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UIUC PSYC 361 - Exam 1 Study Guide

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Psych 361Exam # 1 Study Guide Lectures: 1 - 5Lecture 1 (January 22nd) Studying Adult Development and AgingOutline:- Definitions- Aging Stereotypes- Demographics- Research methodsDefinitionso Gerontology: study of aging and problems associated with agingo Geriatrics: medical specialization of the aged and their care/diseaseso Neuropsychology of aging: study of brain and cognitive functions of older adultso Demography: statistical study of large populationso Cohort: Group of people born within a specified period of time (ex: Baby boomers)Aging StereotypesI. A large percent of adults over 65 are physically impaired and live in nursing homes- Only 5% of older Americans live in nursing homesII. Most people over 65 are senile with poor cognitive function- Only about 5-7% of older adults have Alzheimer’s- Loss in speed, and memory do come with age, but not loss in cognitive functionIII. Thos over 65 are usually depressed and suffer psychological problems- Emotional disorder rates are lower in older adults than in younger adultsIV. Older adults are isolated and live in poverty- Most older adults are in close contact with family and friends- Dire poverty is twice as common at the beginning of life than at the endDemographicso Population of adults 65+ is increasing- baby boomers becoming older adultso Population trends suggest more seniors in the futureo If the population continues in this trend, we will need more support for seniors so they can be productive and taken care of o Twice as many older women than men- X chromosome disorders affect twice as many males than females (males have two X chromosomes) o Expected that more than 13% of the future population will be adults in all countries but Africa - diseases more prevalentDefining Ageo Normative age graded: things that happen to people of the same age- Highly correlated with chronological age- Examples: puberty, marriageo Normative history-graded: events that people of the same culture experience at the same time- Example: the Great Depressiono Non-normative: events that can shape a person’s life, but not typical to all people- Example: acquired brain injuryo Primary aging: normal, disease free developmento Secondary aging: disease, lifestyle, or other environmentally induced changeso Tertiary aging: rapid losses that occur shortly before death- Terminal dropo Chronological age: number of years since birtho Biological/Psychological age: present biological/psychological position relative to their expected lifespan- Example: smokers will have lungs of a much older person- Example: maturity level can be higher or lower than norm for ageo Socio-cultural age: roles that individuals adopt in relation to their age and culture- Example: in some cultures, grandparents take the role of a parentLifespan Development IssuesI. Nature-nurture Issue- Outdated view that compares environmental influences to genetic influencesII. Stability-Change Issue- The degree to which people stay the same or change over timeIII. Continuity-Discontinuity Controversy- Is development smooth (continuous) or abrupt shifts (discontinuous)IV. Universal vs Context-Specific Development Controvery- Is there one universal development path, or is development context-specificResearcho There is not random assignment when comparing younger vs older adults- You have to place the younger in younger group, older in older groupo There will be confounding factors in cross-sectional studies - Different historical events, age differences, health, cultural differences in cohortso Longitudinal studies follow the same participants throughout their life- Offers direct information about intra-individual change- Attrition: survivors do not represent the entire sample population- People may move, pass away, etc. and no longer be in the studyo Cross-Sectional studies compare two different groups- Easier and more cost efficient, no attrition- Often see cohort effectso Population vs Sample - Population: everyone you want to study (ex: adults over 65)- Sample: the people that volunteer to participate in study- Volunteers most likely not accurate representation of entire population- Sample restricted to those healthy enough to travel, emotionally stable, etco Screening participants- Uniform: want participants to be as similar as possible (ex: native speakers)- Special characteristics: want to compare differences amongst participants with a “special characteristic” (ex: Alzheimer’s)- Stratifying: taking people from all demographics to eliminate bias (ex: wealthy/poor)- Want participants to be comparable to each other (similar demographics/medical history)o Biases in Screening- More female participants: females live longer, tend to volunteer more often- Abnormally healthy participants: healthy people can make it to study- Higher IQs/reaction speed: no norm set for participants- Socioeconomic Status: higher educated will more likely volunteero Integrative studies good alternative- Compares data across multiple studies- Can determine if findings can be generalized across studiesLecture 2 & 3 (Jan 29th & Feb 5th) Neuroscience as a basis for Adult Development and AgingOutline- Parts of a Neuron- The Aging Brain- Neural plasticity- Brain ImagingThe Neurono Neurons conduct neural information throughout brain through connections- 50-180 billion neurons in adult braino New neurons do not form in brain (with some exceptions), but new connections are made- The brain is plastic (able to change) and forms new connections when necessaryo Dendrite: branches that receive neural information from other neurons- Loss of dendrites in Alzheimer’s diseaseo Soma: cell body that contains the nucleus of the neuron o Axon: signal travels down axon before it is released- Covered by myelin sheath: speeds up signal speedo Axon terminals: send neural signal - Neurotransmitters: chemicals released by axon terminals which cause a reactiono Synapse: junction between two neurons- Typical neuron synapses with 100-1000 other neurons- Synapses grow rapidly in the first few months of life- Synapses prune for better function throughout lifespan & decrease late in life - Fragile X Syndrome: no pruning of synapses; causes learning disabilityo Neurofibrillary Tangles: twisted tangles occurring in neurons- Loss of connections- Tangles in the hippocampus may be a sign for Alzheimer’so Amyloid Plaques: buildup of proteins surrounded by neurofibrillary tangles- Can cause vascular damage and loss of neurons-


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UIUC PSYC 361 - Exam 1 Study Guide

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