Type:
Test Bank and Instructor Manual
Resource:
Adulthood & Aging
Edition:
1st Edition
Author(s):
Marion G. Mason
CHAPTER 1 DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY APPLIED TO AGING Discussion Questions 1. 2.
What changes in American society would help support a continued purposive and social life? There is a huge “anti-aging” industry as baby-boomers get older. How should older individuals accept their aging, with grace or with some fight? Defend your position clearly and explain with some detail. What are some of the problems with trying to look and act as if you are 20 years old when you are much older? What topics or areas of study can you think of that are unique to childhood or adolescence and irrelevant to adulthood?
3. 4.
Assignments 1.
Check out CNN’s remembrance of Dr. Butler, the Father of Geriatrics: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/07/remembering-the-father-ofgeriatrics/?iref=allsearch
2.
Listen to Tom Ashbrook’s ON Point broadcast as he discussed “The Future of Aging”. http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/the-future-of-aging
Lecture Outline I.
Why Study Adult Development and Aging? A.
An Aging Population 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Historically speaking, it is a new and fairly recent situation to have such a large percentage of older adults in society. For Americans born in 1900, the life expectancy was 47.3 years. For those born in 1950, the life expectancy was 68.2 years. Those born in 2000 have a projected life expectancy of 76.9 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2007), a stunning 29.6 years longer than those born 100 years earlier. In the early 1900s, less than 5% of Americans lived to age 65 or older, whereas in 1995 the percentage had risen to 80% 1
(Langer & Moldoveanu, 2000).
6.
7.
8.
B.
The largest projected increases a. In the years 2020–2030=the number of Americans age 65 years and older jumps from 54.6 million to 71.5 million. b. In the years 2030–2040=the number of Americans 85 years old rises from 9.6 million to 15.4 million (Federal Interagency Forum, 2006). The “graying” of the world’s citizens a. The world population will rise in number from 6.1 billion in 2000 to 7.2 billion in 2015 (National Intelligence Council, 2000). b. In the United States, the population is projected to increase from just under 300 million (296,639,000) in 2005 to over 400 million (419,854,000) residents by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). c. In high-income, developed countries, the increased life expectancies and falling fertility rates will add momentum to the already apparent shift toward an older population. The shift toward an aging population has gained the attention of the American government with the three primary agencies involved a. The National Institute on Aging b. National Center for Health Statistics c. Census Bureau, along with other agencies d. Their pooled data (i.e., NIA, NCHS, and Census), once compiled and collated, reflects five key areas in the study of adulthood and aging (1) Population, including racial and ethnic composition and living arrangements (2) Economics, including income, poverty, and participation in the workforce (3) Health status, including cognitive function and disability (4) Health risks and behaviors, including physical activity, obesity, and smoking (5) Health care, including services, expenditures, and facilities
Challenging Issues 1.
2.
Introduction a. The rapidly increasing number of adults in their 60s and beyond brings with it the demand for information from those trying to meet current needs and prepare for the future. b. In terms of the academic study of adult development and aging, there are theoretical issues that must be considered. The Challenges a. Accepting and utilizing the multidisciplinary nature of the study of adulthood. Balancing an emphasis on later years in adulthood with a need to understand all of adulthood c. Finding the balance between highlighting the things younger, middle-aged, and older adults have in common and bringing to light the diversity in adult populations d. Dealing with the limited resources available for research
2
II.
A Psychological Approach to Adult Development and Aging A.
Multidisciplinary and Multifaceted Endeavor 1. 2.
B.
The Developmental Psychological Perspective 1.
C.
III.
The study of adult development and aging is multidisciplinary and multifaceted. Reflecting similarities and differences across disciplines as well as among areas of emphasis within disciplines Developmental psychology can be defined as the scientific study of the ways mental and behavioral processes change within individuals over time.
Positive and Realistic Approach 2.
Much of the current emphasis in developmental psychology, as it is applied to adulthood and aging, is on aspects of adult development that are a. Stable b. Change with age c. Progress in positive and productive ways d. Decline with age
Multiple Dimensions of Age A.
Critical Differences 1. 2.
3.
4.
5.
B.
Childhood generally covers about 12 years while adulthood can cover 60 years or more Segmenting Adulthood a. Young adulthood—18-20 years old to 40-45 years old b. Middle adulthood—40-45 years old to 60-65 years old c. Late adulthood— 60-65 years old to end of life Diversity of Late Adulthood a. Young-Old—60-65 years old to 74 years old b. Old-Old—75 to 84 years old c. Oldest-Old—85 years old and over Age Divisions serve as efficient labels for loosely-grouped age-related a. Roles b. Stereotypes c. Expectations European Segmentation of Adulthood a. Second Age—adulthood up to preretirement as Second Age b. Third Age—people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s [the time of vitality between preretirement and the oldest-old] c. Fourth Age—80s to end of life
Normative age-graded influences 1.
Definition: Typical events or influences with a strong relationship to age a. Example: typical age to start elementary school b. Well-suited for early lifespan years 3
2.
C.
Functional Age 1. 2.
D.
Useful concept for Adulthood: How an adult functions on various domains provides a practical profile DOMAINS of Functional Age a. Biological Age—comparison of an individual’s health, particularly vital organ systems, to others of similar chronological age (1) National Institute of Aging (NIA) prefers a biological age (over chronological age) comprised of many bodily functions (e.g., heart function and lung capacity; NIA refers to these particular functions as biomarkers). b. Psychological Age—comparing one’s ability to adjust and cope with changes in the environment to others of similar chronological age c. Social Age—comparing one’s social roles and expectations to chronological age and overall functioning
Age-Related Influences 1.
2. 3. 4.
IV.
Chronological age is more descriptive for children than adults a. Significant differences between a 3 month old and a 3 year old b. Differences between a 43-year-old and a 53-year old may not be as dramatic using only age as a predictor.
Normative history-graded influences: influences experienced by a culture or society at a particular point in history that may eventually define a generation (e.g., Great Depression, WWII) a. More influential in adolescence and adulthood Cohort: a group of people who have grown up together and have similar normative-history graded experiences Non-normative influences: chance occurrences (e.g., winning a large sum of money in a lottery) that may influence a life Research In-Depth: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies a. Cross-Sectional Study: people in different ages are tested at the same point in time and compared b. Longitudinal Study: following the development of the same group of people over time
Metatheories as Philosophies of Development A.
Introduction: Developmental psychologists have found three metatheories useful in organizing knowledge and designing research (worldviews or metamodels).
B.
Mechanistic Metatheory 1.
Metaphor: employs a machine metaphor a. Human beings are machine-like in that they are comprised of many interacting parts. b. Goal of research is to figure out what the parts are, how they work, and then how to manipulate them. 4