PSYC 363 - Exam 1

What is the biopsychosocial perspective?

considers biological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors regarding development

According to the biopsychosocial perspective, scientific views are...

not always balanced

According to the biopsychosocial perspective, development is...

not a single, straightforward progression

According to the biopsychosocial perspective, people age...

differently

What are the 4 principles of aging?

1. continuity principle

2. survivorship principle

3. individuality matters

4. normal aging is different from disease

What is the continuity principle?

early experiences contribute to how we age; people remain essentially the same (even when they change)

What is the survivor principle?

people who survive to old age outlive threats (that could have caused death at earlier age)

What does the "individuality matters" principles mean?

people become more different from each other as they age

What are intra-individual differences?

differences within individual (variations of performance)

What does multi-directionality mean?

our life could take many pathways

What are inter-individual differences?

differences between people

What are examples of intra-individual differences?

intelligence, attention, effort

What are examples of inter-individual differences?

gender, age, ethnicity

What does the "normal aging is different from disease" principle emphasize?

growing older doesn't mean growing sicker

How does the survivor principle impact/influence research?

we don't know if certain traits/experiences are associated with aging, or if people who survived just happened to have those traits/experiences

What is primary aging?

normal changes over time due to universal, intrinsic processes in body

What is an example of primary aging?

wrinkles

What is secondary aging?

abnormal/impaired aging due to changes

What is an example of secondary aging?

skin cancer

What is tertiary aging?

aging that happens as one approaches death; rapid loss of function

What does optimal aging refer to?

capacity to function across many domains to one's satisfaction (in spite of any medical conditions one may have)

What is functional age?

age based on performance across multiple domains (biological, psychological, social age)

What were the main findings of the Project READY study (Nelson et al. )?

most parents didn't see children as adolescents but not fully adults either

What did both students and parents agree was the most essential criteria for adulthood? (Project READY study)

relational maturity

Most parents in the Project READY study said this about their children being adults...

in some ways yes, in some ways no

What did parents think was more important regarding the criteria for adulthood? (Project READY study)

norm compliance

What did students think was more important regarding the criteria for adulthood? (Project READY study)

role transitions, age transitions

What are the divisions by age of the over-65 population?

• young-old

• old-old

• oldest-old

• centenarians

• super-centenarians

Which ages are considered young old?

65-74

Which ages are considered old-old?

75-84

Which ages are considered oldest-old?

85+

Which ages are considered centenarians?

100+

Which ages are considered super-centenarians?

110+

What is personal aging?

intra-individual changes; reflect influence of time on body's structure/functions

What is social aging?

effects of person's exposure to changing environment

What are the 3 basic categories of social influence?

1. normative age-graded

2. normative history-graded

3. non-normative

What are normative age-graded influences?

life events that are typical; based on chronological age
(can be culture specific)

What are examples of normative age-graded influences?

marriage, retirement

What are normative history-graded influences?

environmental influences that affect large groups of people

What are examples of normative history-graded influences?

wars, natural disasters

What are non-normative influences?

random, idiosyncratic events (can be positive/negative)

What are examples of non-normative influences?

major disease diagnosis, winning lottery

What were the results of the Whitehall II study?

men in lowest employment brackets had poorer health than their health habits would predict

What is the Whitehall II study?

study that examined relationships between health, social class, occupation

What were the researchers originally interested in the Whitehall II study?

factors that might contribute to poorer health of people at lower ends of socioeconomic scale

What racial/ethnicity changes can be expected in the over-65 population between now and 2060?

~55% of 65+ expected to be non-Hispanic white (aging population is becoming more diverse)

Which racial/ethnic population is growing the fastest?

hispanic older population

The aging population is becoming more diverse, in 2060...

~55% of 65+ expected to be non-hispanic white

What is happening to the median age in the U.S.?

getting older

In the U.S., the older population is increasing across...

all racial ethnic groups

Around the world, older people now outnumber...

young children

The older population is growing the fastest in...

developing countries

Which world region is the oldest?

Europe

Which world region is the youngest?

Sub-Saharan Africa

What is the life course perspective?

norms, roles, attitudes about age influence our lives

Why is the term "developmental science" increasingly preferred over "developmental psychology"?

because focus encompasses multiple domains rather than just psychology

What is the organismic model of development?

heredity drives the course of development throughout life (changes over time occur because individual is programmed to exhibit certain behaviors at certain age)

What is the mechanistic model of development?

people's behavior changes gradually over time, shaped by the outside forces that cause them to adapt to their environments (development is smooth/continuous as person gains experiences)

What are some examples of mechanistic model of development?

learning theory

Do all models of development assume primacy of genes?

no (mechanistic model)

Which model of development is the biopsychosocial perspective?

interactionist

What is the principle of plasticity?

development may be altered depending on nature of individual's specific interactions in environment

What is the interactionist model of development?

genetics/environment interact in complex ways, but individuals actively shape their own development (nature and nurture)

What does the rGE model say? (Scarr & McCartney)

our genes influence environments to which we are exposed

What are the implications of the rGE model?

• environments are not random

• genes influence our exposure to certain environments

• genes influence our experience of certain environments

What are the 3 genotype-environment effects?

1. passive

2. evocative

3. active

What is the passive phenotype?

genotype from biological parents, environment provided by parents

What is the evocative phenotype?

responses/reactions elicited from other people because of who you are

What is the active phenotype?

people seeking out environments they find compatible/stimulating

Which phenotype did McCartney argue was the strongest?

active ("niche picking")

Do the results of the 5-HTTLPR + depression study (Caspi et al., 2003) support an organismic, mechanistic, or interactionist model of development?

organismic

What is Bronfenbrenner's ecological system of development?

development is affected by processes at multiple levels

According to Bronfenbrenner's theory, development progresses more smoothly when...

relationships between each system is compatible (similar expectations in each system are helpful)

What are the levels in Bronfenbrenner's ecological system of development?

• individual

• microsystem

• mesosystem

• exosystem

• macrosystem

• chronosystem

What is the microsystem? (Bronfenbrenner)

immediate environment

What are some examples of the microsystem?

individual, family, peers

What is the mesosystem? (Bronfenbrenner)

interactions between microsystems

What is an example of the mesosystem?

parent-teacher conference

What is the exosystem? (Bronfenbrenner)

indirect environment

What is an example of the exosystem?

neighborhood

What is the macrosystem? (Bronfenbrenner)

bigger environment (e.g., society, culture, nationality)

What is an example of the macrosystem?

SES

What is the chronosystem (Bronfenbrenner)

changes in systems over time

What is the social clock?

culturally defined timeline for major life events

How can the social clock influence thoughts, feelings, or behavior?

people evaluate themselves according to whether they're "on-time" or "off-time" (people that are "off-time" may become distressed)

What is the activity theory?

older adults are better adjusted when they remain involved in their social roles

What is the disengagement theory?

normal course of life for older adults is to loosen their social ties

What is the continuity theory?

individual's personality determines whether activity or disengagement is optimal

What is ageism

set of beliefs, attitudes, social institutions, and acts that denigrate individuals/groups based on their age

What is the terror management theory? (ageism)

seeing older adults remind us of our own mortality

What is the modernization hypothesis? (ageism)

industrialization led older adults to become obsolete

What does the "age-as-leveler view" contend?

older adults become regarded as targets regardless of prior status

What is the inoculation hypothesis?

older adults, especially women and minorities, become immune to ageism

What is the multiple-jeopardy hypothesis?

ageism is another "ism"

What does the Erikson's epigenetic principle mean?

each stage of development unfolds from previous stage according to predestined order

What is stage 6 of Erikson's theory?

intimacy vs isolation (young adult)

What is stage 7 of Erikson's theory?

generativity vs stagnation (middle-aged adult)

What is stage 8 of Erikson's theory?

integrity vs despair (older adult)

Define intimacy vs isolation (stage 6)

young adults (18-30) trying to form close relationships

Define generativity vs stagnation (stage 7)

middle adults (25-50) contributing to future generations