Chapter 24 & 25: Late Adulthood

1. Chapter 24 & 25: Late Adulthood Cognitive Development Decline in information processing Mental disorders in old age Pyschosocial Development Erikson’s integrity vs. despair Factors influencing psychosocial development

2. Cognitive Capacities • With age it takes longer for information to register in sensory register • Older adults have smaller working memory capacity than younger adults • Explanations for Decline • inability to screen out distractions and inhibit irrelevant thoughts • decline in total mental energy

3. Older adults unable to gather and consider all data relevant to logical analysis and decision making rather, they rely on prior knowledge, and experience Long-term Memory Knowledge Base: memory for vocabulary remains unimpaired and can increase with age areas of expertise relatively unimpaired possible to learn better retrieval strategies, but does not overcome age-related problems in memory and control

4. Mental Disorder: Dementia • Irreversible loss of intellectual functioning caused by brain disease. More than 70 diseases can cause dementia • Many aspects of thought and behavior are impaired. Causes confusion and forgetfulness • Rises sharply with age. 1% of people in 60s; rate doubles every 5 years, stabilizes at 30%

5. Alzheimer’s Disease • Disorder characterized by proliferation of plaques and tangles • abnormalities in cerebral cortex that destroy brain functioning • Plagues formed from protein called B-amyloid • Tangles are twisted mass of protein threads within cells

6. Disorder characterized by proliferation of plaques and tangles Outside the neurons, plagues appear whichcontain amyloid, a protein that reduces immunity and destroys surrounding cells. Inside the neurons, tangles appear which are twisted mass of protein threads.

7. Age is chief risk factor Progressive in nature Alzheimer’s is partly genetic ALZHS—variant of the ApoE gene (allele 4)—increases risk allele ApoE2 dissipates protein that causes plaques

8. Gender, ethnicity, and especially age affect the odds of developing it women at greater risk than men more common in North America and Europe than in Japan and China less common among Asian Americans than European Americans

9. Cerebrovascular Dementia • A stroke occurs when the blood supply to a part of brain is interrupted or severely reduced. • Brain tissue is deprived of oxygen and nutrients. Within a few minutes to a few hours, brain cells begin to die. • Strokes leave dead brain cells, producing degeneration of mental ability. Obstruction of blood vessels prevent sufficient supply of blood to brain.

10. Result of genetic and environmental forces Indirect hereditary influences through high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes Cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol use, high salt intake, low dietary protein, obesity, inactivity, and stress are environmental causes. Men are more prone.

11. Subcortical Dementia • Begin with motor ability impairments and later produce cognitive impairment • degeneration of neurons in area of brain that produces dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential to normal brain functioning • Parkinson’s disease most common

12. Psychosocial Development Self theories: adults make choices, confront problems, and interpret reality to be themselves as fully as possible: Erikson and Maslow Stratification theories:Social forces limit individual choice and direct life at every stage, especially late adulthood Dynamic theories:change and readjustment rather than either the ongoing self or legacy of stratification

13. Self- Theories • Erikson’s integrity vs. despair • Many older people do a life review—the examination of one’s own past life • Wisdom • broad, practical, comprehensive approach to life’s problems, reflecting timeless truths • expertise in life fundamentals, permitting exceptional insight and judgment in complex and uncertain matters

14. Stratification Theories • By Age • Disengagement theory—aging increasingly narrows one’s social sphere, resulting in role relinquishment, withdrawal, passivity • Activity theory—elderly people need to remain active in a variety of social spheres—with relatives, friends, and community groups. If elderly withdraw, they do so unwillingly due to ageism • dominant view now supports activity theory

15. Stratification by Gender & Ethnicity • Many older women impoverished because of male-centered economic policies • pension plans based on continuous employment; more unlikely to be situation for women with children • women more likely to be caregivers for frail relatives, often sacrificing their independence and well-being

16. Ethnicity and race as social constructs whose usefulness is determined by one’s society or social system Ethnic discrimination and racism cause stratification, shaping experiences of both minorities and majorities

17. Dynamic Theory • The person as well as the social context in which they exist is changing. • Continuity theory- maintenance of self through adaptive changes to find continuity in discontinuity.

18. Relationships in Late-adulthood • The social convoy • Long term marriages • Friendship • Younger generations