lifespan perspective and socioemotional ageing

Question 1

negative perceptions of aging - are they reality?

Answer 1

memory loss, inability to drive, serious illness, lonely, financial issues, lack of social life

reality is much better than predicted by under 65s when compared with reality for over 65s

issues exist but not as common as predicted

Question 2

stereotype threat effect and example with old people

Answer 2

ironic effect of underperformance on a stereotype-relevant task due to the anxiety felt about confirming negative stereotypes

when told intelligence declines with age, old people perform worse on IQ tests (meta-analysis of data)

Question 3

why study aging (5)

Answer 3

full picture of development - not just early years - physically and psychologically

reduced stereotypes of “aging = negative”

can improve autonomy and wellbeing in older age

adjust environment to accommodate changes later in life - tools to assist older people and improve their lives

reduce number of negative consequences of not taking care of yourself associated with age → therefore less pressure on health services etc

Question 4

stereotypes around old people and health conditions study - 2 variables for correlation

Answer 4

Baltimore Longitudinal study of aging

survey asked about attitudes towards old people with yes/no questions

measured number of cardiovascular issues (e.g. stroke)
* controlled for: age, BMI, chronic conditions etc. (which could contribute to likelihood of having cardiovascular health event)
* negative stereotypes = more likely to have cardiovascular health issue

measured hippocampal volume
* people with positive age stereotypes were less likely to have steep decline in hippocampal volume than those with negative age stereotypes

shows impact of internalising these stereotypes

Question 5

aging demographic of the world - 1990, 2011, 2050 predictions

Answer 5

increase in over 60s:
9.2% in 1990
11.7% in 2013
predicted 21.1% in 2050

therefore 2 billion over 60s by 2050

Question 6

lifespan perspective of development

Answer 6

broad perspective, embraces complexities, embodies all subdisciplines - diversity of experiences
* doesn’t fall into the issue other subdisciplines have with only focussing on one of these and ignoring other elements
* not one-size-fits-all

Question 7

7 characteristics of lifespan perspective

Answer 7

• development as a life-long process
• multi-directionality
• development as gain and loss
• plasticity
• historical embeddedness
• contextualism as a paradigm
• multidisciplinary

Question 8

characteristic of lifespan perspective: development as a lifelong process

Answer 8

no age period holds supremacy in regulating nature of development - not just children

both continuous (cumulative) and discontinuous (innovative) processes work at all stages

diverse change patterns that differ in timing (onset, duration, termination), direction, and order

Question 9

characteristic of lifespan perspective: multi-directionality

Answer 9

diversity/pluralism in directionality of ontogenetic change
* direction of change depends on behaviour

in one developmental phase, systems of behaviour show increases whilst others decrease

mechanics of intelligence
* basic architecture of info processing and problem solving
* basic cognitive operations and structures associated with tasks

pragmatics of intelligence
* content and knowledge-related application of mechanics of intelligence
* general systems = factual and procedural knowledge - crystalised intelligence
* specialised systems = e.g. occupational expertise
* knowledge of performance or skills for activation of intelligence in specific contexts

Question 10

characteristic of lifespan perspective: development as loss and gain- SOC framework

Answer 10

both growth and decline occurs with age - not all bad - more growth earlier than later

e.g. loss of not being able to drive doesn’t limit their ability to get around - use of public transport instead

• gerontology views aging as decline → limited view, mainly biological
• development is any change - any direction
• progression at same time as decline - no change is pure gain
• SOC - selectivity, optimisation and compensation framework - dynamics between gain and loss (especially in successful aging)

Question 11

characteristic of lifespan perspective: plasticity - with 3 aspects

Answer 11

intraindividual plasticity in development
depends on life conditions and experiences

3 aspects of plasticity:
baseline performance = initial level of performance without intervention or special treatment (e.g., 5k run speed)

baseline reserve capacity = upper range of performance potential - when all available resources are used to optimize performance (e.g., 5k run speed with special trainers?)

developmental reserve capacity = strengthen baseline reserve capacity through intervention or development (e.g., 5k run speed after weeks of personal training)

distinction between these 3 is important - could just be out of practice - could achieve it with intervention

Question 12

characteristic of lifespan perspective: historical embeddedness

Answer 12

ontogenetic development varies with historical-cultural contexts
* e.g. health care differences, education access

development is influenced socio-culturally within a specific time period and how they evolve over time - doesn’t occur in a vacuum

single cohort observations cannot tell all about aging

Question 13

characteristic of lifespan perspective: contextualism as a paradigm - 3 factors

Answer 13

individual development is affected by complex interaction between:

age-graded influences
* correlated with age and predict their sequence
* biological maturation and age-graded socialisation e.g. puberty, menopause
* could include factors like marriage and retirement which often happen in an order with age - not just biological

history-graded/normative influences
* historical time an biocultural context in which individuals develop - applicable to many people in a group
* long term change functions e.g. toward modernity
* time-specific e.g. war, COVID pandemic

nonnormative influences
* not applicable to many people (more individual), don’t follow general predictable course
* e.g. refugees experience, effect of winning the lottery

Question 13

characteristic of lifespan perspective: multidisciplinary

Answer 13

interdisciplinary - anthropology, biology, and sociology with psychology

purist psychological view is incomplete

integration of knowledge vs separatist differentiation of disciplinary knowledge

Question 14

socioemotional processing - changes in social networks with age

Answer 14

size decreases with age

social pruning begins in 30-50s

older people show a preference for familiar and emotionally close partners = quality over quantity

Question 15

socioemotional processing - value of positive social networks with age (4)

Answer 15

better cognitive functioning

reduced signs of dementia

better recovery from stroke

lower risk of morbidity and mortality

Question 16

socioemotional processing - quality of social relationships in older age

Answer 16

higher levels of positive emotions and less intense negative emotions when interacting with friends and family

derive greater support from close relationships

greater satisfaction an fewer negative interactions with members of social network

conflicts view of old people as lonely - not that this doesn’t happen, but you can be young and lonely

Question 17

socioemotional processing - aging paradox

Answer 17

despite decline in physical and cognitive health, older adults often report positive relationships and wellbeing

Question 18

social preference study - limited or expanded time horizons

Answer 18

Fung et al (1999)

2 condition - limited (30 minutes till you move country) or expanded (20 years to live) time horizons

expanded = older adults preference for familiar social partners (younger adults more often will choose less close people)

limited = both age groups preferred familiar social partners (e.g. want to spend last half hour with close people)

Question 19

socioemotional selectivity theory - what is it

Answer 19

consciously and subconsciously monitor time which plays fundamental role in motivation and emotion in sense of goals we set, pursue, and evaluate

age-related improvements in emotional affect → maybe due to improved emotional regulation in older adults

Question 20

socioemotional selectivity theory - 2 trajectories of social motives

Answer 20

2 primary trajectories of social motives:
* emotion - achieve emotional satisfaction and meaning
* knowledge - acquire new info and achieve in domains relevant to success in the future

Question 21

socioemotional selectivity theory - patterns and changes with age

Answer 21

shift towards emotion and away from knowledge with age → due to perceived time constraint on life
* want to be happy with the time they have left
* don’t need knowledge for careers etc with retirement - already achieved this

Question 22

socioemotional selectivity theory - predictions from this theory (2)

Answer 22

predictions from this:
* positivity bias - focus on emotional regulation and goals should lead to more cognitive resources allocated to emotional tasks
* emotional regulation becomes more automatic with age - more relative ease - therefore can engage more in more effortful strategies for acquiring new info

Question 23

socioemotional processing - positivity and age study - cues

Answer 23

positive affect increases with age

Mather and Cartensen (2003)
method:
* two faces shown on screen (happy or sad or neutral) - told they are irrelevant
* a dot appears on left or right and report which side of screen it was on (press left or right key)

results:
* idea that bias towards happy face and would mean attending to spot location quicker when it is on that same side
* younger adults = not much bias either way
* older adults = strongly biased toward positive faces and against negative (look at neutral instead over negative)

old people also tend to remember positive images compared to neutral and negative images

Question 24

socioemotional processing - emotional regulation difference with age study (and discussion)

Answer 24

socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) = shifting priorities and emotional goals → less negative social experiences and better emotional regulation in older age

Luong and Charles (2014)
method:

• participant and confederate given scenario where an expensive antidote is needed to save a family member
• decide whether to steal it (morally wrong) to save them or don’t steal it and they die
• confederate always says opposite to the participant → creates confrontational environment - high-stress situation
• report how they felt before, during, and after task
• measured pulse rate for physiological impact of negative affect

results:

• older adults less reactive than younger in terms of self-rated negative affect
• both more negative during and positive after - just greater negativity with younger
• older = pulse rate stayed same before and during
• younger = pulse rate increased massively during task

discussion:
older people:

• appraised task and confederate more positively
• focussed on performing well on the task
• less likely to try and change confederates mind
  consistent with research that shows that older people are:
• less negative reactions to daily stressors
• use decision avoidant strategies used for interpersonal conflict - go with it more
• less willing to take social risks

difference in emotional regulation between two age groups was shown by how they appraised situations