life span and development final Exam

1. Four "True or False" questions will be selected from among "The Myths of Aging" quiz in your textbook (Table 9-1)

1) The majority of old people (65+) are senile (have defective memory, dementia, etc.). False • Ages 60 - 65: less than 2% suffer from dementia • Dementia is a broad category of diseases that include memory loss & decline in mental functioning • Percentages double every 5 years • 1/3 after age 85 2) All five senses tend to weaken in old age. True • Vision is less sharp and needs more light • Common vision problems: Cataracts (cloudy lenses) & Glaucoma (fluid pressure) • Hearing loss is common: 50% for those over 75 • Decline of taste buds on the tongue • Shrinkage of olfactory bulbs in the nose 3) The majority of old people have no interest in, nor capacity for, sexual relations. False • Evidence shows that sexual activity continues well into the 80's & 90's • Masturbation after 70? • 43% of men • 33% of women • Two thirds over age 70 report sex with their spouse once a week on average 4) Lung vital capacity tends to decline in old age True • Efficiency of the respiratory system declines with age 5) The majority of old people feel miserable most of the time. False • Most older people are NOT depressed 6) Physical strength tends to decline in old age. True 7) At least 25% of the elderly are living in long-stay institutions. False • Less than 5% 8) Aged drivers have fewer accidents per driver than those under age 65. True • but only when calculated per driver because they drive much less • Over 70 drivers have as many fatal accidents as teenagers (calculated per mile of driving) • Why? • Slower reaction time & decline of the senses 9) Older workers usually cannot work as effectively as younger workers. False • Term for discrimination of older people: Ageism • We tend to interpret their behavior differently • Some people speak "baby talk" 10) Over three-fourths of the aged are healthy enough to carry out their normal activities. True 11) The majority of old people are unable to adapt to change. False 12) Old people usually take longer to learn something new. True • Fluid intelligence continues to decline 13) It is almost impossible for the average old person to learn something new. False • Many delve into new subjects 14) Older people tend to react more slowly than do younger people. True 15) In general, old people tend to be pretty much alike. False 16) The majority of old people say they are rarely bored. True 17) The majority of old people are socially isolated. False • Most have social support • Often, friendships are more valued than family • Friends provide emotional, as well as material support 18) Older workers have fewer accidents than younger workers. True

1. Physical Development a. Leading causes of death

1. Accidents 2. Suicide 3. Homicide Compared to Adolescence, suicide and homicide switch

Factors contributing to increased stress

Events that produce negative emotions Situations that are uncontrollable/unpredictable Events that are confusing Having to accomplish many tasks simultaneously

2. Marriage, divorce and cohabitation statistics provided in class

Marriage and Divorce Statistics • What percent of Americans marry at least once? 90% • Avg age of 1st marriage and childbirth (1980-2010) o Marriage • Man: then 25, now 28 • Woman: then 22, now 26 o 1st baby • Women: then 23, now 25 • Cohabitation o Has cohabitation inc or decreased from 1960 to 2000? • Increased 900% increase (0.5m -> 4.2m) o Cohabitated women + education • Less educated women are more likely to cohabitate

1. Physical development and health issues

a. Aging effects on the senses • Vision o Dec vision acuity (ability to see fine detail) • Presbyopia - nearsightedness o Inc chances to dev glaucoma • Pressure from fluid build up in eye • 1-2% ppl over 40yo • AA more susceptible • Hearing o Dec; less noticeable as vision o Causes • Env factors: mechanics, construction workers • Biology: loss of cilia in ear, dec elasticity of eardrum o Presbycusis: cant hear high freq/pitch sounds • 12% btn 45-65yo • Men > women starting around 55yo

3. Gender differences in perception of romantic relationships

a. Emotional vs. physical infidelity • Males: physical is more threatening • Females: emotional is more threatening b. Beliefs about sexual relationships • Males: more comfortable with casual sex • Females: restrict sex to potential long-term partners c. Preference of partner's age • Males: younger • Females: older

Coping with stress

o Coping Efforts to reduce or tolerate the threats that lead to stress o Coping strategies Emotion focused • Conscious regulation of feelings • How you respond because you cant change the situation Problem focused coping • Directly change the situation • Leave the job/the bf Defensive coping • Using unconscious strategies that distort or deny reality • Most unhealthy way of dealing with stress • Stress is still there

Erikson's Integrity vs. Despair stage (including the maladaptation, malignancy and virtue)

o Maladaptation: Presumption o Presumes integrity without facing the difficulties of old age. o Malignancy: Disdain o A disrespect of life. o Virtue: Wisdom o Allows one to approach death without fear

f. The potential consequence of suppressing emotions

o Potential of developing Cancers

Psychosomatic disorders and examples of these

o Psychosomatic Disorders Physical symptoms caused by mental or emotional factors • Can often be caused by stress Examples: • Ulcers • Irritable bowel syndrome • HTN • Heart Dz • Asthma • Psoriasis • High blood pressure

Types of stressors and general understanding of the Social Readjustment Scale distributed in class

o The response to events that threaten or challenge an individual Saying that stress is a response gives us more control o Situations = stressors o Are stressors always unpleasant events? No- marriage, vacation, etc

2. The field of Thanatology

study of death and dying • Most believe that death education should be part of everyone's schooling

3. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and the stages of coping with death, including the criticisms of her theory

• Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004) and the Five Stages of Grief • Denial Repression of reality • Anger Self, person who died, God, bosses, doctors, someone that causes an accident • Bargaining Usually happens with god - 'just let me live long enough to see my son graduate' 'I promise to eat healthy just let me live longer' • Depression Reactive Versus Preparatory Depression • Reactive Depression - reacting to a loss • Prepatory depression - getting ready for a loss • Ex) being Dx with a dz and being told 2 years to live • Can be helpful • Acceptance Acceptance is not liking or agreement Accepting that you have no control • Criticism of her theory • 'ppl don't grief in that order' - she never said that She says it's the most common order that ppl go through but it doesn't have to be 4. Recommendations for helping children grieve • Helping children grieve • Be honest - in a way that they can understand 5. Myths (questions) about grieving presented in class

b. Menopause, including what marks its beginning and symptoms commonly associated with it.

• Female climacteric: period that marks the transition that ends the childbearing years • Menopause: stops menstruating o Periods occur irregularly and less frequently during 2yr period ~47yo o End of natural fertility o Dec in estrogen and progesterone • Symptoms: 'hot flashes,' mood swings, inc bp/heart related dz, weaker bone, dizziness • Perimenopause: menopause symptoms may begin 10 years before menopause actually occurs

c. Contrast between fluid vs. crystallized intelligence

• Fluid intelligence: o Information processing capabilities, reasoning, and memory o Innate, inherent learning capability o Peaks between young and middle adulthood then dec • Crystallized intelligence: o Information, skills, and strategies that ppl have accumulated through exp and that they can apply to solve problems o A lifetime's worth of information, ammassed through schooling and everyday activities • Things that you 'know' o Always inc

1. Contrast between a functional death and the medical measure of death

• Functional Death • Absence of heartbeat and breathing • Brain Death • medical measure of death • Brain activity ceases

1. Erikson's Generativity vs. Stagnation Stage (including the maladaptation, malignancy and virtue)

• Generativity: Concern for future generations. (Less selfish than intimacy.) o Practiced through; having children, teaching, writing, social activism, inventing, etc. o Maladaptation: Overextension So generative not allowing time for self. The overextended person, no longer contributes well. o Malignancy: Rejectivity Does not participate nor contribute to society. o Virtue: Care.

Lenore Walker's Stages of Marital Abuse

• Marital aggression by husband - occurs in 3 stages o Tension building stage Husband becomes upset and shows dissatisfaction through verbal abuse • May use physical aggression Wife may desperately try to avoid impending violence - trying to calm spouse or withdraw from situation • Behavior may enrage husband even more o Acute battering incident Physical abuse actually occurs • Can last from several minutes to hours 25% of wives are forced into sexual activity/rape o Loving contrition Husband feels remorse and apologizes for action • May provide first aid/sympathy/assure wife that he will 'never act violently again' Wife forgives because they feel partly at fault and want to believe that aggression will never occur again May explain why ppl remain in abusive relationships and continue to be victims

e. Type A personalities and its possible consequences

• More likely to have heart attacks

1. Erikson's Intimacy vs. Isolation crisis (including the maladaptation, malignancy and virtue)

• What is intimacy? Ability to be close to others - emotional, physical, psychologically, etc • Maladaptation: PROMISCUITY • Malignancy: EXCLUSION • Virtue: LOVE