Adult Development & Aging Exam 1

Front 1

The Lifespan Perspective (who invented it, key features)

Back 1

Paul Baltes (1939-2006)
1. Multidirectionality
2. Plasticity
3. Historical Context
4. Multiple Causation

Front 2

Multidirectionality

Back 2

There is no consistent pattern of gains and losses.
E.g. some become more extroverted, others less so.

Front 3

Plasticity

Back 3

Aging is inevitable, but how we age is not.
-Cognitive reserve
-Sociocultural plasticity

Front 4

Cognitive reserve

Back 4

Brain's resilience to brain damage.

Front 5

Sociocultural plasticity

Back 5

Characteristics of society that support (or do not support) healthy aging.

Front 6

Historical context

Back 6

We breath in the air of our times.
-Cohort
-Normative history-graded influence

Front 7

Cohort

Back 7

A group of people born at the same point or specific time span in historical time.

Front 8

Normative history-graded influence

Back 8

A massive event that affected everyone regardless of age (e.g. 9/11)

Front 9

Multiple causes (Forces of Development in book)

Back 9

There are many different causes of aging.
Biopsychosocial framework --> Life cycle forces --> Person

Front 10

Life cycle forces

Back 10

The same event can influence development in different ways, depending on where in life that event occurred (e.g., losing a parent)

Front 11

Normative age-graded events

Back 11

Events that occur to almost everyone during a span of ages (e.g. puberty, marriage)

Front 12

Nonnormative influences

Back 12

Anything else that influences someone's aging (friend groups' habits, etc.)

Front 13

Three keys to successful aging

Back 13

1. Selection - choosy about goals/activities
2. Optimization - practice, train, learn
3. Compensation - adapt to changes to achieve success

Front 14

Perceived age

Back 14

How old you feel.

Front 15

Sociocultural age

Back 15

How old society perceives you (your current role in society.)

Front 16

Biological age

Back 16

How your vital organs are functioning

Front 17

Hayflick limit

Back 17

Number of times a cell can divide.

Front 18

Telomeres

Back 18

Protective cap at the end of the chromosome, they shorten as cells divide. At birth, people differ in telomere length. Pretty accurate indicator of biological health (BIOMARKER).

Front 19

Lifestyle factors associated with shorter telomeres:

Back 19

1. Lower SES
2. Manual jobs
3. Higher BMI and lack of exercise
4. Smoking

Front 20

Research question: Is mind wandering associated with shorter telomeres?

Back 20

Tested 264 women from 50-65, asked trait based questions (e.g. presence in the moment, lack of presence). MAJOR FINDING: that short telomere length associated with more mind wandering.

Front 21

Short telomeres are associated with (found in mind-wandering study):

Back 21

1. Mind wandering
2. More depressive symptoms
3. Greater perceived stress
4. More rumination
5. Lower life satisfaction

Front 22

Research question: Can long term lifestyle changes affect relative telomere length?

Back 22

Monitored low-risk prostate cancer patients. Put 10 in an intensive intervention for 3 months:
1. plant based diet
2. moderate aerobic exercise
3. stress management
4. increased social support
Measured telomere length 5 years later.
MAJOR FINDING: Lifestyle intervention group showed significant increase in telomere length, while control showed small decrease. More they adhered to lifestyle change, longer their telomere length.

Front 23

Free Radical Theory of Aging

Back 23

Aging is the accumulation of damage from free radicals.

Front 24

Free radicals

Back 24

Unstable molecules that damage DNA and decrease organ function.

Front 25

Antioxidants

Back 25

Donate their electrons to stop the chain reaction of free radical damage.

Front 26

Age-related cues

Back 26

Your surrounding context which can mask, mute, or magnify the aging process.
E.g. gray hair, male pattern baldness, clothing, social circle.

Front 27

Research Question: If women change their appearance and think they look younger, will others agree?

Back 27

Tested 47 women who were getting their hair cut or styled (Mage=43). Correlational study. Took before and after pictures, then cropped out hair and body (faces only).
DVs:
-Blood pressure before and after
-Perceived age before and after
MAJOR FINDING: Women who reported feeling younger after appointment showed decrease in blood pressure and appeared younger to independent raters compared to those who did not feel younger after.

Front 28

Male Pattern baldness + health

Back 28

Men who went bald earlier had got cardiovascular disease or prostate cancer an average of 4-5 years earlier than those who went bald later.

Front 29

Uniforms + health

Back 29

People in jobs that require uniforms live longer than those that do not (as long as they make more than 25,000/yr).

Front 30

Age of first child + health

Back 30

Those who had their first children between 29-34 lived longer than those who had their first children between 22-25.

Front 31

Age of spouses + health

Back 31

People who had younger spouses lived longer than those with spouses their age. People who had older spouses lived shorter than those with spouses their age.

Front 32

Vision: typical age-related changes

Back 32

Difficulty seeing close objects
Speed of focusing (accommodation)
Contrast discrimination
Increased sensitivity to glare
Light adjustment
Shrinking useful field of view

Front 33

Presbyopia

Back 33

Difficulty seeing close objects (typical age-related change in vision)

Front 34

Cataracts

Back 34

Most prevalent visual disability associated with aging.
Opaque spots on lens of eye, reducing light.
Causes blurry vision, sensitivity to light and glare (halos around light), yellowing.
Loss of functionality: poor night vision, loss of visual acuity.

Front 35

Macular Degeneration

Back 35

Deterioration of rods and cones in retina, especially at the macula (focal point of vision).
Distorts central vision, which can become a blind spot, loss of sharp vision.
Loss of functionality: reading, TV, driving.

Front 36

Glaucoma

Back 36

Fluid in the eye builds up and damages optic nerve fibers.
Creates blind spots, beginning in periphery. Extreme version of loss of useful field of view.
Loss of functionality: ability to detect objects in periphery, can lead to complete blindness.

Front 37

Hearing: typical age-related changes.

Back 37

More difficulty hearing:
high pitched sounds
speech sounds

Front 38

Presbycusis

Back 38

Difficulty (or inability) hearing high pitch sounds.

Front 39

When are older adults more likely to get into a traffic accident?

Back 39

1. Making a left turn at an intersection.
2. Demanding situations, such as merging/yielding.
3. When they are pedestrians.

Front 40

Aging + Driving ability (sensory losses)

Back 40

Loss of visual acuity
Increased sensitivity to glare
Difficulty seeing in the dark
Difficulty hearing sirens and turn signal
Slowed reaction time
Changes in body build - difficulty seeing over wheel

Front 41

Stability-change issue

Back 41

The degree to which people remain the same over time.

Front 42

Continuity-discontinuity controversy

Back 42

Whether a particular developmental phenomenon represents a smooth progression over time (continuity) or a series of abrupt shifts (discontinuity).

Front 43

Universal versus context-specific development controversy

Back 43

Whether there is just one path of development or several.

Front 44

Cross-linking theory of aging

Back 44

Certain proteins (collagen) in human cells interact randomly and produce molecules that are linked in such a way as to make the body stiffer.

Front 45

Wrinking (the steps)

Back 45

1. Outer layer becomes thinner through cell loss, causing fragility.
2. Collagen fibers that make up connective tissue become more frigid.
3? 4?

Front 46

Osteoperosis

Back 46

Loss of bone mass and increased porosity create bones that resemble laced honeycombs.
Leading cause of broken bones in older women. Commonly causes a stooping posture.

Front 47

Rheumatoid arthritis vs. Osteoarthritis

Back 47

Rheumatoid arthritis: synovial membrane becomes inflamed, causing pain and bone loss. Cartilage wears down.
Osteoarthritis (more common form): wearing away of cartilage that caps bones in your joints.