society
-Age
-Social roles
-Resources available
-The way they are treated by others
Activity Theory
Older adults happy about staying active in their roles
Disengagement Theory
We become more anti-social as we age
Continuity Theory
Disengagement or activity is beneficial to the older adult depending on their personality
Ageism
A set of beliefs, attitudes, social institutions, and acts that denigrate individuals or groups based on their chronological age
Terror Management Theory
We are afraid of being mortal
Modernization Hypothesis
Because of Western society doing better, older adults are devalued
Intersectionality
Multiple “isms” interact with one another to influence the discriminatory ways in which people reflecting more than one group are treated
Multiple Jeopardy Hypothesis
Having more than one “ism” and experiencing biases against each.
Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychological Development
Infancy (0-2) - Trust VS Mistrust
Toddler (2-3) - Autonomy VS Shame and Doubt
Preschool (4-6) - Initiative VS Guilt
Childhood (7-12) - Industry VS Inferiority
Adolescence (13-19) - Identity VS Role Confusion
Young Adulthood (20s) - Intimacy VS Isolation
Middle Adulthood (30s-50s) - Generativity VS Stagnation
Old Age (60s+) - Integrity VS Despair
Schemas
Mental structures we use to understand the world
Assimilation VS Accomodation
In A -S- similation, people use their existing schemas to understand the world around them. In A -C- comodation people change their schemas in response to new information about the world.
-S- in assimilation stands for -same,- and the -C- in accommodation for is -change.-
Identity Assimilation
The interpretation of new experiences in terms of a person’s existing identity.
-Feel happy about being not perfect
-Distort your interpretation of experiences when change actually happens
Identity Accommodation
Making changes in identity in response to experiences that challenge people’s current view of themselves
Identity Balance
The equilibrium of when people tend to view themselves consistently but can make changes when called for
-Can have destructive consequences
Multiple Threshold Model
Individuals realize that they are getting older as aging-related changes occur
-ignore signs that the changes the body is going through require attention
-“use it or lose it” approach to the aging process
Selective Optimization with Compensation model (SOC)
Putting more effort into abilities that are important and less into those that are not.
Dependent Variable
The measured variable
Independent Variable
The variable that is manipulated
Experimental Design
Research method in which an independent variable is manipulated and scores are measured on the dependent variable. Involves random assignment of respondents to treatment and control groups
Quasi-Experimental Design
Groups are compared on predetermined characteristics
Descriptive Research Designs
How people perform based on their age but does not attempt to rule out social or historical factors
Factors that jointly influence the individual’s performance on a given psychological measure
Age
Cohort- Year (or period) of a person’s birth (Measuring Influences relative to history at time of birth)
Time of Measurement- Year or period in which a person is tested (Measuring current influences on individuals being tested)
Cohort Effects
The social, historical, and culture influences that affect people during a particular period of time
Normative History
Influences at or around the time of a person’s birth
Longitudinal Design
People are followed repeatedly from one test occasion to another
The Downfall of Longitudinal Research Designs
-Can’t tell if change results from the person’s own aging or the result of the changing environment in which the person functions
-Expensive and technologically challenging (as it takes place over years-decades)
-Losing participants to death, relocation, or lack of sustained interest
Prospective Study
Longitudinal design but sample from a population of interest before they exp life event or illness
Selective Attrition
People who drop out of a longitudinal study are not representative of the sample that was originally tested. Nonrandom sampling.
Cross-Sectional Research Design
Groups of people compared with different ages at one point in time.
-Reflects differences between cohorts and effects of current social and cultural influences
Sequential Design
Data collection via different combinations of the variables of age, cohort, and time of measurement
Most Efficient Design
Three designs manipulating the variables of age, cohort, and time of measurement
Time-Sequential Design
Data is organized by age and time of measurement
Cohort Sequential Design
Cohorts are compared at different ages
Cross-Sequential Design
Cohorts are examined at different times of measurement
Correlational Design
Relationships among two or more variables
-Age is a continuous variable, so no need for defined groups
Multivariate Correlational Design
Simultaneously evaluating the effects of more than two variables
Multiple Regression Analysis
Multivariate correlational research design but the variables are used to predict scores on another variable
Logistic Regression
Test the likelihood of an individual receiving a score on a discrete yes–no variable
-Moderation
-Mediation
Moderation VS Mediation
Moderation is when variables A & B are thought to influence C. Mediation compares the correlation between A & B with and without their correlation to C.
Path Analysis
Test all possible correlations in the variables to see if they can be explained by a single model
Latent Variable
A statistical composite of several variables
Structural Equation Model (SEM)
Test models involving relationships w/ latent variables
Types of Research Methods
Lab Studies
Qualitative Methods
Archival Research
Survey Method
Epidemiology
Case Report
Focus Group
Daily Diary Method
Observational Method
Meta-Analysis
Epidemiology
Study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events
-Prevalence statistics- % of people who have EVER HAD symptoms in a particular period
-Incidence statistics- % of people who FIRST HAVE symptoms in a given period
MEASUREMENT AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING
Reliability
Validity
Informed Consent
Debriefing
Privacy
Benefits
Deception
