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