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age related loss of muscle mass and strength

sarcopenia

loss of bone mass due to loss of calcium in bones. accelerated in women due to menopause

osteoporosis

lens of the eye thickens and reduces light reaching the retina

presbyopia

nerves and structures in the inner ear gradually deteriorate

presbycusis

dopamine loss

impacts memory control

acetylcholine loss

memory declines

GABA loss

impacts neural precision

decrease in myelin

slows speed of neural transmission

climacteric

the time in adulthood where reproductive capability declines

deficiency of acetylcholine can lead to what disease

alzheimer’s

cognitive mechanics

declines with age

cognitive pragmatics

may continue to improve

crystallized intelligence

accumulated information and verbal skills

fluid intelligence

ability to reason abstractly and think flexibly

selective attention

ability to focus on specific, relevant aspect of experience while ignoring others 

divided attention

concentrating on more than one thing at a time

sustained attention

state of readiness to detect and respond to random changes in the environment

older adults emphasize goals related to emotion and become selective about their social networks

socioemotional selectivity theory

situation in which two or more roles are in conflict with each other, separate demands require more time than you have available

role conflict

when own skills or abilities don’t match up to the demands of the role

role strain

more complex thinking allowing ability to deal with inconsistency, contradiction, imperfection, compromise

postformal thought

advanced thinking, consider thesis and antithesis simultaneously

dialectical thought

early adulthood Erikson stage

intimacy vs isolation

middle/late adulthood Erikson stage

ego integrity vs despair

Vaillant

studied mid-life crisis, found only a minority experience

Vaillant categories for 75-80 

Happy-well, sad-sick, dead

personality type theory

it is important for individuals to select a career that matches up well with their personality type

activity theory

best response to old age is to remain physically and cognitively active as possible

socioemotional selectivity theory

older adults emphasize goals related to emotion and become selective about their social networks

self-regulation in aging.

-Selection: reduction in performances in most life domains

-Optimization: maintenance of standards of performance in some areas through continued practice and the use of new technologies

-Compensation: relevant when tasks require a level of capacity beyond the current potential

selective optimization with compensation theory

Kubler-Ross’s Stages

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance