PSYC290 EXAM 3 Questions And Answers

Explain cultural factors and how they may impact older adults. - ANS What promotes a good old age in most cultures? One analysis indicated that three factors are important in living the "good life" as an older adult: health, security, and kinship/support. What factors are associated with whether older adults are accorded a position of high status in a culture? - ANS In one view, seven factors are most likely to predict high status for older adults in a culture. 1. Valuable knowledge 2. Control key family/community resources. 3. Permitted to engage in useful and valued functions as long as possible. 4. There is role continuity throughout the life span. 5. Age-related role changes involve greater responsibility, authority, and advisory capacity. 6. The extended family is a common family arrangement in the culture, and the older person is integrated into the extended family. 7. In general, respect for older adults is greater in collectivistic cultures (such as China and Idia) than in individualistic cultures (such as the United States). However, some researchers are finding that this collectivistic/individualistic difference in respect for older adults is not as strong as it used to be, and that in some cases older adults in individualistic cultures receive considerable respect. Describe factors that impact life expectancy. - ANS Life expectancy in 2030 were made for 35 developed countries. It was predicted that life expectancy in the United States would increase to 83.3 years for women and 79.5 years for men by 2030. However, the United States, although expected to increase in life expectancy, had one of the lowest growth rates in life expectancy for all the countries in the study. South Korea is projected to have the highest life expectancy in 2030, with South Korean women predicted to have an average life expectancy of 90.8, the first nation to break the 90-year life expectancy barrier. So why the lower growth in life expectancy for the United States and the very high growth for South Korea? The United States has the highest child and maternal mortality, homicide rate, and body-mass index of high-income countries in the world. In South Korea, delayed onset of chronic diseases is occurring and children's nutrition is improving. South Korea also has a low rate of obesity, and blood pressure is not as high as it is in most countries. Life expectancy also differs for various ethnic groups within the United States and for men and women. For example, in 2014 the life expectancy of African Americans (73.1) in the United States was 7.2 years lower than the life expectancy for Latinos (80.3) and 5.7 years lower than for non-Latino Whites (78.8). Latino women had a life expectancy of 82.9 and non-Latino White women had a life expectancy of 81.1, followed by African American women (78.1), non-Latino White men (76.5 years), and African American men (72 years). The differences in life expectancies for various ethnicities have increased in recent years, likely because of the powerful influence of education, and some experts argue that closing the gap entirely may not be possible. In virtually all species, females outlive males. Women have more resistance Describe the stages of Erikson's lifespan development that influence middle and late adulthood. - ANS Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young adult years from 18 to 40) During this stage, according to Erikson, we are trying to fine intimate connections with another person/s. If we are successful, we will have a positive outcome. If we fail, we will become socially isolated. Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle age from 40 to 65) During this stage, according to Erikson, we become aware that we are getting closer to death. If we successfully navigate this stage, we do so by finding some greater purpose for our life. If we are unsuccessful, we become focused on our selves and selfishness tends to follow. Stage 8: Integrity vs. Despair (Older adulthood from 65 to death) During this stage, according to Erikson, we know that death is near and we reflect on life. If we look back and see a fulfilling life, we face death with integrity and wisdom. If not, then we often feel fear and despair. Explain Elizabeth Kubler Ross' theory and identify the stages of this theory. - ANS The Kübler Ross model, commonly known as the Five Stages of Grief is a popular theory developed by Swiss American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler Ross on how people generally deal with death, loss, and grief. The theory was initially developed to help terminally ill individuals accept their impending death. However, the model was later adapted by author and grief expert David Kessler to apply to tragedy and grief as well. Name the Five Stages of grief and who's model is it? - ANS Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance Discuss the role of gender in the aging process. - ANS Do our gender roles change when we become older adults? Some developmentalists conclude that femininity decreases in women and that masculinity decreases in men when they reach late adulthood. The evidence suggests that older men do become more feminine nurturant, sensitive, and so on but it appears that older women do not necessarily become more masculine assertive, dominant, and so on. In a more recent cross-sectional study of individuals from 12 to 80 years and older, men in their seventies were more likely than adolescents and younger men to endorse androgynous traits. Also in this study, women in their eighties and older were less likely than younger and middle aged women to endorse masculine and androgynous traits. And in an even more re-cent study, among older adult men, those who were married were more likely to endorse stereo typically masculine traits but also to have higher androgyny scores than unmarried older men. The studies of age differences just discussed here were cross-sectional in nature and may reflect cohort effects. A possible double jeopardy also faces many women—the burden of both ageism and sexism. Not only is it important to be concerned about older women's double jeopardy of ageism and sexism, but special attention also needs to be devoted to female ethnic minority older adults. Explain how attachment theory is relevant in middle and late adulthood. - ANS In psychology, the theory of attachment can be applied to adult relationships including friendships, emotional affairs, adult romantic or carnal relationships or platonic relationships and, in some cases, relationships with inanimate objects ("transitional objects"). Attachment theory, initially studied in the 1960s and 1970s primarily in the context of children and parents, was extended to adult relationships in the late 1980s. The working models of children found in Bowlby's attachment theory form a pattern of interaction that is likely to continue influencing adult relationships. Four main styles of attachment secure, anxious preoccupied, dismissive avoidant, fearful avoidant - ANS Older adults have fewer attachment relationships than younger adults - ANS • Attachment anxiety decreases with increasing age • Attachment security is linked to psychological and physical well-being in older adults What role do hormones play in the aging process and describe any gender differences. - ANS Normally, when people experience stressors, the body responds by releasing certain hormones. As people age, the hormones stimulated by stress remain at elevated levels longer than they did when people were younger. These prolonged, elevated levels of stress related hormones are associated with increased risks for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. Researchers are exploring stress-buffering strategies, including exercise, in an effort to find ways to attenuate some of the negative effects of stress on the aging process Define the different types of intelligence and any changes that occur across the lifespan. - ANS Cognitive mechanics (the neurophysiological architecture, including the brain) are more likely to decline in older adults than are cognitive pragmatics (the culture based software of the mind). Speed of processing declines in older adults. Older adults' attention declines more on complex than simple tasks. Regarding memory, in late adulthood explicit memory declines more than implicit memory; episodic memory declines more than semantic memory; working memory also declines. Components of executive function such as cognitive control and working memory, decline in late adulthood. Decision making is reasonably well preserved in older adults. Recently, there has been increased interest in the role of metacognition and mindfulness in improving older adults' cognitive functioning. Wisdom is expert knowledge about the practical aspects of life that permits excellent judgment about important matters. Baltes and his colleagues have found that high levels of wisdom are rare, the time frame of late adolescence and early adulthood is the main window for wisdom to emerge, factors other than age are critical for wisdom to develop, and personality related factors are better predictors of wisdom than cognitive factors such as intelligence. Describe at least two different cognitive disorders that most often occur in middle to late adulthood. - ANS Dementia is a global term for any neurological disorder in which the primary symptoms involve a deterioration of mental functioning. Individuals with dementia often lose the ability to care for themselves and can become unable to recognize familiar surroundings and people, including family members. It is estimated that 23 percent of women and 17 percent of men 85 years and older are at risk for developing dementia . One form of dementia is Alzheimer disease, a progressive, irreversible brain disorder that is characterized by a gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and eventually, physical function. In 2017, an estimated 5.5 million adults in the United States had Alzheimer disease, and it is projected that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer disease in their lifetime. Ten percent of individuals 65 and older have Alzheimer disease. The percentage of individuals with Alzheimer disease increases dramatically with age: 3 percent aged 65 to 74, 17 percent aged 75 to 84, and 32 percent aged 85 and older. Another type of dementia is Parkinson disease, a chronic, progressive disease characterized by muscle tremors, slowing of movement, and partial facial paralysis. Parkinson disease is triggered by degeneration of dopamine producing neurons in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is necessary for normal brain functioning. Why these neurons degenerate is not known.