DEP 3404 - Final Exam Review
Questions and Answers (Chapter: 1-13)
Survivor Principle - Answer-the people who live to old age are the ones who managed to outlive the
many threats that could have caused their death at earlier ages.
individuality principle - Answer-as people age, they become more different from each other.
*inter*individual differences - Answer-differences between people
e.g., Volume of hippocampus in people in their 70s may be same as that of people in their 20s.
*intra*individual differences - Answer-variations in performance within the same individual
Some functions may increase over time, others decrease, and others stay the same.
Development is multidirectional.
Three components to functional age - Answer-Biological age : Age of an individual's bodily systems (E.g.,
Heart rate, Blood pressure, Glucose levels, Muscle and bone strength)
, Psychological age : The performance an individual achieves on measures of: Reaction time, Learning
ability, Memory, Intelligence
Social age : Calculated by evaluating where people are compared to the typical ages expected for people
to be when they occupy certain positions in life (E.g., Parental, grandparental status, Work role,
Retirement status)
functional age - Answer-how people actually perform
normative age-graded - Answer-Ages expected to be associated with certain life events
e.g., marriage, retirement, graduation
Normative history-graded influences: - Answer-Events that occur to everyone in a certain time period
within a culture (regardless of age)
e.g., wars, economic trends, sociocultural changes in attitudes and values
Impact of events may be felt immediately and/or continue to have a lasting impact on patterns of work,
family, quality of life.
Individuals do not have to experience events directly to be affected
Non-normative influences - Answer-Random, idiosyncratic events that occur throughout life
e.g., winning lottery, car accident, death of parent when young
Can be positive or negative; can happen instantly or manifest over a gradual period.
Life span perspective - Answer-Emphasizes continuity of development from childhood to old age
Includes a focus on contextual influences on development
Questions and Answers (Chapter: 1-13)
Survivor Principle - Answer-the people who live to old age are the ones who managed to outlive the
many threats that could have caused their death at earlier ages.
individuality principle - Answer-as people age, they become more different from each other.
*inter*individual differences - Answer-differences between people
e.g., Volume of hippocampus in people in their 70s may be same as that of people in their 20s.
*intra*individual differences - Answer-variations in performance within the same individual
Some functions may increase over time, others decrease, and others stay the same.
Development is multidirectional.
Three components to functional age - Answer-Biological age : Age of an individual's bodily systems (E.g.,
Heart rate, Blood pressure, Glucose levels, Muscle and bone strength)
, Psychological age : The performance an individual achieves on measures of: Reaction time, Learning
ability, Memory, Intelligence
Social age : Calculated by evaluating where people are compared to the typical ages expected for people
to be when they occupy certain positions in life (E.g., Parental, grandparental status, Work role,
Retirement status)
functional age - Answer-how people actually perform
normative age-graded - Answer-Ages expected to be associated with certain life events
e.g., marriage, retirement, graduation
Normative history-graded influences: - Answer-Events that occur to everyone in a certain time period
within a culture (regardless of age)
e.g., wars, economic trends, sociocultural changes in attitudes and values
Impact of events may be felt immediately and/or continue to have a lasting impact on patterns of work,
family, quality of life.
Individuals do not have to experience events directly to be affected
Non-normative influences - Answer-Random, idiosyncratic events that occur throughout life
e.g., winning lottery, car accident, death of parent when young
Can be positive or negative; can happen instantly or manifest over a gradual period.
Life span perspective - Answer-Emphasizes continuity of development from childhood to old age
Includes a focus on contextual influences on development
