Psy 313 Dr. Gulyn Overview of Developmental Psychology 100 Years http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJN9YIOl1xE DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS: Between now and 2030, the proportion of older adults in the US will nearly double. Older adults will be more educated and politically sophisticated than in past generations. I. Life Expectancy Baby Boom + Increased Life expectancy = two major demographic trends Baby Boom -- The generation who were born between 1945 and 1964. This “bulge” will move upward! Now approximately 1/3 or the US population. Average Life expectancy – This refers to the number of years an individual born in a certain year can expect to live, given the conditions present at the time. It’s an average. - A person born in 1900 had a life expectancy of 47 A person born in 2005 has a life expectancy of 80 ASK CLASS… Why is this? (decline in infant + child mortality) However, life expectancies are not expected to increase too much in the future? WHY? - Obesity The fastest growing segment of the U.S. population -- will continue throughout the 21st century. This is referred to as the “Graying of America.” → The number of Americans over the age of 65 years grew from 3.1 million (4% of US population) in 1900 to over 34 million as of 1997 (13% of the US population). This number is estimated to rise to 69.4 million by the year 2030 – or about 20% of the US population. → The highest rate of increase within any segment of the U.S. population is of the oldest-old, those who are 85 years of age and older. 1 What is this due to? ______________________ (medical care, improvements in diet and exercise and other lifestyle factors) Very large differences exist in average life expectancies for different regions and sub-populations in the U.S. - Race - Economic disparities - Health care and unsafe living situations/environments - Sex differences (see first paragraph on page 36 of text) Maximum Human Life Span - life expectancy is about 15 years short of maximum life span. Even though many people live past 100, 95 is still considered the maximum average life span for humans. II. Lifespan Development a. early phase (childhood + adolescence) and late phase (early, mid and late adulthood) b. Includes both gains and losses - Development is a lifelong process, right? Unlike the focus on childhood only. Development is the combined effects of the accumulation of experiences and the consequences of time-related biological processes that affect behavior and physiology throughout the lifespan of individuals. Got to be durable. Not minor fluctuations. Baltes says: mulitidirectionality (grow in one area, lose in another), plasticity, historical context, multiple causation Developmental plasticity This is the belief that capacity is not fixed, but can be learned or improved with practice. For example, in memory decline, you can learn ways to help you deal with memory failure. Gains and losses: Development includes BOTH growth and decline. Ultimate goal, according to researchers, is to achieve a balance! These forces do not exist in equal strength! 2 No period is any more or less important than any other period of development. SO: What is development? – Change that is either an increase or decrease, or gain or loss, in effective functioning. We look at predictable or typical development – how and why does this happen! Includes biological change. AND How and why individuals show different patterns of change and development! (for example – growing up in a certain neighborhood, who you marry, activities you chose to pursue, what you majored in college…) Ask Class: Give some examples of gains and losses in young adulthood, and gains and losses that occur in later adulthood. III. Dimensions of Age - Chronological Age – Actual age in years/number of years. It’s one way of ordering/organizing the changes that occur with development. BUT IT DOESN’T SUFFICIENTLY EXPLAIN OUR DEVELOPMENT! CONSIDER: NEED TO Functional Age + Perceived Age Actual competence and performance. 75-year – old vs. 25-year-old maintaining her own apartment. You need to draw on multiple abilities to do this. (cognitive, social, biological/physical) Biological Age – an individual’s position with respect to his or her potential life span. A person’s vitality or neurobiological health. (a 40-year-old with emphysema and a severe heart condition who is likely to die in the near future differs greatly in biological age from a healthy 40year-old who has at least 35 years to live) Psychological Age – A person’s current ability to cope with and adapt to social and environmental demands. Includes such things as intelligence, learning ability, personality, motor skills, and subjective dimensions as feelings, attitudes, and motives. Socio-cultural Age – An individual’s current status as compared with cultural norms. 40-year old who is married with 3 children is developmentally different from a 40-year-old single person who engages in casual dating and does not plan to have children. Age graded “prescriptions” people hold for themselves. 3 So – age profiles vary greatly among individuals, don’t they? Normative Age-Graded, neurobiological changes= when typical developmental events take place (e.g., puberty, menopause). As we get older, these events diverge a great deal. Normative History-Graded Influences – History, cohort effect. People experience similar life-affecting events (e.g., being born during a war) Non-normative influences – serious injury, illness. Unique experiences. Reciprocal influence between person and the environment. Cohort Effects - Historical factors and socio-cultural factors that make different age groups unequal in some important way. → There is a growing recognition of increasing diversity as people age! So… rather than growing more alike as we get older, we become more individual! In this course, we’ll consider these DOMAINS of development: 1. 2. 3. 4. Biological and Physical Cognitive Personality (what distinguishes one person from another) Social (other individuals with the larger social world) And oh how these are inextricably linked! ☺ Successful Aging: “When I am 33/72 years old….” 2) What kind of personality will you have? What kind of person will you be? 3) What will your health be like? 4) What issues will you be concerned with, or think about? 5) What kind of living arrangements will you have? 6) What will your daily or weekly routine be like? 7) What kind of special activities will you engage in? 8) What will your social and family life look like? 4 1. Complete alone 2. Share with a partner Class discussion: What do you think of… A 70-year-old President of the United States? Fashion models over 60? https://www.buzzfeed.com/antwaunsargent/older-models-whoare-absolutely-beautiful?utm_term=.kgwRM9DeM#.oipqRM0mR Male-female difference? Pope Francis? 59 year-old psychotherapist who just had her first grandchild? A mom to a new baby at age 46? Tom Brady Merryl Streep 5 Psy 313 Dr. Gulyn Overview of Developmental Psychology + Life Expectancy I. Lifespan Development - 2 phases - Gains + Losses II. Dimensions of Age a. Chronological b. Functional+perceived c. Biological Age d. Psychological Age e. Socio-cutural Age II. III. Other factors in Development a. Developmental Plasticity b. Normative, Age-graded neurobiological changes c. Normative, History-graded influences, Cohort effects d. Non-normative/idiosyncratic influences Domains of Development 1. Biological and Physical 2. Cognitive 3. Personality 4. Social IV. Research 6
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