PSYCO 305 B2 Adult Development: Myths and Realties of Aging

Course Business Prerequisities PSYCO 104 (or equivalent), PSYCO 105 (or equivalent), and STAT 151 (OR PSYCO 211) Instructor Sheree Kwong See (Office Hours- see outline) Teaching Assistant Tracey Eng (Office Hours TBA)

Course Business Text Whitbourne (2001) Code of Student Behavior – Course Web Page –

Course Business Evaluation –2 Term Exams (22.5% each) –Final Exam (25%) –Debate Paper (15%) –Group Presentation (5%) –Life History Project (10%)

Debate Paper and Presentation Assigned a debate topic (see outline) Research and develop a written argument for both sides of the debate Present with others assigned the same topic and point of view for 15 minutes Lead the class in discussion

Topic 1 Can cognitive age changes be stalled or even reversed by physical exercise?

Topic 2 Should the driving license of older people be taken away?

Topic 3 “If everyone lived long enough, everyone would eventually be demented”. Is Alzheimer’s Disease just an exaggerated form of aging? What is the evidence for and against this point of view?

Life History Project Goal is to add a “human face” to the course material Interview a senior (will discuss ethical issues) Produce a written life history report

Overview Introductory Lecture 1.Myths and realities of aging: An introductory exercise The Facts on Aging Quiz 2.Where does this course fit into the larger intellectual domain? Gerontology

The Facts on Aging Quiz

Key: –Odd numbered items = False –Even numbered items = True Typically an average person with no training in gerontology gets about 50% correct

Facts on Aging Quiz WHAT IS YOUR BIAS TOWARDS AGING? COMPUTE YOUR NEGATIVE AGE BIAS: (# WRONG FOR 1,3,5,7,8,9,10,11,13,16,17,18,21,22,24,25) DIVIDE BY 16. COMPUTE YOUR POSITIVE AGE BIAS: (# WRONG FOR 2, 4, 6, 12, 14) DIVIDE BY 5 COMPUTE YOUR NET BIAS % POSITIVE ERRORS MINUS % NEGATIVE ERRORS IF THE NUMBER IS POSITIVE YOU HAVE A POSITIVE AGE BIAS. IF THE NUMBER IS NEGATIVE YOU HAVE A NEGATIVE AGE BIAS.

Overview Introductory Lecture Myths and realities of aging: An introductory exercise The Facts on Aging Quiz 2.Where does this course fit into the larger intellectual domain? Gerontology

Gerontology is Is the study of aging from maturity (young adulthood) through older age as well as the study of older persons as a special group

Gerontology Gerontology is interdisciplinary 1. Biological 2. Sociological 3. Anthropological 4. Historical 5. Psychological

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mind Level of analysis is different for cognitive psychology social psychology personality developmental psychology

Developmental Psychology Developmental psychology is the branch of psychology aimed at understanding age-related changes in behavior and mind that individuals experience throughout the lifespan childhood/adolescence= developmental psychology adulthood and aging= psychology of aging/lifespan development

The Big Picture Gerontology Psychology Developmental (Psychology of Aging)