Exam #4

Prospective Memory

(tends to go first) -Remembering to engage in planned actions -Event-based easier than time-based -Used reminders, repetition to help

Expertise

- extensive, highly organized knowledge base - provides efficient, effective approaches to solving problems - organized around abstract principles - result of years of experience

Vocational Life and Cognitive Development

-Cognitive and personality characteristics affect job choice -Job in turn affects cognition -complex work increases cognitive flexibility- link to ses, also seek intellectually stimulating leisure, likely to pass on to next generation

Control, commitment, challenge

3 aspects of hardiness that are regarded

Hormone Therapy

Can be used to alleviate menopause symptoms

Prostate, breast

Cancer in Middle Adulthood For men, _______ cancer is most frequent. For women, ______ cancer is most frequent.

Ego Integrity versus Despair

Erikson's Theory Stage for Late Adulthood

Time Orientation

How you think of your life, how much time you have left in your life

Reduced sperm production

Male Reproduction Changes in Middle Adulthood

Earlier

Today's better prepared populations would outperform populations of _______ decades on intelligence tests

Stage View

• Midlife changes are developmental transitions or crises.

Presbycusis

"old hearing" earliest, most loss in high frequencies gender, cultural differences men have earlier, more rapid loss hearing aids can help

Practical Problem Solving

- evaluate real-world situations - achieve goals that have high uncertainty - helped by expertise

Fluid Intelligence

-Depends on basic info processing skills -detecting relationships among stimuli, analytical speed, working memory

Psychometric (Differential) Approach

-Described in terms of factors -Most general factor is 'g' or general intelligence -If good at 'g' you will be good at most tasks

Despair

-Feel many decisions were wrong, but now time is too short, bitter and unaccepting of coming death, expressed as anger, contempt for others

Ego Integrity

-Feel whole, complete, satisfied with achievements, serenity and contentment, associated with psychosocial maturity

Emotional Intelligence

-Perceive emotion -Understand emotion -Manage emotion STABLE OVER LIFETIME

Stagnation

-Place your own comfort and security above challenge and sacrifice -Self-centered, self-indulgent -Lack of involvement with children -Lack of interests in productivity and self-improvement (Midlife Crisis can occur if this happens)

Adult Children

-Post-college age children living in the home is associated with decreased psychological well-being for mothers but not fathers -Potential resource -Parents still likely to provide resources -Effects of childlessness on well being depends on context -Socially acceptable? -Choice

Generativity

-Reaching in way -Giving and guiding -Commitment that extends beyond the self -Realized through childrearing (might be influenced by historical or cultural factors) -Nowadays, people may chose not to have kids, may say that the world is already overpopulated (idea becomes more and more socially acceptable over time, changes over time) -Volunteering and mentoring relationships (SHIFT from focusing on the self to focusing on others) As people age, empirical data shows linear growth in concerns of giving back and being secure in who you are Build a story of your life that shows your development over time, conclude with personal renewal and enlightenment

Automatic Memory

-Recognition easier than recall (more environmental support) Implicit memory better than deliberate memory (without conscious awareness, depends on familiarity)

Crystallized

-Skills that depend on -accumulated knowledge, experience, good judgement, mastery of social conventions -valued by person's culture

Sexuality in Middle Adulthood

-Slight drop in frequency among married couples -Intensity of response declines -Sex still important, enjoyable to most

Sexuality in Late Adulthood

-Still important (less desire and frequency; fewer male partners for women, married couples: regular, enjoyable sex) Continue patterns from earlier years Enjoy activities other than intercourse (men sometimes stop all activities if erection problems) Cultural Influences (disapproval in Western cultures)

Remote Memory

-Very long-term recall -Autobiographical memory

Memory in Middle Adulthood

-Working memory decreases from twenties to sixties -less use of memory strategies -may be due to slower processing, attention problems Can compensate (self-pacing, strategy reminders, relevant information)

Levinson's Tasks

-Young adult balancing task (pick which aspects of self that you want to keep) -Destruction vs. creating (acknowledge past destructiveness, try to create something good) -Masculinity vs. femininity- think about balance, incorporate positive aspects, being aware of balancing characteristics (either very masculine, very feminine, or androgynous (most successful with regards to adjustment)) -To balance involvement with external world and separateness from it (begin to think about retirement)

Multidimensional

-appearance versus functioning

Changes in creativity

-more deliberate, thoughtful (less spontaneous, intensely emotion) -sum up or integrate ideas (less focus on unusual new ideas) -goals more altruistic

Attention in Middle Adulthood

-more difficulties in -multitasking -focusing on relevant information -switching attention -connecting visual information -inhibition -may be linked to slower processing -experience, practice, training help adults compensate

Effective coping strategies

-prevention -compensation -problem-centered coping

Deliberate Memory

-recall more difficult -context helps retrieval, but slower processing, smaller working memory to make context harder to encode

Select, optimize, compensate

3 ways to help older people to get the most out of life (must be mutually agreed upon)

Neuroticism, extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience

5 Big Personality Traits

Vision, Hearing, Skin, Muscle-Fat Makeup, Skeletal

5 Changes that occur during Middle Adulthood

Hormone replacement therapy

A hormone therapy involving prescription of estrogen and progesterone

Estrogen replacement therapy

A hormone therapy involving prescription of estrogen only

Schizophrenia

A link between older age of father and an increased risk of _____________ 10 studies attempted to replicate this Defining a cut-off at which the risk is significantly increase in the offspring could have an important impact on public health -Both age 35 and 55 has been cited as the cut off for increased risk The effect is intermediate in magnitude as compared to other risk factors -Age may related to chromosomal abberrations and mutations

Moral Intelligence

Ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Broadly conceived, moral intelligence represents the ability to make sound decisions that benefit not only yourself, but others around you

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to perceive, understand, and use emotions The test of emotional intelligence measures overall emotional intelligence and four components Very important for interacting with others type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one's thinking and actions (See slides for further info)

Social Intelligence

Ability to understand other people: what motivates them, how they work, how to work cooperatively with them

Intelligence

According to the reading, "acting or thinking in ways that are goal-directed and adaptive"

Information Loss View

Age-Related Slowing of Information Processing • Information lost at each step through cognitive system • Whole system slows down to inspect, interpret information

Neural Network View

Age-Related Slowing of Information Processing • Neurons in brain die, breaking neural connections • Brain forms new connections • New connections are less efficient

Middle Adulthood

Ages 40-65 Contemporary view: midpoint, not end of life Continuation of early adulthood changes (time orientation, physical, cognitive)

Men, women

Attitudes towards Aging Media Advertisements and the Double Standard of Aging More advertisements towards women for anti-aging, depression medication, psychosocial and beauty ads Men have more advertisements for sexual health, physical health ads Aging ____ rated more positively; ______ more negatively Evolutionary roots (younger females more fertile, older males more stable and mature mostly); media, social messages Appears to be declining -new positive models replacing old ideas

IQ, creativity

Correlates somewhat with intelligence, but a high __ alone does not guarantee __________

Launching

Culminates "letting go" process - decline in parental authority - continued contact, support to children - adjusting to in-laws - kinkeeper role •Affected by - investment in nonparental roles - children's characteristics • "off time" children stress parents - cultural social clocks

Mental Disabilities in Late Adulthood

Dementia- thought and behavior impairments that disrupt everyday life Parkinson's Disease (nervous system disease) Alzheimer's Disease Cerebrovascular dementia (strokes) Misdiagnosis, reversible dementia (depression, medication side effect)

Age 50

Developing nations, life expectancy is ______ __

Intelligence

EFFECT THIS ________________ Cohort Effects (p. 518) • 1. Research using intelligence tests sheds light on the widely held belief that intelligence inevitably declines in middle and late adulthood as the brain deteriorates. • 2. Although many early cross-sectional studies showed a peak in performance at age 35 followed by a steep drop into old age, longitudinal research starting in the 1920s revealed an age-related increase in performance. • a. Although findings on five mental abilities showed the typical cross- sectional drop after the mid-thirties, longitudinal trends for those abilities revealed modest gains in midlife, sustained into the fifties and the early sixties. • b. Cohort effects appear to be largely responsible for this difference; in cross-sectional research, each new generation experienced better health and education than the one before it.

Lifelong Learning

Educational participation increasing (elderhostel, college courses, community classes, centers) Many benefits (new facts, ideas, new friends, broader world perspective, improved self-image)

Generativity versus Stagnation

Erikson's stage of middle adulthood

Hostility and Health

Expressed hostility -frequent angry outbursts -rudeness, contempt -disagreeable verbal and nonverbal behavior Health effects -cardiovascular problems -health complaints, illnesses -depression, dissatisfaction with life -unhealthy behaviors

Middle Age

Feel like time is running out, perception of time influences a lot The less time you have, more likely to focus on socio-cultural values Advertisements differ in effectiveness Older adults are biased towards more positive information In general, younger adults have a negativity bias and are more likely to remember negative things. More appreciative, more competent of career Later on, shift towards positivity bias (maybe better coping and emotional regulation, negative info isn't so useful for you anymore) -Perception of time changes -Sense of evaluation of early adulthood -Most make small changes versus dramatic changes

Factual, procedural, metacognitive

Few changes in (3 types of knowledge) in Middle Adulthood

Menopause

Gradual end of fertility -________ follows 10-year climacteric -drop in estrogen level

Type A

Greater risk of developing heart disease, toxic ingredient is expressed hostility, socially dominant style

Gardner

Had theory of Multiple Intelligences, 9 types of intelligence Argues against intelligence tests in school since they only teach two types of intelligence Views cultural aspects of intelligence to be of most importance Focusing on one ability in the detriment of the others is problematic

Factors in a Long Life

Heredity Environment/ Lifestyle -healthy diet, normal weight -exercise -low substance use -optimism -low stress/ how you manage your stress -social support -community involvement -learning

Reactions to Menopause

Individual Differences -Importance of childbearing capacity -Other interests Cultural Differences -Medicalization in Western industrialized nations linked to complaints -Ethnic differences in the United States -Social status of aging women linked to reactions

Personal

Individual and Group Factors in High Intelligence Scores- _______________ -flexible personality -healthy -gender -cohort -perceptual speed

Lifestyle

Individual and Group Factors in High Intelligence Scores- _______________ -high education -complex job or leisure -lasting marriage -high SES

Age 85

Maximum lifespan average is ____ ___, -varies between age 70 to 100 -centenarians increasing in industrialized world -more female centenarians Some scientists believe upper limit not yet reached -Question: Should lifespan be extended -quality of life is goal

Possibilities accounting for Flynn Effect

More education for more people Greater healthcare Better nutrition A complex lifestyle- bombardment of information Greater use of technology

Climacteric

Period before menopause actually occurs

Physical Appearance and Mobility

Skin thinner, wrinkled, spotted Ears, nose, teeth and hair change Lose heigh and weight after age 60 Muscle strength declines Bone strength drops Less flexibility

Factor Analysis

Statistical procedure for finding patterns of correlations

Japan

The highest healthy life expectancy at birth is in this country

Convergent Thinking

Thinking that involves following a series of logical steps with the goal of arriving at the correct answer

Divergent Thinking

Thinking used to create ideas by exploring many possible solutions - spontaneous

Flynn Effect

Though standardized tests are routinely standardized, intelligence has generally increased over the years

True

True of False: When children are young, the costs of raising them appear to outweigh the benefits

True

True or False: Many people have more close relationships than in any other period of life.

Parenthood, Childlessness and Well-being

When children are young, cost appear to outweigh benefits -Depends on timing and context, can be a stressor and source of well-being -In general, parents report higher levels of stress, more family conflict, increased strain with partners

Cognitive

Younger people remember more negative things, older people remember more positive things

Fluid

_____ intelligence is always more correlated with processing speed (especially early on and later on in development, highest correlation)

Creativity

ability to produce novel and valuable ideas - _________ people tend to be divergent thinkers

Destruction vs. creating

acknowledge past destructiveness, try to create something good

balance involvement with external world and separateness from it

begin to think about retirement

Masculinity vs. femininity

either very masculine, very feminine, or androgynous (most successful with regards to adjustment)

Spearman

g factor "General Intelligence" linked to many clusters

Young adult balancing task

pick which aspects of self that you want to keep

Commitment Story

turning bad events into challenges that they overcome Giving back, redemption story Personal renewal/ or enlightenment

Vaillant's View of Midlife

©Ron Chapple Studios/Dreamstime.com •Keepers of meaning - guardians of culture - adults in forties and fifties carry responsibility for functioning of society •"Passing the torch" becomes important - focus on longer-term goals - prevents too rapid change

Spearman's General Intelligence

• "General intelligence" is linked to many clusters • For example, people who do well on vocabulary tests also do well on reading comprehension tests of story passages • Considered to be the first theory of intelligence • G correlates with brain size and many conventional measures of success (income, academic achievement), and IQ tests were first developed based on this idea of a g factor • Based on Factor Analysis

Evidence for Gardner's Theory

• Braindamagetooneregion(frontallobes) - Ex. general functioning stable but affected interpersonal intelligence • Savants and prodigies - intellectual impairment but have an exceptional talent in one single domain - normal abilities but usually one area of excellence

Psychometric (Differential) Approach

• Described in terms of factors • Most general factor is "g" or general intelligence - Domain-general mechanism that influences thinking on all tasks - If you function with a good "g", you will be good at most tasks • Other theories divide intelligence into: fluid abilities and crystallized abilities

Vocational Life

• Important component of satisfaction and self- esteem - trend to increase meaning in jobs - improved job performance, low absenteeism, high productivity - increased job satisfaction • Negative stereotypes may hinder advancement.

Life Events View

• Midlife changes are simply adaptations to normal life events.

Self-Perceptions

• More complex, integrated self-descriptions • Increases in feelings of - self-acceptance - autonomy - environmental mastery • Linked to increased • well-being, happiness - varies with culture

Factor Analysis

• Statistical procedure for finding patterns of correlations • For example, one could ask: "Do people who have poor spatial abilities also have poor math abilities?" • There may be a general ability that affects both those areas.

Possible Selves

• What one hopes or fears becoming • Become fewer, more modest & concrete with age • May become more time-oriented with age - compare to what you had planned - permits reaffirmation • May help with adjustment and self-esteem

Friendships

•Gender trends continue - men less expressive than women •Fewer friends; more selective •More complex ideas of friendship - rely on for pleasure more than support •Invest more time, effort in friends

Career Development in Middle Adulthood

•Limits to advancement - training - glassceiling •Midlife career changes - few,notusuallydrastic - often for more relaxing career •Unemployment - middle age and older most affected by downsizing - more stressful than for young adults •Retirement planning

Influences on Interest in Job Training

•Personal - desire to change • growth vs. security needs - co-workers, supervisor - stereotypes • self-efficacy •Job - challenging tasks - co-workers, teams

Coping with Midlife Unemployment

•Problem-centered coping •Social support - from those who recognize abilities, share interests and values Counseling financial planning coping with stigma developing flexibility

Midlife Crisis

•Research: wide individual differences •Gender differences - men - midlife - women - early adulthood •Sharp disruption uncommon •Differences in handling regrets - changes or not - interpretation, acceptance

Burnout

•Result of long-term job stress - overload - common in helping professions Linked to mental exhaustion; attention,memory problems lossofpersonal control, depression physical illness reduced sense of accomplishment, poor performance, absenteeism, turnover