CHAPTER 1
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY APPLIED
TO AGING
Discussion Questions
1. What changes in American society would help support a continued purposive
and social life?
2. There is a huge “anti-aging” industry as baby-boomers get older. How should
older individuals accept their aging, with grace or with some fight? Defend
your position clearly and explain with some detail.
3. What are some of the problems with trying to look and act as if you are 20
years old when you are much older?
4. What topics or areas of study can you think of that are unique to childhood or
adolescence and irrelevant to adulthood?
Assignments
1. Check out CNN’s remembrance of Dr. Butler, the Father of Geriatrics:
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/07/remembering-the-father-
of-geriatrics/?iref=allsearch
2. Listen to Tom Ashbrook’s ON Point broadcast as he discussed “The Future of
Aging”. http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/the-future-of-aging
, Lecture Outline
I. Why Study Adult Development and Aging?
A. An Aging Population
1. Historically speaking, it is a new and fairly recent situation to
have such a large percentage of older adults in society.
2. For Americans born in 1900, the life expectancy was 47.3
years.
3. For those born in 1950, the life expectancy was 68.2 years.
4. Those born in 2000 have a projected life expectancy of 76.9
years
a stunning
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2007),
29.6 years longer than those born 100 years earlier.
5. In the early 1900s, less than 5% of Americans lived to age 65
or older, whereas in 1995 the percentage had risen to 80%
(Langer & Moldoveanu, 2000).
6. The largest projected increases
a. In the years 2020–2030=the number of Americans age
65 years and older jumps from 54.6 million to 71.5
million.
b. In the years 2030–2040=the number of Americans 85
years old rises from 9.6 million to 15.4 million (Federal
Interagency Forum, 2006).
7. The “graying” of the world’s citizens
a. The world population will rise in number from 6.1
billion in 2000 to 7.2 billion in 2015 (National
Intelligence Council, 2000).
b. In the United States, the population is projected to
increase from just under 300 million (296,639,000) in
2005 to over 400 million (419,854,000) residents by
2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006).
, c. In high-income, developed countries, the increased life
expectancies and falling fertility rates will add
momentum to the already apparent shift toward an
older population.
8. The shift toward an aging population has gained the attention
of the American government with the three primary agencies
involved
a. The National Institute on Aging
b. National Center for Health Statistics
c. Census Bureau, along with other agencies
d. Their pooled data (i.e., NIA, NCHS, and Census), once
compiled and collated, reflects five key areas in the
study of adulthood and aging
(1) Population, including racial and ethnic
composition and living arrangements
(2) Economics, including income, poverty, and
participation in the workforce
(3) Health status, including cognitive function and
disability
(4) Health risks and behaviors, including physical
activity, obesity, and smoking
(5) Health care, including services, expenditures,
and facilities
B. Challenging Issues
1. Introduction
a. The rapidly increasing number of adults in their 60s
and beyond brings with it the demand for information
from those trying to meet current needs and prepare for
the future.
b. In terms of the academic study of adult development
and aging, there are theoretical issues that must be
considered.
2. The Challenges
a. Accepting and utilizing the multidisciplinary nature of
the study of adulthood. Balancing an emphasis on later
, years in adulthood with a need to understand all of
adulthood
c. Finding the balance between highlighting the things
younger, middle-aged, and older adults have in common
and bringing to light the diversity in adult populations
d. Dealing with the limited resources available for
research
II. A Psychological Approach to Adult Development and Aging
A. Multidisciplinary and Multifaceted Endeavor
1. The study of adult development and aging is multidisciplinary
and multifaceted.
2. Reflecting similarities and differences across disciplines as
well as among areas of emphasis within disciplines
B. The Developmental Psychological Perspective
1. Developmental psychology can be defined as the scientific
study of the ways mental and behavioral processes change
within individuals over time.
C. Positive and Realistic Approach
2. Much of the current emphasis in developmental psychology, as
it is applied to adulthood and aging, is on aspects of adult
development that are
a. Stable
b. Change with age
c. Progress in positive and productive ways
d. Decline with age
III. Multiple Dimensions of Age
A. Critical Differences
1. Childhood generally covers about 12 years while adulthood
can cover 60 years or more
2. Segmenting Adulthood
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY APPLIED
TO AGING
Discussion Questions
1. What changes in American society would help support a continued purposive
and social life?
2. There is a huge “anti-aging” industry as baby-boomers get older. How should
older individuals accept their aging, with grace or with some fight? Defend
your position clearly and explain with some detail.
3. What are some of the problems with trying to look and act as if you are 20
years old when you are much older?
4. What topics or areas of study can you think of that are unique to childhood or
adolescence and irrelevant to adulthood?
Assignments
1. Check out CNN’s remembrance of Dr. Butler, the Father of Geriatrics:
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/07/remembering-the-father-
of-geriatrics/?iref=allsearch
2. Listen to Tom Ashbrook’s ON Point broadcast as he discussed “The Future of
Aging”. http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/the-future-of-aging
, Lecture Outline
I. Why Study Adult Development and Aging?
A. An Aging Population
1. Historically speaking, it is a new and fairly recent situation to
have such a large percentage of older adults in society.
2. For Americans born in 1900, the life expectancy was 47.3
years.
3. For those born in 1950, the life expectancy was 68.2 years.
4. Those born in 2000 have a projected life expectancy of 76.9
years
a stunning
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2007),
29.6 years longer than those born 100 years earlier.
5. In the early 1900s, less than 5% of Americans lived to age 65
or older, whereas in 1995 the percentage had risen to 80%
(Langer & Moldoveanu, 2000).
6. The largest projected increases
a. In the years 2020–2030=the number of Americans age
65 years and older jumps from 54.6 million to 71.5
million.
b. In the years 2030–2040=the number of Americans 85
years old rises from 9.6 million to 15.4 million (Federal
Interagency Forum, 2006).
7. The “graying” of the world’s citizens
a. The world population will rise in number from 6.1
billion in 2000 to 7.2 billion in 2015 (National
Intelligence Council, 2000).
b. In the United States, the population is projected to
increase from just under 300 million (296,639,000) in
2005 to over 400 million (419,854,000) residents by
2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006).
, c. In high-income, developed countries, the increased life
expectancies and falling fertility rates will add
momentum to the already apparent shift toward an
older population.
8. The shift toward an aging population has gained the attention
of the American government with the three primary agencies
involved
a. The National Institute on Aging
b. National Center for Health Statistics
c. Census Bureau, along with other agencies
d. Their pooled data (i.e., NIA, NCHS, and Census), once
compiled and collated, reflects five key areas in the
study of adulthood and aging
(1) Population, including racial and ethnic
composition and living arrangements
(2) Economics, including income, poverty, and
participation in the workforce
(3) Health status, including cognitive function and
disability
(4) Health risks and behaviors, including physical
activity, obesity, and smoking
(5) Health care, including services, expenditures,
and facilities
B. Challenging Issues
1. Introduction
a. The rapidly increasing number of adults in their 60s
and beyond brings with it the demand for information
from those trying to meet current needs and prepare for
the future.
b. In terms of the academic study of adult development
and aging, there are theoretical issues that must be
considered.
2. The Challenges
a. Accepting and utilizing the multidisciplinary nature of
the study of adulthood. Balancing an emphasis on later
, years in adulthood with a need to understand all of
adulthood
c. Finding the balance between highlighting the things
younger, middle-aged, and older adults have in common
and bringing to light the diversity in adult populations
d. Dealing with the limited resources available for
research
II. A Psychological Approach to Adult Development and Aging
A. Multidisciplinary and Multifaceted Endeavor
1. The study of adult development and aging is multidisciplinary
and multifaceted.
2. Reflecting similarities and differences across disciplines as
well as among areas of emphasis within disciplines
B. The Developmental Psychological Perspective
1. Developmental psychology can be defined as the scientific
study of the ways mental and behavioral processes change
within individuals over time.
C. Positive and Realistic Approach
2. Much of the current emphasis in developmental psychology, as
it is applied to adulthood and aging, is on aspects of adult
development that are
a. Stable
b. Change with age
c. Progress in positive and productive ways
d. Decline with age
III. Multiple Dimensions of Age
A. Critical Differences
1. Childhood generally covers about 12 years while adulthood
can cover 60 years or more
2. Segmenting Adulthood
