Later Life: Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development

Flashcards covering cognitive, emotional, and social development in later life, including memory changes, socioemotional selectivity theory, and retirement.

Median age of the population

The cutoff age at which half of the population is older and half is younger.

Memory (Older Adults)

People are more likely to attribute forgetfulness to memory loss in older adults.

Working memory

Process of transforming information into more permanent storage which worsens with age.

Executive processor

Hypothetical structure responsible for focusing attention and manipulating material into the permanent memory store.

Control Processes

The part of the information-processing system that regulates the analysis and flow of information, including memory and retrieval strategies.

Procedural memory

Information remembered automatically, like physical skills.

Semantic memory

Ability to recall facts and basic knowledge.

Episodic memory

Ongoing events of daily life; highly fragile in everyone, especially older adults.

Socioemotional selectivity theory

Suggests time left to live affects priorities and social relationships.

Integrity (Erikson's psychosocial stage)

Reviewing life and making peace, sense of usefulness and meaning in present life, sense of self-efficacy.

Intergenerational equity

Balancing the needs of the young and the old.

Age discrimination

Illegally laying off workers or failing to hire or promote them on the basis of age.