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What is the major focus of human development in the later years of life?
What is the major focus of human development in the later years of life?
What happens to people's characteristics and abilities in later life?
What happens to people's characteristics and abilities in later life?
What is essential for reasonably healthy people to continue having a rich sexual life?
What is essential for reasonably healthy people to continue having a rich sexual life?
What happens to a person's ability to think, learn, and remember when they use their mind and memory?
What happens to a person's ability to think, learn, and remember when they use their mind and memory?
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What is true about older people who keep active lives?
What is true about older people who keep active lives?
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What is the major loss experienced by older people during a major transition point?
What is the major loss experienced by older people during a major transition point?
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What is a characteristic of older people who take a more passive and disengaged approach?
What is a characteristic of older people who take a more passive and disengaged approach?
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Who is quoted in the passage about being 'seventy years young'?
Who is quoted in the passage about being 'seventy years young'?
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According to research, what is the primary source of well-being for older adults?
According to research, what is the primary source of well-being for older adults?
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What continues into the last years of life?
What continues into the last years of life?
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What is the last developmental task of life?
What is the last developmental task of life?
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What is prohibited without the prior written permission of SLU?
What is prohibited without the prior written permission of SLU?
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What is correlated with a decrease in regrets in family life?
What is correlated with a decrease in regrets in family life?
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What is the purpose of life review in older adults?
What is the purpose of life review in older adults?
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What theory suggests that older adults become more selective about their social networks?
What theory suggests that older adults become more selective about their social networks?
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What happens to the brain with age?
What happens to the brain with age?
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What has dramatically increased, while life span has not?
What has dramatically increased, while life span has not?
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What is a common physical change associated with aging?
What is a common physical change associated with aging?
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What age group is described as the 'young-old'?
What age group is described as the 'young-old'?
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What happens to cardiovascular health in late adulthood?
What happens to cardiovascular health in late adulthood?
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What contributes to becoming a centenarian?
What contributes to becoming a centenarian?
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What is the most common chronic disorder in late adulthood?
What is the most common chronic disorder in late adulthood?
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What is a common cognitive mechanics decline in older adults?
What is a common cognitive mechanics decline in older adults?
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What type of memory tends to remain unaffected in older adults?
What type of memory tends to remain unaffected in older adults?
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What is a common predictor of depression in older adults?
What is a common predictor of depression in older adults?
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What is the most common dementia characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and eventually physical functioning?
What is the most common dementia characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and eventually physical functioning?
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What happens to people's height as they age?
What happens to people's height as they age?
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What is the estimated number of people above the age of 60 who may be affected by elder abuse?
What is the estimated number of people above the age of 60 who may be affected by elder abuse?
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What is the most common perpetrator of elder abuse?
What is the most common perpetrator of elder abuse?
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What is the primary goal of hospice care?
What is the primary goal of hospice care?
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What is the term for the act of painlessly ending the lives of individuals who are suffering from an incurable disease or severe disability?
What is the term for the act of painlessly ending the lives of individuals who are suffering from an incurable disease or severe disability?
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What is the term for allowing a person to die by withholding available treatment?
What is the term for allowing a person to die by withholding available treatment?
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What is the typical reaction of adults when informed that they are going to die?
What is the typical reaction of adults when informed that they are going to die?
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What is the term for reducing pain and suffering and helping individuals die with dignity?
What is the term for reducing pain and suffering and helping individuals die with dignity?
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At what stage of life do children typically develop a more realistic orientation toward death?
At what stage of life do children typically develop a more realistic orientation toward death?
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What is the final stage of the dying process, according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross?
What is the final stage of the dying process, according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross?
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What is the primary goal of the bargaining stage of dying?
What is the primary goal of the bargaining stage of dying?
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According to Roger Gould, what is the primary development that occurs between the ages of 29-34?
According to Roger Gould, what is the primary development that occurs between the ages of 29-34?
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What is the primary theme of Daniel Levinson's Seasons of Life Theory?
What is the primary theme of Daniel Levinson's Seasons of Life Theory?
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What is the primary task of personality development in elderly people, according to Robert Peck?
What is the primary task of personality development in elderly people, according to Robert Peck?
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What is the primary characteristic of the acceptance stage of dying?
What is the primary characteristic of the acceptance stage of dying?
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What is the primary goal of life review in older adults?
What is the primary goal of life review in older adults?
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What is the primary development that occurs between the ages of 35-43, according to Roger Gould?
What is the primary development that occurs between the ages of 35-43, according to Roger Gould?
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What is the primary characteristic of people who keep active lives, according to George Valliant?
What is the primary characteristic of people who keep active lives, according to George Valliant?
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What is the primary task of the depression stage of dying?
What is the primary task of the depression stage of dying?
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Study Notes
Late Adulthood and Aging
- Development continues into the last years of life, with unique demands on the individual to grow, develop, and change.
- Major developmental tasks of later adulthood:
- Clarify, deepen, and accept one's own life
- Use experiences to manage personal change
- Later years often accentuate early and middle-life characteristics and abilities rather than alter them.
- Well-being in older adults comes more from internal sources (emotional and psychological) than external factors (social).
Theories on Late Adulthood
- Life Review:
- Involves looking back at one's life experiences, evaluating, and interpreting them
- Often reinterpreting past events
- Identifying and reflecting on regrets as part of developing mature wisdom and self-understanding
- Activity Theory:
- The more active and involved older adults are, the more likely they are to be satisfied with their lives
- Socioemotional Selectivity Theory:
- Older adults become more selective about their social networks
- They value emotional satisfaction and spend more time with familiar individuals
Physical Development
- Longevity:
- Life expectancy: the number of years an average person born in a particular year will live
- Life span: the maximum number of years an individual can live
- Life expectancy has increased, but life span has not
- Physical changes:
- Brain loses weight and volume with age
- Decline in immune system functioning
- Wrinkled skin and age spots
- People get shorter and weight often decreases after age 60
- Decline in visual acuity, color vision, and depth perception
Cognitive Development
- Cognitive Functioning:
- Two aspects: cognitive mechanics (hardware) and cognitive pragmatics (software)
- Cognitive mechanics decline in older adults, while cognitive pragmatics remain stable or improve
- Cognitive changes:
- Decline in speed of processing
- Difficulty retrieving semantic information
- Decline in working memory and perceptual speed
- Most memory losses are linked to episodic memory
- Decision-making is reasonably well-preserved in older adults
Mental Health
- Depression:
- Predictors: earlier depressive symptoms, poor health, disability, loss events, and low social support
- Majority of older adults with depressive symptoms never receive mental health treatment
- Alzheimer's disease:
- Most common dementia
- Characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and physical functioning
Issues in Late Adulthood
- Elder abuse:
- Physical or psychological maltreatment or neglect of elderly individuals
- Often committed by family members
- Social issues:
- Negative stereotypes of older adults
- Social policy issues: economy, Social Security, healthcare, eldercare, and generational inequity
Defining Death and Death Issues
- Issues in determining death:
- Brain death: neurological definition of death when all electrical activity of the brain has ceased
- Euthanasia: "easy death" or the act of painlessly ending the lives of individuals suffering from an incurable disease
- Quality of life: an issue raised by technological advances in life-support devices
- Attitudes towards death:
- Vary among adults of any age
- Infants and preschool children have little concept of death
- Adolescents have abstract, philosophical views of death
- Middle-aged adults show heightened consciousness about death and death anxiety
- Older adults often show less death anxiety, but experience and converse about death more
Stages of Dying
- Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying:
- Denial and isolation
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Building on Erikson's Views
- Roger Gould's Transformations in Adult Development:
- Seven stages of adult development, from desire to escape parental control to acceptance of one's life
- George Valliant's Keeping Meaning versus Rigidity:
- Adults seek to extract meaning from their lives by accepting strengths and weaknesses of others
- Daniel Levinson's Seasons of Life Theory:
- Midlife crisis: a stage of uncertainty and indecision brought about by the realization that life is finite
- Robert Peck's Personality in Late Adulthood:
- Three major developmental tasks: redefinition of self, body-transcendence, and ego-transcendence
- Life review and reminiscence: a common theme of personality development in older adults
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Description
This quiz covers the human development and growth during the late adult years, exploring the unique demands and changes that occur after the age of 60.