Psychology of aging. Lecture 1: Demographics and methods of aging research.

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Psychology of aging.Lecture 1 Demographics and
methods of aging research.

• Prof Louise Phillips

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Focus on Older People in the UK. Office of
National Statistics www.statistics.gov.uk

• Population.
• 19.8 million aged 50 and over in UK
• Living Arrangements.
• 7 in 10 women aged 85 live alone
• Housing.
• 6 in 10 aged 65 own home outright
• Health Caring.
• 2.8m aged 50 provide unpaid care.

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Course outline

• Demographics and research methods.
• Biological and brain changes.
• Health and mental health.
• Attention and perception.
• Age, intelligence and problem-solving.
• Memory and aging.
• Personality, emotions and social cognition.
• Relationships, work and retirement.

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Course information.

• This course is about the psychological effects of
  NORMAL AGING.
• This course is NOT about dementia.
• Recommended Reading
• EITHER Erber, J.T. (2005). Aging and older
  adulthood. Belmont, CA Wadsworth.
• OR Cavanaugh, J.C. Blanchard-Fields, F.
  (2006) Adult Development Aging. Wadsworth.
• Should be multiple copies in Heavy Demand.

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Reading specific chapters.
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Demographics

• Why is it important to study aging?

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Demographics

• Past 500 years population explosion
• Percentage of population
• Era UK population over 65
• 1650 1
• 1950 12
• 2001 15
• 2050 20

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Longevity
Life expectancy age 50 of population will
reach
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Life expectancies males females in UK (Help
the Aged)
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Why sex differences in life expectancy?

• Women outlive men in all Western countries.
• But e.g. 10 years difference in Russia, 4 years
  in Greece.
• Reasons for sex differences?
• Disease?
• Stress?
• Lifestyle factors?
• Childbirth?
• Genetic factors?

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Time bomb!

• 1908 could draw pension if
• aged over 70,
• of good character,
• very poor.
• Now all can draw state pension if 65.
• Not means tested
• Over 60s
• in 1968 80 in employment,
• in 1996 50.

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• More young people in further education
• - People start to work (and pay taxes) later
• People retiring early, so not paying taxes
• - More of the population of pension age
• Stock market falls pension shortfall
• CRISIS!

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Research methodology

• How do you best study age changes in
  psychological functioning?

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Research issues

• Type of study
• longitudinal or cross-sectional?
• Sampling?
• Screening?
• Measures used?

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1) Cross-sectional studies
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1) Cross sectional studies

• Measure age differences not age changes
• Compare e.g. 25/50/75 yr. olds at single time
• Advantages
• inexpensive
• no test repetition
• Disadvantages
• cannot measure individual change
• cohort effects

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2) Longitudinal studies
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2) Longitudinal studies

• Follow same individuals over time
• Look at 50 yr. olds in 1970, 75 by 1995
• Advantages
• directly address change
• investigate differential change in individuals
• Disadvantages
• historical shifts
• selective dropout
• practice effects

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3) Sequential studies

• Combine longitudinal and cross-sectional
  approaches within one study.
• Advantages
• info on time of measurement effects
• info on individual changes
• Disadvantages
• time consuming
• very complex statistical analysis

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Longitudinal v cross-sectional resultsResults
from Schaie Strother (1968)
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Sampling and screening for disease

• Volunteer v census-matched samples
• If wish to study effects of normal aging
• Exclude dementia or ill health
• Early stages of dementia
• Difficult to diagnose
• Mild cognitive impairment
• Tend to use basic screening tests
• Very common in very old

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Age and measurement validity

• Ecological validity
• Recent experience of testing
• Sensory changes
• Appropriateness of scales
• E.g. Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

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Summary

• Main points to take from this lecture..

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Summary

• Increase in of population 65
• shorter working life
• economic timebomb for pensions
• Women live around 5 years longer
• Longitudinal v cross-sectional studies
• Sampling task selection

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Questions to think about ...

• To what extent has life expectancy increased over
  recorded history, and how is this likely to
  impact the social welfare system in future?
• Outline some of the theories put forward to
  explain why men and women differ in life
  expectancy.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
  longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches to
  aging research?