PSY 240 Exam 3

postformal thought is associated with...

ability to think both practically and abstractly

variable rate aging theory

aging controlled by random processes/environmental processes that vary across people. aging is an accident

(genetically) programmed theories of aging

aging is intentional (primary) process that happens to everyone. aging controlled by genes. inevitable

Immunological Theory of Aging (genetically programmed aging)

declines in the immune system cause aging. aging may interfere with aging process, increasing susceptibility to disease, infection, and cancer

Kubler-Ross's Theory/Stages of Dying

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance ** stages are universal

DNA Damage/Repair Theory of Aging (Variable Rate Theories)

different mechanism that causes cellular aging. as our cells divide, we end up with mistakes or breaks in DNA and if they don't get repaired, it could affect how well cells function ** accumulation of unrepaired breaks in DNA result in loss of cellular function over time

A time when young people are no longer adolescents but have not yet become fully adult is called

emerging adulthood

how adolescents understand death

first time understanding death will happen to us, we see the personal fable of thinking death doesn't apply to them. still engaging in risky behavior

unstable oxygen atoms or molecules formed during metabolism react with and that can damage cell membranes, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and even DNA. Damage accumulates and cell functioning is threatened. Antioxidants may slow aging process according to this theory.

free radical theory

Free Radical Theory of Aging (Variable Rate Theory)

free radicals - Molecules posses an unpaired electron that may cause irreparable cellular damage that accumulates with age. when our body processes molecules with free radicals, it can cause volatile chemical reactions that can damage our cells

clinical death

heart, lungs and brain stop working but still in period of resuscitation

Pragmatism

how do we make good decisions given the constraints and limitations of real world etc (choosing a college)

Continuity Theory of Social Aging

if nothing else, people should keep doing the things that they enjoy. (instead of learning to play cards, continue to play dominos)

How preschoolers think about death

inaccurate. don't understand its permanent. they think it is reversible

What best explains the typical pattern of cognitive functioning in middle adulthood

individuals may maintain or gain in skill on tasks that are highly practices or based on specific learning like playing a card game (decline in fluid intelligence and stability or increase in crystallized intelligence)

Erikson's Ego Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood)

life review. look back at the life we lived. one of two things can happen 1. ego integrity - happy with the life we lived, work we did and relationships built. satisfied with life OR 2. despair - not happy with life they lived. no time to make their life something they feel good about

timing of event models

looks at how you personally achieve or don't achieve different things and see how that affects personality as you move through adulthood ** people more likely to have change in personality if they experience off time events (EARLIER or later than peers experience it)

what is currently the most widely accepted explanation for declines in memory among older adults

loss of speed in central nervous system processes related to information processing and memory function

physical changes WOMEN ONLY in middle adulthood

menopause (primary aging) - 3 stages, premenopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause - starting around 52 - huge hormone changes

Hospice Philosophy

moves death back into space where death is normal part of life. tries to shift decision making back to families. encourages practitioners to find out what individual and family really wants. focus on palliative care vs curative care

physical changes MEN ONLY in middle adulthood

no version of male menoupause, more of a gradual change in hormones, barely even noticeable

Cross Linking Theory of Aging (Variable Rate Theories)

occurs when undesirable chemical bonds form between proteins or fats. molecules fail to assume correct shape for proper functioning

Social Convoy Model of Social Aging (Late Life)

older adults tend to focus their time and energy on closer more meaningful relationships. the people we enjoy seeing, are meaningful to us, and help us. older adults actively managing relationships to focus on people most important

rate of living theory of Aging (Variable Rate Theory)

our cells and bodies have finite capacity for something they are trying to do. some people run through capacity sooner and some people use it slower and have linger life

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST) (Late Adulthood)

our goals shift based on perceived time perspective. when we feel we have unlimited time, we pursue knowledge or information focused goals we we feel like we have limited time, we pursue types of goals we can achieve right now, typically emotion focused goals aging basically chages time perspective (young adulthood - unlimited time, late adulthood - limited time) focus on most important relationships

midlife social relatioships

overall pretty good, sometimes caregiving can be stressful but we can combat stress by reframing how we think about things to highlight positive aspects of being able to provide care to people you care about.

sandwhich generation

people responsible for the care of both their children and aging relatives

Use It or Lose It (Midlife/Middle Adulthood Cognition)

people who engage in intellectually stimulating activities show fewer losses and slower declines - we think we are more forgetful in midlife, but really it just takes more time to learn things

social death

person treated like corpse regardless of biological functioning

overall physical health in middle adulthood is most closely linked to..

physical exercise

post formal thought in young adulthood

pragmatic thinking and dialectical thought

accoring to the seattle longitudinal study, which cognitive skill shows the largest decline in middle adulthood

processing speed

evolutionary theory, cellular clock/telomere theory and genetic theory are all examples of ...

programmed (genetically programmed) theories of aging

normative stage models (personality perspective in young adulthood)

propose there are altering periods of stability and change that are tied to our age. everyone goes through these periods at the same time. crisis when we hit a transition stage, but then we stabilize ** normal for personality to change as we get older

growth in reflective thinking during young adulthood

reflective thinking : what kind of info we have and how good is it

most common causes of death in the US today are ...

secondary aging conditions like cardiovascular disease, stroke, and lung conditions

Seattle Longitudinal Study (studying intelligence)

*** things look good in midlife, people tend to be pretty stable - tried to measure intelligence and how it changed with age - it used both cross sectional and longitudinal studies - research methods matter when studying intelligence (if you just look at cross sectional, it will look like there is a decline, but if you look at longitudinal, you will see there is not)

Horn & Cattell: Crystallized Intelligence

- Ability to use information acquired over lifetime - ability to remember and use things we have learned before - often improves through lifetime ex: Thinking of a synonym for a word

class definition of successful aging

- Maintain good physical health - Retain cognitive abilities - Continue engagement in social and productive activities •-Develop a sense of life satisfaction

Horn and Cattell: Fluid Intelligence

- ability to solve new problems - requires little previous knowledge - tends to decline with age

2 main types of aging theories

1. (genetically) programmed 2. variable rate

textbook definition of successful aging

1. Avoidance of disease or disability 2. Maintenance of physical and cognitive function 3. Active engagement in social and productive activities

oldest old age group

85+

Example of Fluid Intelligence A. knowing the capital of MN B. having learned the major theoretical perspectives in psych C. recognizing derivatives you have learned in calculus D. devising a strategy to recall the digits of Pi

D. devising a strategy to recall the digits of Pi

Humans biological clock acts through genes that control hormones

Endocrine Theory of Aging

paradox of well being in old age

Even though older adults go through physical and cognitive changes, older adults are not less happy than younger adults two ways to end up happier 1. more positive emotional experiences with aging 2. less negative emotional experiences with aging Beeper Study: people got a beeper that went off 5x/day and when it went off they had to report their emotions - older adults happier than younger adults bc they experience fewer negative emotions

Cellular Clock Theory of Aging (Hayflick Limit) (Telomeres) (genetically programmed aging)

Hayflick Limit - each species has a limit to number of times cells can replicate Telomeres - function like cellular time keeper. strands of repetitive DNA at end of chromosome. strands of random DNA that protect cells as they divide. everytime cells divide, telomere gets shorter. when minimum number of telomeres is gone, that triggers disease or death. (endcaps on genes that might told power in aging)

Activity Theory of Social Aging

Older adults maintain higher performance by concentrating on strengths - Healthiest response is to maintain of high level of activities and roles

caloric restrictions may help lengthen lifespan by slowing metabolism. this is consistent with which theory of aging

Rate of Living Theory

young old age group

65-75

Old-old age group

75-85

physical changes in middle adulthood

- more primary and secondary aging - primary - presbyopia and prebycusis, wrinkles, hair thinning, weight gain and height loss (staying physically fit can slow down primary changes)

presbyopia (sensory change in middle adulthood)

- primary age related change in vision (everyone experiences it) - structure of eye changes, we cannot see thing up close to us

presbycusis (sensory change in middle adulthood)

- primary age related hearing loss - cannot hear things at high and low frequency

brain changes during middle adulthood

- slower response times - brain mass shrinks a small amount - use more brain regions to solve problems ** actually very little observable change

selective optimization with compensation (Successful Aging)

1. selection - choose which goals are important to us (studying for finals) 2. optimizing resources we have internally to achieve goals we have selected (looking at notes, studying lectures) 3. if not able to achieve goals we selected with out own resources, we use compensation to pull outside resources to we can still achieve our goals (reach out to classmates see if they want to do a study group) can use this model to be successful at any age to achieve any goal

Criticism of Kubler - Ross's Theory of Dying

1. she used weak methodology to develop her theory 2. very western way of thinking 3. stage concept is unsupported Her REAL legacy: Listen to people as they are dying and show them you care for them

centenarians

100+

young adulthood ages

18-40 years old

middle adulthood ages

40-65 years old

what is an example of postformal thinking A. being able to solve a problem with no right answer B. being able to critically question information C. being able to think abstractly and hypothetically

A. being able to solve a problem with no right answer

Which is an example of reflective thinking A. being able to solve a problem with no right answer B. being able to critically question information C. being able to think abstractly and hypothetically

B. being able to critically question information

you expect that your personality will change when you experience a midlife crisis because you think everyones changes at that time. This is consistent with which personality perspective A. trait B. typological C. normative stage D. timing of events

C. normative stage

what best describes the nature of friendship during across adulthood

In midlife, social circles are smaller but friendships are as intimate and close as earlier ages

active euthanasia

Someone else directly takes action to shorten life of someone to end their suffering. already have terminal diagnosis

passive euthanasia

Someone else withholds or discontinues treatment for someone to end their suffering

Classic Grief Work Model

Three Stages: 1) shock and disbelief 2) preoccupation with memory of dead person 3) resolution

In midlife _______________ intelligence increases but _______________ intelligence decreases.

crystallized increases and fluid decreases

Disengagement Theory of Social Aging (Late Life)

as we get older we realize our time is limited so we need to start stepping away from things we enjoy. give up relationships in our lives so the people in our lives can spend their time with other younger more vital people the shrinkage we see in peoples social life really isn't them giving up things they love, its them giving up stuff they don't love, relationships that don't matter etc

Social Convoy Theory (Midlife Social Development)

as we move across adulthood, we have people with different levels of support that we rely on for help - in midlife, convoy starts to shrink. we focus more on the people in our inner circle - quality vs quantity

socioemotional selectivity theory (Midlife)

as we move through life, the types of goals we have for relationships with others will change 3 goals for relationships 1. use relationships for info, to learn (KNOWLEDGE) 2. use relationships to learn about ourselves (EMOTIONAL) 3. use relationships for source of comfort/well being (EMOTIONAL) - as we move through adulthood, importance of KNOWLEDGE goals in relationships is gonna shift and we focus on EMOTIONAL goals **the way we prioritize relationships is going to change in midlife**

Wear and Tear Theory of Aging (Variable Rate Theories)

as we use our cells, we accumulate damage in our cells. so much so that our cells cannot function anymore. focused on mitochondria

secondary aging

avoidable, things age related, but DO NOT happen to everyone "if" (cancer, heart disease, alzheimers) (some of healthy habits we develop in young adulthood help us avoid?delay signs of primary/secondary aging)

primary aging

basic, unavoidable aging that happens to everyone "When" (grey hair, wrinkles)

legal definition of death

brain unresponsive and/ or no independent body function

brain death

brain unresponsive but heart and lungs might still work

What does Erikson suggest is required for the expression of generativity

carrying for others

Autoimmune Theory of Aging (Variable Rate Theories)

cellular aging is an accident that happens because as we get older, our immune system MALFUNCTIONS and instead of attacking just invaders, it attacks healthy body cells too

dialectical thought

considering opposing viewpoints to make a decision

Undesirable bonds form in proteins and fats that prevent proper shape and functions, which causes aging

cross linking theory

Hormonal Stress/Neuroendocrine Theory of Aging (genetically programmed aging)

secret of aging is connected to hormones in some way. some sort of biological clock mechanism that sends info to endocrine system that changes hormone levels, and as hormone levels shift with age, that drives cellular aging. ** if we could do something to tweak peoples hormones, we could possibly slow or stop aging process.

other sensory changes in middle adulthood

sensitivity to taste, touch, smell and pain. but not as noticeable

Which theory of social aging suggests that our relationship choices areby time perspective

socioemotional selectivity theory

Brain changes in Late Adulthood

some shrinking and slowing (loss of synapses), but flexibility to compensate. no huge brain changes in young old and old old

how school age kids understand death (age 6-7)

start to understand death is permanent. all living things die

what best summarizes the paradigm of successful aging

successful aging integrates components of physical, cognitive and social health that are influenced by earlier behaviors and decisions

these parts of chromosomes function as the cells "timekeepers" since their decreasing length may limit how many times a cell can divide: when these get too short, death and disease may be near

telomeres

The five factor model of personality (Big Five) emphasizes

testing for stability or change in many distinct traits across adulthood

assisted suicide

the intentional assistance of any dying or suffering person in taking his or her own life

Gerontology

the scientific study of the aging process

Erikson's Generativity vs. Stagnation Stage (midlife/middle adulthood)

the stage during middle adulthood in which people consider their contributions to family and society generativity: interest in establishing/guiding future generations ( ex: grandparenting, mentoring, self development) stagnation: pervading sense of unproductivity and personal impoverishment

personality in young adulthood

there are different ways of approaching the topic of personality in adulthood (personality perspectives) Z

genetically programmed senescence (genetically programed aging)

there are specific genes that cause us to age and control aging process. some more of genetic mechanism

typological models (personality perspectives in young adulthood)

thinking about personality as big functional whole then finding which type/category people fit into ** Three Diff Types 1. Ego resilient - good at managing stress, not shy, unstable, handle what life throws at them 2. over controlled - anxious, shy, and withdrawn. don't handle stress well -> they tend to turn in on themselves 3. under controlled - don't do well with stress, they tend to act out

Midlife Crisis (Levinson)

transition to midlife involves many different tasks. it makes us pause and contemplate life, aging, and dying. - 26% of adults report having a midlife crisis

TRUE OR FALSE: development influenced by multiple contexts

true

Brain changes in young adulthood

two growth spurts 1. frontal lobe (17-22 yo) - important for things like executvie functions, logic, planning etc. 2. limbic system - emotion and threats ** makes it possible to use emotion to solve problems **peak brain development at 22 yo, so these are the last two growth spurts **if you are not doing anything to keep your brain healthy, it will start to shrink and slow down

late life understanding of death

understanding their death will happen eventually

how young adults understand death

unique invulnerability. they think they are personally protected from death, but if they have some relation to death (a loved ones passing), they may change their perspective

trait models (personality perspectives in young adulthood)

we identify however many traits/characteristics we think are important for explaining personality, then measure everyone, everyone gets their own unique profile on how they scored on unique traits. * Five Factor Model (Big Five) - 5 different personality traits that people differ in (OCEAN)