PYC 4805:
Developmental
Psychology
Chapter 4
, 1. How Long Will We Live?
» The tremendous increase in the number of older adults has focused renewed interest in how long you ma
» The length of life has an enormous impact on just about every aspect of life, from decisions about governm
care programs (e.g., how much money should Congress allocate to Medicare), to retirement policy (e.g., d
the age at which people may collect maximum retirement benefits), to life insurance premiums (e.g., long
average mean cheaper rates for young adults because they are now healthier for longer periods of their liv
- Longer lives is also partly responsible for the increase in the average age of the American population incr
the past few decades.
» Life expectancy can be examined from the perspective of the basic developmental forces, because how lo
depends on complex interactions among biological, psychological, socio-economic , and lifecycle forces.
» Environmental factors such as disease and toxic chemicals modify our genetic heritage and shorten our life
sometimes drastically.
- By the same token, environmental factors such as access to high quality medical care can sometimes offs
defects that would otherwise have caused early death, thereby increasing our longevity.
Developmental
Psychology
Chapter 4
, 1. How Long Will We Live?
» The tremendous increase in the number of older adults has focused renewed interest in how long you ma
» The length of life has an enormous impact on just about every aspect of life, from decisions about governm
care programs (e.g., how much money should Congress allocate to Medicare), to retirement policy (e.g., d
the age at which people may collect maximum retirement benefits), to life insurance premiums (e.g., long
average mean cheaper rates for young adults because they are now healthier for longer periods of their liv
- Longer lives is also partly responsible for the increase in the average age of the American population incr
the past few decades.
» Life expectancy can be examined from the perspective of the basic developmental forces, because how lo
depends on complex interactions among biological, psychological, socio-economic , and lifecycle forces.
» Environmental factors such as disease and toxic chemicals modify our genetic heritage and shorten our life
sometimes drastically.
- By the same token, environmental factors such as access to high quality medical care can sometimes offs
defects that would otherwise have caused early death, thereby increasing our longevity.
