Chapter 1

Question 1

Biopsychosocial perspective

Answer 1

development as a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social processes

Question 2

Biological processes

Answer 2

changes in one’s bodily functions and structures as they age

Question 3

Psychological processes

Answer 3

changes in one’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior as they age

Question 4

Social processes

Answer 4

historical, cultural, and interpersonal changes as one ages

Question 5

Gerontology

Answer 5

interdisciplinary, scientific study of the aging process

Question 6

Identity

Answer 6

a composite of how people view themselves in the biopsychosocial domains of life

Question 7

Life expectancy

Answer 7

average number of years of life remaining to people born within a similar time period

Question 8

Life span

Answer 8

maximum age for a given species

Question 9

Health-adjusted life expectancy

Answer 9

number of years a person can expect to live in good health if current mortality and morbidity rates persist

Question 10

Compression of morbidity

Answer 10

the illness burden to a society can be reduced if people become disabled closer to their time of death

Question 11

Four principles of the biopsychosocial approach

Answer 11

1. Changes are continuous over the life span
2. Only the survivors grow old
3. Individuality matters
4. “Normal” aging is different from disease or getting sick

Question 12

Continuity principle

Answer 12

changes experienced later in adulthood build upon changes experienced earlier in life, in a cumulative fashion

Question 13

How do we apply the continuity principle to our interactions with older adults?

Answer 13

• don’t treat them like the stereotypes of their current state
• recognize the lifetime of strength and achievements that have accumulated over their lifetime

Question 14

According to the continuity principle, what are the two phases of human development?

Answer 14

1. Early phase (childhood & adolescence)
2. Later phase (young adulthood, middle age,
   old age)

Question 15

According to the continuitiy principle, which of the two phases of human development affect adult development the most?

Answer 15

early phase

Question 16

What are the four lifespan perspective features?

Answer 16

• Multidirectionality
• Plasticity
• Historical and cultural context
• Multiple Causation

Question 17

What does multidirectional mean?

Answer 17

aging can include growth and declines

Question 18

What does plasticity mean?

Answer 18

capacity is not predetermined or set

Question 19

Individuality principle

Answer 19

• people become even more different from one another as they age, changing at different rates to different degrees
• as people age, changes between them are magnified

Question 20

Which factors cause differences between people as they age?

non exhaustive list

Answer 20

• Personality
• Physical function
• Life Experiences
• Opportunities

Question 21

what are the 2 types of differences among people

Answer 21

inter-individual differences and intra-individual differences

Question 22

Inter-individual differences

Answer 22

differences between people

Question 23

Intra-individual differences

Answer 23

differences in performance and multidirectionality of development within the same person

Question 24

Survivor principle

Answer 24

people who live to old age are the ones who manage to outlive the threats (random or not) that could have caused their deaths at an earlier age

Question 25

Personal aging

Answer 25

changes that occur within the individual and reflects the impact of time on the body's structures and functions (primary, secondary, and tertiary)

Question 26

Primary or normal aging

Answer 26

normal changes over time that occur due to universal, intrinsic, and progressive alterations in the body's systems * happens to **everyone**

Question 27

Secondary or impaired aging

Answer 27

abnormal changes over time leading to impairment in a portion of the older population due to disease, lifestyle and environmentally induced changes, rather than normal aging

Question 28

Tertiary aging

Answer 28

experiencing a **rapid** loss of functioning across multiple areas toward the very end of life; when disease worsens already compromised areas of functioning

Question 29

Optimal Aging

Answer 29

age related changes that improve a person's function e.g. vocabulary

Question 31

Social aging

Answer 31

effects of a person's exposure to a changing environment

Question 32

3 basic categories of social influences that affect social aging

Answer 32

* normative age-graded influences * normative history-graded influences * non-normative influences

Question 33

Normative age-graded influences

Answer 33

* experiences that one’s culture and historical period attach to certain ages or points in the life span. * Are you “on time” or “off time”?

Question 34

Age norm

Answer 34

society's expectation for the behavior of people at certain ages

Question 35

Normative history-graded influences

Answer 35

events that happen for everyone (regardless of age) , whether directly or indirectly, within a certain culture or geopolitical unit, including wars, economic trends, sociocultural changes in attitudes and values | 911, COVID, etc

Question 36

Non-normative influences

Answer 36

* random or unpredictable idiosyncratic events that occur throughout life * events that flip your life upside down overnight

Question 37

What are the four ways we classify age?

Answer 37

* chronological * perceived * biological * psychological * social

Question 38

What is a challenge associated with defining adulthood by age?

Answer 38

there is little consensus on the age that people can do adult things e.g. Canada and USA have different drinking ages

Question 39

Given the variation in age where people gain privileges and responsibilities, what is one solution to defining adulthood?

Answer 39

set it at the age where the individual is able to meet all social expectations and privileges e.g. driving, drinking, voting, marriage consent etc.

Question 40

What is chronological age?

Answer 40

how many years you have lived | doesn't tell much

Question 41

What is perceived age?

Answer 41

how you see yourself * some old people act young while some young people are old heads

Question 42

What is biological age?

Answer 42

function of vital organs, frailty indices, etc

Question 43

what is psychological age?

Answer 43

functional level of psychological abilities to adapt to environmental demands

Question 44

what is social age?

Answer 44

related to the work & family roles adopted, in relation to others in society | e.g. retired is socially old

Question 45

What are the pros and cons of using functional age indicators?

Answer 45

pros: more accurate representation of individuals con: requires constant recalibration

Question 46

Which social factors affect adult development?

Answer 46

* sex * gender * ethnicity * SES * religion

Question 47

How does sex affect aging?

Answer 47

hormones affect timing and nature of physiological changes

Question 48

How does gender affect aging?

Answer 48

gender roles primarily affect education and employment opportunities

Question 49

How does ethnicity affect aging?

Answer 49

* social structures * culture * genetic risk factors

Question 50

Which two factors comprise SES?

Answer 50

* income * education

Question 51

If you want to quantify income inequality, which metric would you use?

Answer 51

GINI coefficient

Question 52

Which early study shows that SES affects health?

Answer 52

Whitehall II * poorer men had worse health indipendent of habits

Question 53

How does religion benefit aging?

Answer 53

* coping strategies * social support * interpreting life experiences independent of country's social structures to an extent