Lecture 2

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering introductory concepts, phases of older adulthood, aging processes, and sources of heterogeneity in aging from PSYC 322 Lecture 2.

Older Adulthood

The developmental phase that researchers typically assume begins at age $65$ ($65+$ years).

Young-Old

The first phase of older adulthood, defining individuals between the ages of $65$ and $74$ years.

Old-Old

The second phase of older adulthood, defining individuals between the ages of $75$ and $84$ years.

Oldest-Old

The third phase of older adulthood, encompassing individuals aged $85+$ years.

Centenarians

Individuals within the oldest-old category who have lived to be between $100$ and $109$ years of age.

Supercentenarians

Individuals within the oldest-old population who have reached $110$ years of age or older ($110+$ years).

Primary Aging

Bodily changes driven by intrinsic, progressive, and universal alterations across biological systems that represent normative and irreversible processes, such as skin wrinkling.

Secondary Aging

Bodily changes resulting from abnormalities and diseases in bodily systems that represent preventable and reversible processes, such as skin cancer.

Tertiary Aging

Changes marked by rapid, mortality-related losses across multiple bodily systems occurring at the end of life, such as terminal drop.

Terminal Drop

The rapid deterioration across multiple bodily systems and functions occurring near the end of life, characteristic of tertiary aging.

Heterogeneity in Aging

The principle that age is positively associated with diversity in a population, resulting in older adults exhibiting far greater variability and larger standard deviations than younger populations.

Mortality-Morbidity Paradox

The observation that females have lower mortality rates and longer life expectancies than males, but experience higher rates of morbidity and disability across the lifespan (summarized as 'men die and women get sick').

Estrogen

A hormone that serves as a protective physiological mediator in females, helping to stave off secondary aging and reducing mortality from leading causes of death like heart disease and cancer.

Feminization of Poverty

The disproportionate vulnerability of older women to economic hardship compared to older men, driven by historical pay gaps, exits from the workforce for caregiving, and retired women receiving pensions that are approximately $55\%$ of those of retired men.

Widowhood Effect

The observed phenomenon wherein a surviving spouse experiences an increased probability of mortality within a $6$ to $12$-month window following the death of their partner, with effects being most pronounced among younger widows and male widows.

Healthy Immigrant Effect

The demographic finding that recent immigrants to Canada tend to have better health and longer lifespans than native-born Canadians, an advantage that diminishes over generations as descendants adopt host-country habits.

Multiple Jeopardy

The cumulative disadvantage that occurs when an individual holds multiple subordinate or marginalized statuses (such as gender, race, refugee background, or low socioeconomic status), compounding adverse outcomes in older adulthood.

Cumulative Disadvantage

The life-course process by which early structural inequalities and hardships accumulate over decades, shaping varied developmental trajectories and compromising health and mortality in older adulthood.