BECOMING AN ADULT

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BECOMING AN ADULT

• Chapter Ten

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LECTURE OVERVIEW

• Beginning of Adulthood
• Physical Health and Development
• Cognitive Development
• Personality in Adulthood
• Personality Disorders

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INTRODUCTION

• When does adulthood begin?
• Do we have a definition?
• One transition post-secondary education
• Changes in cognition

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WHEN DOES ADULTHOOD BEGIN???
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TRANSITIONS

• Hard to define when adulthood occurs
• In Western Cultures
• Role transitions assuming new responsibilities
  and duties
• Age experienced large individual variation, also
  large cohort variation

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Cont.

• Cultural variations in role transitions
• clearer in other cultures
• boys become men provide, protect, impregnate
• girls become women typically menarche
• rites of passage marking initiation into
  adulthood

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GOING TO COLLEGE

• 65 of high school graduates in US go to college
• Average of college student 29
• Returning adult students over age of 25
• implies have reached adulthood
• problem solvers, self-directed, pragmatic
• have relevant life experiences

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PSYCHOLOGICAL VIEWS

• Cognitively differ from adolescents
• Drop in risk-taking behaviours
• Increase in self-control and social compliance
• From concern with identity to
• autonomy and intimacy

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Cont.

• Intimacy versus Isolation
• once identity is established ready to create a
  shared identity
• studies support and refute this concept
• gender differences

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WHEN IS ADULTHOOD?

• Between age 18 to 25 is a distinct life stage?
• thresholders???
• Based on economic/financial situations
• In 20s far from an easy life stage
• Is Britney Spears an adult?

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH
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GROWTH, STRENGTH, ETC.

• Reach peak height
• Physical strength peaks in late 20s and 30s
• Coordination and dexterity
• Sensory visual acuity
• Endurance?? Peaks a little later
• Hearing declines in late 20s

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HEALTH

• Fairly healthy during this period of life
• Death from disease is rare
• Leading causes of death? accidents
• Gender and ethnic differences
• Men more likely to die than women
• Men auto accidents Women cancer
• African American, Latino gt European American
• European American lt Asian and Pacific Islanders

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LIFESTYLE FACTORS

• Smoking
• Single biggest contributor to health problems
• Half of all cancers are related to smoking
• Danger of second hand smoke
• Large relapse rate when quitting
• But.. quitting has enormous health benefits

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Cont.LIFESTYLE FACTORS

• Drinking Alcohol
• gt 70 drank alcohol in last month
• Total consumption of alcohol is declining
• Binge drinking more troublesome
• 1/13 adults are alcoholics or abuse alcohol
• More men than women
• Highest among younger adults
• ADDICTION!

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THEORIES OF ADDICTION

• 1. Physical dependence (internal need)
• 2. Positive incentive theory (anticipated
  effects)
• CAN WE BE ADDICTED TO THINGS OTHER THAN
  DRUGS?

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BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY

• 1. Positive reinforcement of drug
• 2. Stimuli conditioned to drug effects
• 3. Cues effects of the drug
• 4. Aversive consequences of taking the drug

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ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE

• DSM-IV substance dependence
• 3 of following in 12 month period
• tolerance
• withdrawal symptoms
• increasing doses
• unsuccessful effort to cut down intake
• much time spent obtaining or using the drug
• interference with social, occupation, or
  recreational activities
• continued use despite recognition of problems

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ADDICTIVE DRUGS

• Self-administered
• alcohol
• amphetamine
• barbituates
• caffeine
• cocaine
• nicotine
• opiates
• procaine
• phenylcyclidine (PCP)
• THC

• Not self-administered
• imipramine
• mescaline
• phenothiazines
• scopolamine

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TOLERANCE SENSITIZATION

• Tolerance decreased state of sensitivity to a
  drug resulting from exposure
• Sensitization increased state of sensitivity to
  a drug resulting from exposure

• 2 ways to demonstrate
• 1. Given dose has less/more effect
• 2. Takes more/less drug to have an effect
• shift in dose response curve

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TOLERANCE.. cont

• cross tolerance
• can occur for some effects and not others
• adaptive changes homeostasis
• metabolic tolerance reduces amount getting to
  sites of action
• functional tolerance changes the reactivity of
  sites of action

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WITHDRAWAL DEPENDENCE

• sudden elimination of drug withdrawal symptoms
• almost always opposite of initial effects of drug
• signs of physical dependence
• not all physical learning component as well

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BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DRUG ACTION
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Aversive effects Discriminative (cue) effects
Stimuli conditioned to effects of drugs
Drug Seeking Behaviour
euphoria () anxiety relief functional
enhancement relief from withdrawal
social context genetic factors behavioural
history pharmacological history
Modulating Variables
Behavioural Mechanisms
reinforcing effects
neural mechanisms

-
monoamines
neuropeptides
Feldman, Meyer, Quenzer, 1997
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BASIC DRUG ACTION

• Influence subjective experience behaviour
• blood stream carries drug to CNS
• blood-brain barrier (BBB)

• Actions
• diffusely
• bind to specific receptors
• influence synthesis, transport, release, or
  deactivation of NTs
• activate postsynaptic receptors

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PRINCIPLE PROCESSES

• 1. Route of administration
• 2. Absorption and distribution
• 3. Binding
• 4. Inactivation
• 5. Excretion

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ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATION

• 1. Intravenous injection
• 2. Intramuscular injection
• 3. Subcutaneous administration injection or
  pellet
• 4. Intraperitoneal injection
• 5. Oral administration
• 6. Sublingual administration
• 7. Inhalation
• 8. Topical Application
• 9. Intracranial Administration

• Determines how much drug reaches its site of
  action and how quickly the drug effect occurs

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COMMON NEURAL MECHANISM?

• different sites of action
• final common pathway?
• reinforcing effects addictive
• increased DA overflow in NAcc
• other NTs?
• circuit model incorporates many areas and NTs

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REINFORCEMENT

• Increase the effect of dopamine in the mesolimbic
  system (VTA ? NAcc)
• all reinforcers increase release of DA in the
  NAcc
• DA from NAcc reinforcing stimulation to VTA
• Stimulation Experiment

http//salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year3/psy337DrugAddic
tion/theorydrugaddiction.htm
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EXPERIMENT stimulation of the VTA and collection
at the NAcc
http//salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year1/bbb.htm
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http//salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year1/bbb.htm
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DOPAMINE REWARD

• originally thought to increase pleasure
• DA not critical for reinforcement once task is
  learned neural substrate for novelty or reward
  expectation?
• DA is involved in many of the aspects (ie.
  effects, chronic problems, etc.) of drug reward
  and addiction

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Cont.

• intracranial stimulation
• of substantia nigra and VTA increase responding
• highest responding in areas with highest DA
  neurons
• DA agonists increase DA antagonists decrease
• lesions disrupt
• conditioned place preference

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CLASSES OF DRUGS

• CNS depressants
• alcohol, hypnotics (barbituates), anxiolytics
• CNS stimulants
• amphetamine, cocaine, caffeine, nicotine,
  Ritalin, weight-loss products
• Opiates
• heroin, morphine, methadone, prescription pain
  killers

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Cont...

• Cannabinoids
• marijuanan, hashish
• Hallucinogens
• LSD, mescaline, psilocybin
• Others
• PCP

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NUTRITION

• Affects mental, emotional, and physical
  well-being
• Linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease,
  diabetes, anemia, and digestive disorders
• Requirements and eating habits change across life
  span
• Differences in metabolism

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SOCIAL, GENDER, ETHNIC ISSUES

• Social factors SES and education
• Gender not clear
• women do live longer
• Ethnic Group inner city poorest health
• racism, poverty stress

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COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
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HOW IS INTELLIGENCE VIEWED IN ADULTS?

• Multidimensional like theories?
• Remember Gardner, Sternberg, etc.

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Cont.

• Hierarchical View of Intelligence
• general and specific components

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Cont.

• Fluid sequential and quantitative reasoning,
  induction
• Crystallized language
• General memory learning memory span,
  associative memory
• Broad visual visualization, spatial relations,
  closure speed

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Cont.

• Broad auditory speech sound discrimination,
  general sound discrimination
• Broad retrieval creativity, ideational fluency,
  naming facility
• Broad cognitive speediness rate of test taking,
  numerical facility, perceptual speed
• Processing speed simple reaction time, choice
  reaction time, semantic processing speed

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Cont. Gardners Theory of Multiple
Intelligences

• Linguistic
• Logical-mathematical
• Spatial
• Musical
• Bodily-kinesthetic

• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal
• Naturalistic
• Existential

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Cont. Gardners Theory of Multiple
Intelligences

• Linguistic
• Logical-mathematical
• Spatial

• Psychometric theories
• linguistic develops before others
• each intelligence is regulated to an area of the
  brain

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Cont.

• Other Intelligence Theories
• Social Cognitive Flexibility
• - skill in solving social problems with relevant
  social knowledge
• Sternbergs Triarchic Theory
• componential subtheory
• experiential subtheory
• contextual subtheory

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HOW IS INTELLIGENCE VIEWED IN ADULTS?

• Multidimensional like theories?
• Remember Gardner, Sternberg, etc.
• Others.

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Cont.

• Life-span perspective
• Mutlidirectionality
• Interindividual variability
• Plasticity

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WHAT HAPPENS?

• Formal testing vs. Assessing practical skills
• Primary Abilities
• number, word fluency, verbal meaning, inductive
  reasoning, spatial orientation
• improve until early 40s then slowly decline

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Cont.

• How do we reduce the decline??
• Absence of chronic disease
• Good living environment
• Cognitively active
• Flexible personality style
• Married to someone of high cognitive status
• Satisfied with ones achievements

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Cont.

• Secondary Abilities
• ex. fluid intelligence and crystallized
  intelligence
• somewhat based on each other
• fluid declines while crystallized improves
• harder to learn with age, but more knowledge

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Cont.

• Beyond Formal Operations?
• Thought process is different in adulthood
• considering situational, contextual issues
• Postformal Thought
• truth can vary across situations

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Cont.

• Stages of Reflective Judgement
• Absolute truth
• Truth via authority
• Temporary uncertainty
• Justified by reference, but idiosyncratic
• Contextual and subjective
• Personally constructed
• Probabilities on evidence

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Cont.

• Stages of Reflective Judgement
• Optimal level of development
• Skill acquisition
• Other theories
• Absolutist, Relativistic, Dialectical

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Cont.

• Adult thinking integrating emotion and logic
• Adolescents too much emotion
• Not so much logic as emotional and pragmatic
• ex. resolving relationship difficulties

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STEREOTYPES IN ADULTS

• Social knowledge structures and social beliefs
• Stereotypes organized prior knowledge
• not always negative!
• overlearned, so spontaneously activated?
• implicit stereotypes
• stereotype threat

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Cont.

• Implicit Social Beliefs
• content, strength, likelihood of automatic
  activiation
• Age differences
• Situational differences

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PERSONALITY
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CREATING SCENARIOS

• Life-span construct past, present, future
• identity, values, society
• Scenario expectations
• Social clock biological clock?
• Life story past events
• Autobiographical memories
• assimilation and accomodation

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IDENTITY
IDENTITY ASSIMILATION
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POSSIBLE SELVES

• Projecting into future possibilities
• Age differences?
• fewer domains with age
• but, more behaviors to support possible selves
• Younger family issues
• Middle personal issues
• Older family issues, but different focus
• Oldest personal issues

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SELF-CONCEPT

• Incorporating scenario/life story into sense of
  self
• Little change in self-concept with age
• earlier self-concept is predictive
• Ethnic group/cultural attachment

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PERSONAL CONTROL BELIEFS

• Degree of control over situations
• High versus low sense of control
• Important for personality and memory
• 4 types
• Within oneself
• Over oneself
• Over environment
• From the environment

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Cont.

• Primary control affecting external world
• based on biological factors
• Secondary control behaviour or cognition aimed
  at internal world
• Less primary and more secondary with age

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PERSONALITY AND ITS DISORDERS
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PERSONALITY

• WHAT IS PERSONALITY?
• Relative stability from childhood
• temperament
• Depends on circumstances
• Whether negative or positive trait
• Whether trait will be expressed

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Cont.

• 5 factor model
• Neuroticism
• Extraversion
• Openness to Experience
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
• all along continuums

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PERSONALITY DISORDERS

• Generally
• Social and occupational disruptions
• Defined based on whats acceptable
• Hardest to diagnose and hard to treat
• No distress over symptoms
• Much co-morbidity among disorders

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Cont.

• Cluster A asocial, odd, and/or eccentric
• Cluster B flamboyant, dramatic, emotional,
  and/or erratic
• Cluster C anxious, fearful, and/or lack of
  emotional warmth

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Cont. Cluster A

• Paranoid distrust, suspicious, overreact
• low extraversion, low openness, very low
  agreeableness
• Schizoid restricted range of emotions, social
  isolation, loners
• very low extraversion
• Schizotypal discomfort with relationships,
  cognitive perceptual distortions, peculiar
  behaviour, bizarre fantasies
• very high neuroticism, very low extraversion,
  high openness

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Cont. Cluster B

• Antisocial frequent violation of rights of
  others impulsive, aggressive, reckless
• low neuroticism, very low agreeableness and
  conscientiousness
• Borderline instability of relationships,
  self-image, emotions, and control over impulses
• very high neuroticism, high extraversion, low
  agreeableness and conscientiousness

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Cont.

• Histronic excessive emotionality and attention
  seeking
• high neuroticism, extraversion, and openness, low
  conscientiouness
• Narcissistic grandiosity, need for admiration,
  lack of empathy
• high neuroticism, extraversion, and
  conscientiousness, very low agreeableness

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Cont. Cluster C

• Avoidant social inhibition
• very high neuroticism and very low extraversion
• Dependent excessive need of care
• very high neuroticism and agreeableness, high
  extraversion
• Obsessive-Compulsive preoccupation with
  perfection, orderliness
• high neuroticism, low extraversion and openness,
  and very high conscientiousness

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Cont.

• Much overlap of traits among disorders
• Prevalence not clear
• High among psychiatric patients
• Role of biology and environment
• some sort of role of genetics
• but since large of role of social aspects