Lifespan Development – Exam 3 Review
Development of Brain in Late Adulthood
Neurogenesis in last 10 years, found that new neurons can be generated in older adults in hippocampus (memory) and olfactory bulb (smell)
Increased dendritic branching – can occur through the 70s (not in 90s)
Lack of dendritic growth in older adults could be due to lack of environmental stimulation and activity
Decrease in brain lateralization – potentially compensatory
Using both hemispheres of the brain to compensate for one another
Mankato nuns – contributing brains to study once they die
Staying cognitively active
Idea density (linguistic ability measured at age 22) linked with higher brain weight, fewer incidences of mild coginitive impairment, and fewer Alzheimer characteristics
Positive emotions early in adulthood were linked to longevity
Sisters who taught showed more moderate declines in intellectual skills than those in service-based tasks
Types of Love
Romantic (passionate)
Sexuality and infatuation
Passion, fear, anger, sexual desire***, joy, jealousy
Affectionate (companionate)
Someone desired to have the other person near and has a deep, caring affection for the person
Consummate
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory
Passion – physical and sexual attraction to another
Intimacy – emotional feelings of warmth, closeness, and sharing in a relationship
Commitment – the cognitive appraisal of the relationship and the intent to maintain the relationship even in the face of problems Intimacy
Passion Commitment
Types of Love
Passion
Intimacy
Commitment
Infatuation
Present
X
X
Affectionate Love
X
Present
Present
Fatuous Love
Present
X
Present
Consummate Love
Present
Present
Present
Infatuation – “An affair of a fling in which there is little intimacy and even less commitment.”
Affectionate Love – “couples who have been married for many years
Fatuous Love – “when one person worships another from a distance”
Consummate love – “strongest, fullest form of love”
Changes in Emotion in Late Adulthood
Older adults reported experiencing more positive emotion and less negative emotion than younger adults, and the increase in positive emotion with age in adults occurred at an accelerating rate
Researchers have found that the emotional life of older adults is more positive than was once believed
Alzheimer Disease & Caring for Someone with Alzhemier
5 million US adults have it; predicted 10 million for baby boomers
Increase in Alzheimer Disease from 65 to 85 (women: 5-17%, men: 1-10%)
Deficiency in brain messenger chemical acetylcholine
Treatment involves increasing acetylcholine levels to improve memory and other cognitive functions
Genetic component: apolipoprotein (ApoE 4) – 1/3 of those with Alzheimer Disease
Cardiovascular factors linked – high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
No drugs to treat Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), but can slow for 6-15 months for 50% of patients
Respite Care – short-term, temporary relief for those caring for people with disabilities
Social Theories of Aging
Disengagement Theory – Until 60s or 70s, thought that disengaging from society will increase happiness
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory – older adults become more selective about their social networks.
Older adults spend more time with familiar individuals with whom they have had rewarding relationships
Selective Optimization with Compensation (Paul Baltes) – Gains and losses. Important to look at choices based on compensation for losses
Activity Theory – the more active and involved older adults are, the more likely they are to be satisfied with their lives
George Vaillant’s View on Development
Took data from when individuals were 50 to categorize whether they would be “happy-well”, “sick-sad”, or “dead” based on characteristics
Erikson: intimacy vs Isolation
Vaillant followed by Career Consolidation (23 to 35)
Erikson: Generativity vs Stagnation
Vaillant followed by Keeping the Meaning vs Rigidity (45 to 55)
Schaie’s Seattle Longitudinal
