1. Agenda, 15 January 2008 Overview of Course Harwood: Chapter 1 NiceNet Conversational Analysis Tutorial Highlights of language production, I.

2. Harwood’s keycepts, Chapter 1 Demographic changes over next 50 years Variability among older people 4 key approaches to aging: biological, psychological, sociological, lifespan Longitudinal and cross-sectional designs Qualitative and quantitative approaches

3. Projections on aging In NC In the US What longevity means: we’ll take a brief look at one selection from the Intergenerational Gallery – used in several classes http://education.uncc.edu/more/StartResources/Interge nerational_Gallery_Trio.htmhttp://education.uncc.edu/more/StartResources/Interge nerational_Gallery_Trio.htm

4. Longevity Longevity is a measure of both the length of life and the quality of life. Factors that affect longevity include a person’s occupation, living environment, nutrition, exercise, preventive medical care and other lifestyle choices For more information on longevity, review the Administration on Aging’s website: http://www.aoa.gov/prof/notes/notes_longevity.asp http://www.aoa.gov/prof/notes/notes_longevity.asp Review the information sheet, Trends in Causes of Death Among the Elderly: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/agingtrends/01death. pdf http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/agingtrends/01death. pdf

5. Globally speaking: median age implies what?

6. Individual reflection #1 Write for 5 minutes about an older relative whom you cherish. To get you started: How long have you known this person? What is something that characterizes how this person acts? What is something important that this person has told you? Were you able to learn any of this person’s memories from an earlier time?

7. About YOUR aging: expect greater diversity, slower growth 2030-50: Administration on Aging www.aoa.gov/prof/Statistics/future-growth

10. One way to look at diversity: http://www.agingstats.gov/chartbook2000/

11. What’s ‘old’? Expect changes Dynamic population pyramids let us compare the US and another country (Taiwan): http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Animation/ pyramid.html http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/pyramid s.html

12. Stages in adulthood Middle adulthood: age forty to sixty-five Midlife transition-forty to forty-five Entering middle adulthood-forty-five to fifty Age fifty transition-fifty to fifty-five Culmination of middle adulthood-fifty-five to sixty Late adulthood: age sixty on Late adult transition-sixty to sixty-five Harwood proposes two new divisions: Young old: 65-80 Fourth age: over-80 L.Worrall & L. Hickson. 2003. Communication disability in aging

13. Young adult concerns about aging Boomer parents, reflected in Canadian comic For better or for worse, January 20, 2006

14. Individual reflection #2: Assign age norms and see if any of them group together 1. Wearing a short skirt and high heels 2. Living alone 3. Getting married 4. Raising children 5. Being considered sexy 6. Drinking alcohol 7. Driving a sports car 8. Having others make decisions for you 9. Displaying affection in public 10. Running a marathon 11. Running for president 12. Retiring 13. Becoming pregnant 14. Enrolling in a 4 year college degree program 15. Receiving a heart transplant

15. Age norms: cultural reflections? Ben http://www.comics.com

16. Clips from http://www.biology.duke.edu/cunningham/Villains.html Age norms: cultural reflections #2 What do these have in common?

17. Approaches to studying aging: biological/biomedical Focus on decline/deficit Genetic predisposition to some conditions Metabolism rate: should we slow it? Get way thin? Wearing out: free radicals? (take C) Older folk:waste of resources or valuable addition? Harwood, p. 13: ‘one area of research has suggested that significant strides in human culture are directly traceable to … when people’s life spans reached the length that grandparenting was possible”

18. Grandparents & Culture: Young-Old and Fourth Age talking on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_WJ00D3vPw&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2ZA9IiVBvY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZPF7DdVrwI&feature=related http://www.youtu be.com/watch?v= oyQOEPUbcD4 And you might enjoy Reel Geezers – see below

19. Approaches to studying aging: psychological Focus on decline/deficit Short term memory Disengagement theory (increasing isolation) Socioemotional selectivity theory (here and now) Continuity theory (focus on what doesn’t change) Activity theory (stay busy)

20. Approaches to studying aging: sociological approaches Modernization theory and the ‘place’ of older people Social stratification theory (age, gender, race; segregation by age Political economy of aging: i.e. are aging encouraged to depend on system, institutions?

21. Approaches to studying aging: life- span developmental approaches Erikson’s 8 stages http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/sum.HTML http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/sum.HTML Selective optimization: select optimize compensate Life-span approach: we develop and grow throughout the life span; age constrains but does not control development. Environment and history constrain but do not control development. Development involves gains and losses on different dimensions (‘learning experiences)

22. What methods shall we use to study aging? NSF on Qualitative Analysis “Qualitative modes of data analysis provide ways of discerning, examining, comparing and contrasting, and interpreting meaningful patterns or themes. Meaningfulness is determined by the particular goals and objectives of the project at hand: the same data can be analyzed and synthesized from multiple angles depending on the particular research or evaluation questions being addressed. The varieties of approaches - including ethnography, narrative analysis, discourse analysis, and textual analysis - correspond to different types of data, disciplinary traditions, objectives, and philosophical orientations. However, all share several common characteristics that distinguish them from quantitative analytic approaches. …good qualitative analysis is both systematic and intensely disciplined” http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/REC/pubs/NSF97-153/CHAP_4.HTM

23. What methods shall we use to study aging? Some quantitative methods: http://ihd.berkeley.edu/aldwin.pdf gives a good overview of several quantitative methods, which expand our text’s analysis.http://ihd.berkeley.edu/aldwin.pdf Cross-sectional designs compare participants in different age cohorts Longitudinal designs test one group repeatedly over time Cross-sequential designs let you stagger cohorts and then compare them sequentially over time.

24. It isn’t easy to match method to research question Aldwin 2003 illustrates how cross-sectional analysis can confound age and cohort Hypothetical Study of Age & Religiosity in Florida done with cross-sectional samples of 3 different ages, taken at one time. However, it turned out that the cohorts had different religious characteristics and that really confused the question. Young cohorts: Catholic (Hispanic) Middle aged cohorts: Protestant Older cohorts: Jewish Interpretation confuses age & cohort: “People are born Catholic, become Protestant in mid-life, and then turn to Judaism in old age (!)”

25. http://www.nicenet.org

26. Conversation Analysis http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~ssca1/ http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~ssca1/