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Definition
| The field of study that deals with the behavior, thoughts, emotions of individuals as they go through various parts of the life span |
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| the changes that take place w/in individuals as they progress from end of adolescence through the end of life |
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| scientific studies of observable events that are measured and evaluated objectively |
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Definition
| (refers to journey of adulthood) aspects that are unique to the individual |
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| typical aspects of adult life that most all of us can relate to either now or in the future |
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| A constant set of attributes that makes each of us the individuals we are throughout our lifetimes. (similarities between 20 year old self, 40 year old self, etc, like enjoying books) |
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| What happens to us over time that makes us different from our younger selves |
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| Continuous (stretches of life) |
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Definition
| slow, gradual, in a predictable direction |
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Definition
| no progress, followed by abrupt change |
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| typical vs atypical (stages of life) |
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Definition
most people go through them vs unique to the individual
ex. sending youngest of to school, vs. returning to school as a mother |
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| Outer changes vs. Inner changes |
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Definition
visible and apparent to casual observer vs. not
ex: physical changes vs. emotional |
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Term
Normative age-graded influences
(sources of change) |
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Definition
| influences linked to age and experienced by most adults of every generation as they age. Includes biology (biological clock) shared experiences (social clock) like college, marriage, retirement |
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Term
Normative History-Graded influences
(sources of change) |
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Definition
Experiences that result from historical events or conditions:
Large social environments are cultures and can influence adult life pattern (expected marriage age, family size, roles of men and women, religion)
Cohort: people who share a common historical experience at the same stage of life, shorter than generation |
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Definition
| people who share a common historical experience at the same stage of life, shorter than generation |
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Definition
| Large social environments that can influence adult life pattern (expected marriage age, family size, roles of men and women, religion |
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Nonnormative Life
Events
Sources of Change |
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Definition
| Aspects that influence your life that are unique, or not shared by many others |
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Genetics & behavior genetics
Sources of Stability |
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Definition
| the contributions genes make to individual behavior. cognitive ability, tendency to fatness or slimness, pathological - depression, alcoholism etc |
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Environment
Sources of Stability |
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Definition
| upbringing, surroundings, wealth, education, etc |
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Definition
| number of years passed since birth |
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Definition
| Measure of how an adult's physical condition compares to others- can be changed by lifestyle changes |
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| measure of how an adult's ability to deal effectively with their environment compares to others |
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| based on the expected roles a person takes on at a specific point in his or her life |
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| combination of biological, psychological and social age to determine how well a person is functioning as an adult compared to others |
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| Life-Span developmental psychology approach |
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Definition
| development is lifelong, multidimensional, plastic (can be modified but there are limits)contextual and has multiple causes |
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Definition
| process in which genes one receives at birth are modified by environmental events. (prenatal environment esp) |
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| Bioecological model of development |
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Definition
| must consider the developing person within the context of multiple environments. Development takes place within biological, psychological and social environments that change over time |
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Term
| Research Methods: Cross-sectional study |
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Definition
study based on data gathered at one time from groups of participants who represent different age groups
benefit - quicker, easier than longitudinal. con- only shows age differences not change |
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| Research Methods:Longitudinal study |
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Definition
studies the same group of people ov er a period of time, taking measurements of behavior of interest at regular intervals
Pro- can mark age related changes
con - attrition, time, expense, patience |
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| Research Methods:Sequential study |
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Definition
| combines longitudinal and cross sectional, a series of longitudinal studies begun at different points of time |
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| Research Measure:Personal interview |
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Definition
experimenter asks participant questions, one on one
Advantage - allows follow up, clarification
Disadvantage: subject may try to provide answers the interviewer might find socially acceptable |
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| Research Measure: Survey questionnaire |
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Definition
form consisting of structured and focused questions that participants fill out on their own
pros: reach a large # of people, more truthful than face to face less expensive, time consuming
Cons:low return rate, hard to construct |
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| Research Measure: Standardized tests |
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Definition
| measure a trait or behavior, already established in relevant field of interest |
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| Research measure: validity& reliability - |
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Definition
| measures what it claims to measure, and does it consistently |
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| Research analyses: comparison of means |
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Definition
| collect data, find means (averages) and determine whether difference is significant. For cross - sectional , compare means of age groups. Fro longitudinal, compare means of scores at different ages. |
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| Research analyses: Correlational analysis |
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Definition
| a statistic which tells us the extent to which 2 sets of scores on the same people vary together. correlations (r)can range from +1.00 to -1.00 |
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| Research Design: experimental design |
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Definition
| Has control group, participants selected randomly, assigned randomly to groups, high degree of control over outside factors |
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| Research design: Descriptive research |
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Definition
Tells current state of participants on some measure of interest
ex: rate of births to unmarried women over 50 years |
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| Research Design: Qualitative Research |
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Definition
research w/out numbers
needs planning, sources chosen wisely, sometimes just beginning of research project |
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| Research Design: quantitative research |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| the science concerned with the study of the factors determining and influencing the frequency and distribution of disease, injury, and other health-related events and their causes in a defined human population. Also, the sum of knowledge gained in such a study |
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Definition
| Gradual, inevitable changes that will happen to most of us through adulthood |
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Definition
| Changes that happen suddenly as a result of disease, poor health habits, and environmental influences |
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Term
Free Radicals (cause oxidative damage)
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| Molecules or atoms that possess an unpaired electron and are by-products of normal body metabolism as well as response to diet, sunlight, x-rays, pollution. Resistance and repair decreases as we age, oxidative damage increases |
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Definition
| Substances with properties that protect against oxidative damage. Berries, some fruits, dark greens |
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Replicative Senescence
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| When human cells stop dividing |
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Hayflick limit
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| The number of divisions a cell will undergo before reaching replicative senescence . (about 50 times for humans). Theory of genetic limits |
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Telomeres
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| lengths of DNA at tips of chromosomes. They appear to serve as timekeepers for cells, and shorten as we age. Shorter telomeres also appear in secondary aging (disease etc) |
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Caloric Restriction
Theories of Primary Aging |
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Definition
| Possible that aging is connected to diets - how many calories we metabolize/day. Reducing calories could reduce some signs of aging, but also reduce quality of life |
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Term
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Definition
| Relationship of height to weight |
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Term
Visual acuity
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The ability to perceive detail in a visual pattern |
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Accommodate (for vision)
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The ability of the lens of the eye to change shape to focus on near objects or small print. Diminishes as we age |
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Term
Presbyopia
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
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Dark adaptation (visual)
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The ability of the pupil to adjust to changes in the amount of available light. starts to decrease at 30, more noticeable at 60 |
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Cataracts
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| Gradual clouding of the lens of the eye. most common eye disorder |
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Glaucoma
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| a buildup of pressure inside the eye that can ultimately destroy the optic nerve leading to blindness |
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Macular Degeneration
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| a disorder that affects the retina, causing central vision loss |
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Term
Sensorineural hearing loss
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| damage to hairs inside cochlea that results in shortening of the loudness scale - loud tones not heard as clearly, but softer still accurate. By 65 most adults have some hearing loss |
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Term
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Definition
| inner ear structure responsible for picking up sound vibrations and converting them to nerve impulses |
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Olfactory membrane
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| part of nasal membrane - where sense of smell takes place |
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Taste buds
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| receptor cells on tongue, mouth and throat respond to sweet,salty, sour and bitter |
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Term
Osteoporosis
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
severe loss of bone mass
accelerates markedly between 50 and 65 especially in women
can measure the Bone Mass Density (BMD) |
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Term
Osteoarthritis
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
condition that occurs when soft cartilage at ends of bones wears away
happens frequently after 65 |
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Term
Neurons
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
brain cells.
Loss of neurons shown to be less severe in primary aging than once thought |
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Term
Redundancy (in neurons)
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| some neurons in the brian appear in duplicate, so that neuron loss may not always result in loss of function |
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Pruning
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| Example of plasticity in the brain - the ability to shut down neurons that are not needed in order to "fine tune" the nervous system |
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Term
Neurogenesis
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| growth of new neurons even in adulthood. takes place in olfactory bulb and hippocampus (important for forming memories) |
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Term
corticosteroids
Brain and Nervous System
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| Hormones the body produces in response to stress which challenge the immune system, and interferes with neurogenesis |
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Term
B cells
Immune system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| One part of immune system to protect body: they are produced in bone marrow, they produce antibodies which react to foreign organisms (viruses, infectious agents). |
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T Cells
Immune system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| The other part of the immune system. cells produced in thymus gland - reject and consume harmful or foreign cells such as bacteria and transplanted organs |
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Term
Climacteric
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| time of life signified by loss of reproductive ability |
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Term
Testosterone
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
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Term
Menopause
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| 12 months after final menstrual period |
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Estrogen
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
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Progesterone
Hormonal system
Physical changes during adulthood |
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Definition
| important factor in menstrual period |
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Term
| Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) |
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Definition
| most used is combo of estrogen and progestin prescribed for women at menopause |
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Term
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Definition
| the probability of dying within any given year |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| short term health problems like colds, flu, infections |
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Term
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Definition
| long-lasting disorders (heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure) These show an age related increase |
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Term
| ADL Activities of daily living |
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Definition
| basic self care activities |
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| IADL's Instrumental activities of daily living |
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Definition
| complex everyday tasks - preparing meals, shopping, light housework, handling finances etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| living in own homes with spouse or alone.about 81% of women and 90 % of men over 65 |
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Definition
| Staying in their own home after 85 about 80% |
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Term
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Definition
| disease of the heart and blood vessels. rate is declining in US |
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Term
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Definition
| fat-laden deposits which accumulate in the arteries |
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Term
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Definition
| accumulation of plaques in the arteries |
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Term
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Definition
| 2nd leading cause of death in US. abnormal cells undergo rapidly accelerated, uncontrolled division and often move into adjacent normal tissue |
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Term
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Definition
| environmental events which cause changes in gene expression |
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Term
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Definition
| a disease in which the body is unable to metabolize insulin - results in high levels of glucose in the blood and reduction of nourishment to the body. Rates of type 2 increasing because of obesity rates |
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Term
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Definition
| 5th leading cause of death for age 65+. a progressive irreversible deterioration of key areas in the brain involved in various cognitive functions |
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Definition
| a category of conditions that involve global deterioration of intellectual abilities and physical function. |
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Term
| mild cognitive impairment |
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Definition
| a pre- alzheimers stage in which patients show some cognitive symptoms but not all |
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Term
| socioeconomic status (SES) |
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Definition
The combined rating of income and education
1. Health of people with lower incomes in US is notably worse than those w/higher
2.People w/ lower incomes use health services less and have worse health-related behaviors |
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Definition
| Achievement striving, competitive, easily provoked |
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Term
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Definition
| Personality component: A negative cognitive set agains others, related to increased heart rate blood pressure, leading to cardiovascular disease and premature death |
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Term
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Definition
Personality component: a positive outlook on life, cope w/ problems by trying to find solutions rather than blame
less apt to suffer serious physical illness |
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Term
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Definition
| The personal complement of genes we each possess |
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Term
| developmental origins hypothesis |
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Definition
| Theory that states: growth during the fetal period, infancy and early childhood is a significant factor in adult health |
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Term
| intergenerational effects |
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Definition
| We can trace health back to our mother's prenatal months, when half our genetic material was being fomed |
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