Human Development Test 3

Early Adulthood

18-30 years

What are early adults doing?

Exploring different possibilities

Early adults are generally pessimistic about their life

false

Task for early adulthood

Re-orienting their lives towards independent adult roles.

Internal terms for reaching adulthood

Accepting responsibility for action

Financially supporting themself

Making independent decisions about life.

Variability

Life paths start to diverge as people reach early adulthood

What makes emerging adulthood possible?

Longevity provides time to put off adult commitments

What makes emerging adulthood likely?

Education and uncertain modern life as constructing a viable career can take much longer (late 20’s)

What was the cultural shift that encourages emerging adulthood.

The cultural shift toward self-expression and making changes.

Does leaving the nest improve parent-child relationships?

Depends on when and where.

Social Clock

Shared age norms that act as guideposts to what behaviors are appropriate at particular ages

Social clock agendas are totally under the individuals control.

False

Early adulthood is the typical peak of physical abilities and health

True (senses sharp, full height, brain full size, gross and fine motor in top shape)

What is the goal for exercise in early adults

2.5 hours a week

How much sleep does an early adult need?

at least 7 hours

Stress

A set of physical, cognitive, and emotional responses to events that threaten and challenge us.

Stress is always negative

False

Daily stressors don’t include chronic challenges

False

What nervous system reacts to stress

The sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight)

The sympathetic nervous system can be helpful in the short-term but harmful in the long-term

True

HPA (hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal)

The hypothalamus stimulates (with CRH) the anterior pituitary gland to stimulate the adrenal glands (with ACTH) to release cortisol. (from the cortex)

Primary Appraisal

Individual’s assessment of the event to as positive, negative, and neutral.

Secondary appraisal

Individual’s assessment of whether their available coping abilities and resources are adequate.

How is high stress formulated?

Large negative threat + inadequate resources to cope with threat

Coping

An individual’s effort to control, reduce, or tolerate threats that lead to stress

Coping behaviors

anything a person might, think, feel, or do to reduce the effects of stressful events.

Problem-focused coping

Managing a stressful situation by changing it to make it less stressful (calling the insurance company) (taking an inventory of the lost items)

Emotion-focused coping

The conscious regulation of emotions to manage a stressful situation. (crying, meditation, listening to music)

Meaning-focused coping

Reframing the stressful situation to manage or change its meaning. (well now that my TV is destroyed I get new stuff!) (or at least no one got hurt in the fire) (find the silver lining)

Social Coping

Seeking emotional or instrumental help from others to manage a stressful situation (Call my parents for advice after my apartment burnt up)

Defensive Coping

Unconscious strategies that distort or deny the true nature of the situation. Not sustainable in the long run. (I don’t need an apartment anyway)

What strategy is best?

If there is control then problem is best, if no control then emotional is best.

Postformal Thinking

Relativistic thinking allows young adults to consider multiple viewpoints

Reflective Thinking

continuous, active evaluation of information and beliefs in light of evidence and implications

Schaie’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Changes in how we use the information we acquire in adulthood (Piaget focuses on how we acquire the information)

Acquisitive Stage

Covers all childhood and adolescence, gather and store knowledge for future use.

Achieving Stage

Apply intellectual skills to achieve long-term personal goals

Responsible Stage

Middle adulthood, protect and nourish families and careers, manage increasingly complex tasks

Executive Stage

Back half of middle adulthood, invest energy in organizations with a larger purpose for adulthood

Reintegrative Stage

Late adulthood, Reexamine life experiences, focus on tasks with personal meaning

Steinberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Intelligence is made up of componential, contextual, and experiential intelligence (analytical, creative, and practical)

Componential intelligence

Analyzing, evaluating, judging, comparing, and solving problems.

What type of intelligence is usually measured by an IQ test?

Componential or analytical

What type of intelligence is closely related to academic success?

Componential

Creative intelligence (experiential

Abilities to connect prior knowledge creatively in new situations

Contextual intelligence (practical)

Abilities to practically adapt to everyday demands

What is perhaps most critical intelligence for adult success?

Practical or contextual intelligence

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple IntelligencesCaree

What are the ways that are you intelligent?

Musical

Bodily-Kinesthetic

Interpersonal

Visual-spatial

Intrapersonal

Naturalistic

Logical-mathematical

Verbal linguistic

Career

The patterns of occupations held by people across their working lives.

The majority of US high school students don’t want to go to college and have a high-paying career

False

Self-esteem tends to rise in the first semester of college

False, it usually tends to dip and then gradually rise later

What causes self-esteem to drop

More demanding work, new social relationships, far from family and friends.

Flow

A feeling of total absorption in a challenging, goal-orientated activity

Flow is different from happiness and requires intrinsic motivation

True

People with a Bachelors degree earn around $20,000 more than those without

False, $32,000 more

What percent of students finish a four year education in 6 years?

60%

Middle Adulthood

40-65 years, notice the physical effects of aging

Height change in middle adulthood

Around age 55 slight settling process begins and lose 1-2 in decline in height.

Women lose more height than men

True, women are generally more prone to osteoperosis

How can osteoporosis be prevented

Exercising regularly and eating a calcium rich diet

When does body weight level off and decline

Level off at 50 and decline in the 60s and 70s

Body strength tends to decrease toward the end of middle adulthood

True

Presbyopia

Loss of near/close-up vision

Hearing acuity declines faster than vision

False, it declines slower

Presbycusis

Age-related declines in hearing (affects high pitch noises)

How many hours of sleep do middle adults need per night

seven or more

Menopause

One year without a menstrual period. (around age 50)

Hot Flash

Sudden spreading of heat across the body, flushing, sweating, and chills.

What is the main threat to health in middle adulthood?

Chronic illnesses like diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension.

Fluid intelligence

Ability to reason quickly about novel problems

Crystallized intelligence

Fact based knowledge

What type of knowledge decreases over life?

Fluid intelligence

What type of intelligence increases over life?

Crystallized intelligence

Expertise

A high level of skill or knowledge in a specific area

Experts generally adhere strictly to the rules of their field

False, they are generally more flexible

Allostatic load

A measurement of how stress impacts people. (higher=worse)

Physical fitness helps to lower allostatic load

True

Cognitively challenging jobs can lead to lower mental flexibility with age

False

How many Americans are alternative/gig workers?

1 in 6

Holland’s vocational theory

The closer we get to our ideal personality-career fit the more satisfied we will be at our jobs.

Conventional

Organizers, data-driven and detail orientated. (accountant, clerk)

Realistic

Technically and athletically inclined, like to work with hands, like outdoors (mechanic, construction, farming)

Investigative

Thinkers, abstract problem solvers, often in scientific fields, like to observe learn and solve.

Enterprising

Persuaders, influencers, like to lead or manage, take charge (managers, salesperson, entrepreneur)

Social

Helpers, like to work with people, talking, training, developing, curing (physicians, social workers, bartenders)

Artistic

Creators, like to work with their minds, innovating, imagining, creating (decorators, musicians, writers)

RIASEC model

Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, social, enterprising, Conventional.

How many different jobs have people gone through by the age of 45?

11 on average

Generally when a young adult loses their job they stay unemployed longer than a middle-aged adult

False

Narrative psychology

Development of self is a continuous process of constructing one’s life story.

Identity assimilation

Holding on to one’s view of themselves in the face of new experiences that do not fit

Identity Accommodation

Adjusting identity schemas to fit these new experiences

Identity Process theory

A combination of assimilation and accommodation in the view of aging and identity.

Personality

The enduring characteristics and behavior that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life.

Big Five Model (OCEAN model)

Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism.

Openness

Person’s level of curiosity and interest in new experiences

Conscientiousness

Person’s tendencies to be organized and responsible (careful, on time, follow rules, and hardworking)

Extraversion

How outgoing or shy a person is

Agreeableness

How easygoing and helpful a person is (pleasant, loving, easy to get along with)