Lifespan Development Final

Lectures 16-22

Primary aging

age-related physical changes that have a biological bases and are universally shared and inevitable

Secondary aging

age-related changes caused by environmental, lifestyle, and health factors

biological embedding

social circumstances in the first few years of a child’s life can cause epigenetic modifications in the brain and body systems that determine the trajectory of a person’s health through adulthood

determinants of health

50%: SES - culture, gender, employment, education, stress

25%: Healthcare system - medical services, clinics, hospitals

15%: Biology & genetics: organs and body systems, DNA

10%: Physical environment - housing, clean air, water, soil

Immune system

made up of thymus and bone marrow

Thymus gland

largest in adolescence and declines dramatically after in both size and mass, increasing the susceptibility to disease. After period of many years and stresses, immune system may become less and less efficient

Bone marrow

spongy tissue inside our bones, all bones in newborns have active marrow, meaning they are producing marrow cells. Young adulthood = active marrow only found in spine, hip, and shoulder bones, ribs, breastbone, and skull

B cells

immune system’s antibody factories. produce proteins that float through the bloodstream and flag or neutralize the threat — come from bone marrow

T cells

attack cells directly, decline most in number and efficiency with age — come from thymus

Max oxygen intake

measure of the body’s ability to take in and transport oxygen to various body organs, exercise ability declines ~ 1% per year beginning between 35-40 — changes not at rest but during exercise

Reproductive capacity

the risk of miscarriage and other complications of pregnancy is higher when someone is in their 30s vs 20s

Menstruating individuals

fertility is at its highest in late teens and early 20s and drops steadily thereafter

health habits

extensive longitudinal studies have shown that in every age group, those with poorer health habits had a higher risk of mortality

social support

adults with adequate social support have lower risk of disease, death, and depression, than adults with weaker social networks or less supportive relationships

Locus of control

Internal locus of control: sees oneself as capable of exerting some control over health issues

External locus of control: believes other people or luck are responsible for their health issues

Erikson’s theory of early adulthood

Intimacy vs isolation: young adults must find a life partner or supportive friends from outside their own family to share their life, or face the prospect of being isolated from society

Intimacy

the capacity to engage in a supportive, affectionate relationship without losing one’s own sense of self

parental investment theory

men and women have different “investments” in childrearing and therefore have different goals in:

• choosing a partner

• engaging in intimacy/sexual behavior

• monogamy

evolutionary theorists

believe women choose mates that are “providers”

social role theory

sex differences are adaptations to gender roles that result from present-day social realities rather than from natural selection pressures that arose in a bygone era

conflict management

Gottman: a lot of research into couples’ communication and engagement. 4 horsemen of the apocalypse - 90% accuracy in predicting relationship breakdown: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling

communication

plays a pivotal role in determining relationship quality. effective communication = understanding, empathy, connection, foundation for mutual trust & support. clear and open communication = navigate conflicts constructively, resolve differences, and express their needs and desirers, promoting marital satisfaction and harmony

attachment

adults bring into their relationship internal modes of intimate relationships established from the parental attachment. Attachment style —→ emotion regulation, communication style, conflict management, seek out/receive support, core beliefs about being worthy of love —→ relationship quality

parenthood

one of the major new riles often acquired in early/middle adulthood. has many significant impacts on psychological well-being, including parental relationship quality

postpartum mental health

MH problems are relatively common and can have a direct impact on an individual’s sense of self, can disrupt family relationships, and interfere with their ability to bond with the baby

mental health

higher rates of mental health difficulties for those in marginalized groups. resilience in one domain leads to worse functioning in another

brain development

volume of the brain begins to shrink in 30s or 40s, the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus show the biggest losses which worsen in advanced age

cortical thinking

especially pronounced in the frontal lobes and parts of the temporal lobes, “last in first out” — association areas

nervous system development: big changes

• neurons shrink and retract to their dendrites

• myelin starts to deteriorate

• synapses are still being added, but more are being lost which can affect learning and memory

• large impact on cognitive decline

early vs middle-aged adulthood development

middle aged:

• respond more slowly to cognitive tasks than those of younger adults

• cognitive tasks activate a larger area of the brain tissue

• brains become less about what tools to use

• less ability to control inhibiting brain responses to irrelevant stimuli

• difficulty with attentional control → average difference in processing speed between young and middle-aged adults

Denney’s Model of physical and cognitive aging

changes with age on nearly any measure of physical or cognitive functioning follow a typical curve.

• unexercised abilities = lower peak level of performance

• exercised abilities = higher peak level of performance

• any skill not fully exercised can be improved, even in old age

• increasing age = a high level of functioning requires more and more effort, until eventually every adult reaches a point at which even max effort will no longer maintain peak function

Baltes model: selection

to balance the gains and losses associated with aging:

• selection: prioritizing goals, especially when resources become limited. includes

• elective selection: choosing based on personal preference

• loss-based selection: adapting goals due to declining abilities

Baltes model: optimization

investing resources (effort, time, training) to maximize potential and reach set goals

Baltes model: compensation

using alternative strategies, aids, or social support to overcome losses in resources and maintain functional levels (Eg. hearing aids, changing methods)

crystallized intelligence

involves recalling facts and info from a stored base of knowledge, that data can then be applied to new situations (not needing cookbooks because recipes are memorized)

fluid intelligence

the ability to solve newly encountered problems based on logic and reason (learning a new language)

semantic memory

the long-term storage of facts and is a form of declarative memory, “storehouse” of permanent knowledge (meaning of words in a language)

episodic memory

the long term storage of info regarding experiences (what happened, how they felt, who said what)

exercise

may be one of the most critical influences on overall cognitive performance during mid adulthood, increased physical activity → improved cognition

Erikson theory on social and emotional development in middle adulthood

Generativity vs stagnation stage: middle-aged adults find meaning in contributing to the development of younger individuals

Generativity

a sense that one is making a valuable contribution to society by bringing up children or mentoring younger people

• embraces change and growth

• seeking to contribute to society and future generations

• finds fulfillment in mentoring and guiding others

stagnation

feeling stuck and unproductive in personal and professional life

• resisting change and remaining stagnant

• lacking motivation and purpose in guiding or helping others

generativity

increases in middle adulthood

• positively linked to MH and intrinsically rewarding work

• civic engagement: partaking in opportunities

• becoming a grandparent is a strong opportunity to foster generativity as individuals shift focus onto grandchildren

role of culture in generativity

culture/society provides a strong emphasis on generativity, and provides ample opportunity for activities that promote generativity, we see that individuals are much more likely to internalize the value of generativity and, in turn, show more generativity, and life satisfaction in mid adulthood

social representations theory

the views of aging held within a given culture are a form of shared cultural representation, they constitute systems of ideas, values, and customs realted to aging that are treated by members of the society as if they were established reality