Successful-normal ageing

Question 1

Prevalence

Answer 1

about 10% of older adults

In a study (Negash) assessing attention/EF, language, memory and visual spatial ability. 6% did not score more than 1 SD lower than young adults.

Question 2

Mortality

Answer 2

Lower in successful agers, often don’t have diseases so only effect of time.

Question 3

Typical ageing, prev and definition

Answer 3

70% of adults (vast majority)

Changes in cognitive functioning, mostly in processing speed, EF and memory

Difficult to know what ageing is ‘normal’, possible that participants will develop dementia later (early stage)
- use robust norming (remove persons from norm sample who developed dementia (at some point) after baseline)

Question 4

Happiness

Answer 4

whereas its stereotypical to think older people are less happy;
- the 65-75 age group in NL reported to be the happiest (88% content with life, 89% considered self as happy person)
- At 75 plus this was 84% and 86% respectively

Question 5

Subjective wellbeing

Answer 5

Self-reported well-being often shows dip in midlife, u-shaped graph between 18-85 yrs old (dip at 50)

Depression is an inverted u-shape, most likely at the dip

The subjective tends to be stable whereas the objective declines. = the satisfaction paradox

Question 6

Important factor for happiness

Answer 6

Wealth. The groups that reported to be the happiest were also the wealthiests.

Question 7

Age cohort effect and the socio-emotional selective theory

Answer 7

1. Age cohort effect
   Idea that the subjective well-being is higher than the objective because their expectations are lower (when young, you have big dreams and expectations)
   (accepting reality; declining goal-achievement gap and SOC)
2. Socio-emotional selective theory
   More subjective satisfaction because they spend more time on activities they like now, instead of persuign goals that’ll pay off in the future