Psych 381 - Psyc of Adult
Development
4 Principles of the Lifespan Perceptive (from Paul Baltes) - CORRECT ANSWER-1.
Mutltidirectionality: Development involves both growth and decline; as people grow in
one area, they may lose in another and at different rates
2. Plasticity: Many skills can be trained or improved with practice, even in late life
(capacity not predetermined)
3. Historical Context:Each of us develops within a particular set of circumstances
determined by the historical time in which we are born and the culture in which we grow
up
4. Multiple Causation: How people develop results from a wide variety of forces
4 Criticisms to Baltes View - CORRECT ANSWER-1. As people age, they show an age-
related reduction in the amount and quality of biologically based resources.
2. There is an age-related increase in the amount and quality of culture needed to
generate continuously higher growth. Usually results in a net slowing of growth as
people age.
3. People show an age-related decline in the efficiency with which they use cultural
resources.
4. There is a lack of cultural, "old-age friendly" support structures
Aging Demographic Trends USA+CAD - CORRECT ANSWER-- Larger portion of
population is reaching old age
- Our life spans are extending
- More men are living longer
- Number of ethnic minority elderly are increasing
- Future older adults will be better educated
- Concerns about if healthcare and financial systems can keep up
Aging Demographics Worldwide - CORRECT ANSWER-- Number of older adults
increasing everywhere
- Oldest adults = Europe, youngest = Africa
- Older population in economically powerful countries increasing and potentially
straining economy
- Shrinking supply of workers
- Main reasong for "aging" is a lower birth rate
Describe the 4 Developmental Forces - CORRECT ANSWER-1. Biological: genetic and
health- related factors that affect development
2. Psychological: internal perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and personality factors that
affect development (provide individuality)
, 3. Sociocultural: interpersonal, societal, cultural, and ethnic factors that affect
development (provide context)
4. Lifecycle: reflect differences in how the same event or combination of biological,
psychological, and sociocultural forces affects people at different points in their lives
Biopsychosocial Framework - CORRECT ANSWER-Each of us is a product of a unique
combination of these forces that create our developmental experience
Cohort - CORRECT ANSWER-a group of people born at the same point or specific time
span in historical time
Gerontology - CORRECT ANSWER-The study of aging from maturity through old age
Ageism - CORRECT ANSWER-A form of discrimination against older adults based on
their age
Life Span Perspective - CORRECT ANSWER-view that human development is multiply
determined and cannot be understood within the scope of a single framework. States
that aging is complex and requires input from a variety of perspectives, it is a life long
process
Emphasizes that human development takes a lifetime to complete
3 forces that interact to produce developmental change over the lifespan - CORRECT
ANSWER-1. Normative age-graded influences: experiences caused by biological,
psychological, and sociocultural forces that occur to most people of a particular age (ex.
Puberty)
2. Normative history-graded influences: events that most people in a specific culture
experience at the same time (ex. pandemics, stereotypes, changing social attitudes)
3. Nonnormative influences: random or rare events that may be important for a specific
individual but are not experienced by most people. (ex. lottery)
Culture - CORRECT ANSWER-defined as shared basic value orientations, norms,
beliefs, and customary habits and ways of living
Importance of culture (3) - CORRECT ANSWER-1. Gives basic world-view of a society,
including meaning and goals for everyday life
2. connects to biological forces through family lineage
3. culture shapes people's core beliefs, impacts childrens socialization, and defines
age/lifecourse
Ethnicity - CORRECT ANSWER-an individual and collective sense of identity based on
historical and cultural group membership and related behaviors and beliefs
Primary Aging - CORRECT ANSWER-normal, disease-free development during
adulthood
Development
4 Principles of the Lifespan Perceptive (from Paul Baltes) - CORRECT ANSWER-1.
Mutltidirectionality: Development involves both growth and decline; as people grow in
one area, they may lose in another and at different rates
2. Plasticity: Many skills can be trained or improved with practice, even in late life
(capacity not predetermined)
3. Historical Context:Each of us develops within a particular set of circumstances
determined by the historical time in which we are born and the culture in which we grow
up
4. Multiple Causation: How people develop results from a wide variety of forces
4 Criticisms to Baltes View - CORRECT ANSWER-1. As people age, they show an age-
related reduction in the amount and quality of biologically based resources.
2. There is an age-related increase in the amount and quality of culture needed to
generate continuously higher growth. Usually results in a net slowing of growth as
people age.
3. People show an age-related decline in the efficiency with which they use cultural
resources.
4. There is a lack of cultural, "old-age friendly" support structures
Aging Demographic Trends USA+CAD - CORRECT ANSWER-- Larger portion of
population is reaching old age
- Our life spans are extending
- More men are living longer
- Number of ethnic minority elderly are increasing
- Future older adults will be better educated
- Concerns about if healthcare and financial systems can keep up
Aging Demographics Worldwide - CORRECT ANSWER-- Number of older adults
increasing everywhere
- Oldest adults = Europe, youngest = Africa
- Older population in economically powerful countries increasing and potentially
straining economy
- Shrinking supply of workers
- Main reasong for "aging" is a lower birth rate
Describe the 4 Developmental Forces - CORRECT ANSWER-1. Biological: genetic and
health- related factors that affect development
2. Psychological: internal perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and personality factors that
affect development (provide individuality)
, 3. Sociocultural: interpersonal, societal, cultural, and ethnic factors that affect
development (provide context)
4. Lifecycle: reflect differences in how the same event or combination of biological,
psychological, and sociocultural forces affects people at different points in their lives
Biopsychosocial Framework - CORRECT ANSWER-Each of us is a product of a unique
combination of these forces that create our developmental experience
Cohort - CORRECT ANSWER-a group of people born at the same point or specific time
span in historical time
Gerontology - CORRECT ANSWER-The study of aging from maturity through old age
Ageism - CORRECT ANSWER-A form of discrimination against older adults based on
their age
Life Span Perspective - CORRECT ANSWER-view that human development is multiply
determined and cannot be understood within the scope of a single framework. States
that aging is complex and requires input from a variety of perspectives, it is a life long
process
Emphasizes that human development takes a lifetime to complete
3 forces that interact to produce developmental change over the lifespan - CORRECT
ANSWER-1. Normative age-graded influences: experiences caused by biological,
psychological, and sociocultural forces that occur to most people of a particular age (ex.
Puberty)
2. Normative history-graded influences: events that most people in a specific culture
experience at the same time (ex. pandemics, stereotypes, changing social attitudes)
3. Nonnormative influences: random or rare events that may be important for a specific
individual but are not experienced by most people. (ex. lottery)
Culture - CORRECT ANSWER-defined as shared basic value orientations, norms,
beliefs, and customary habits and ways of living
Importance of culture (3) - CORRECT ANSWER-1. Gives basic world-view of a society,
including meaning and goals for everyday life
2. connects to biological forces through family lineage
3. culture shapes people's core beliefs, impacts childrens socialization, and defines
age/lifecourse
Ethnicity - CORRECT ANSWER-an individual and collective sense of identity based on
historical and cultural group membership and related behaviors and beliefs
Primary Aging - CORRECT ANSWER-normal, disease-free development during
adulthood
