PSYCH 333: Early Adulthood
At what age do you enter adolescence?
18-40 years old
Define senescence.
Loss of cell's power and growth
How to slow down multidimensional and multidirectional changes:
Take care of your body by not smoking, exercising, nutrition, sleeping well
Define telomere shortening.
DNA endings of your chromosomes die
What is telomerase activity?
The reverse of telomere shortening. Happens when you make healthy changes to your lifestyle
What happens to tissue organs?
They become less flexible, which can lead to organ problems.
What causes menopause?
The reduction of estrogen and growth hormone
What is the role of estrogen?
Memory, reproduction, mood, learning, homeostatic processes, physical growth
3 ways that immune function decreases:
Loss of bone mass, thinning of the skin, addition of body fat
Discuss motor performance in early twenties.
Peak performance of limb movement, coordination, strength
Discuss motor performance in late twenties/early forties.
Peak performance in endurance, arm-hand steadiness, aiming (golf, basketball)
What is a solution to fertility problems?
Fertility treatments
At what age does sperm motility begin to decrease?
35
What is responsible for matured decision making, self-regulation, and less impulsivity?
Balance between Prefrontal Cognitive Control Network and the Emotional Social Network.
Define postformal thought.
Cognitive development beyond Piaget's stages. Ability to change the way you deal with situations depending on the circumstance.
William Perry's epistemic cognition: define.
Refers to our reflections on how we arrived at facts, beliefs, ideas.
What is the word for: "dividing information, values, authority, into 'right and wrong,' 'good and bad,' 'we and they.'
Dualistic thinking
What is the word for: "giving up possibility of absolute truth; acknowledging diverse opinions on any topic."
Relativistic thinking
What is commitment within relativistic thinking.
Trying to forumulate a more personally satisfying perspective rather than choosing between opposing views.
What is pragmatic thought?
Cognition and emotion working together to evolve and deal with situations differently.
What is cognitive-affective complexity?
Greater awareness of one's own and others' conflicting feelings; improved emotion regulation.
Define expertise.
Enhanced information processing that takes many years to master; extensive knowledge in a field (think Master's degree).
When does career creativity usually peak and how long does it take to master a job?
Creativity peaks in the early twenties and it takes 10 years in a field to master it.
Arnett's emerging adulthood theory. Discuss high SES adults relative to the rest of the population, regarding statistics.
Arnett's theory is not universal. Young adults with high SES typically do not represent the whole population.
What is the focus in emerging adulthood?
Responsibility, supporting self, making independent life decisions.
Name two predictors to a successful career.
- Interest in work
- Personality
How does self-esteem change during early adulthood?
Self-esteem drops in first semester of university but gradually rises.
Erikson's psychosocial stage of development:
Intimacy vs. Isolation.
What is intimacy?
Making a permanent commitment to an intimate partner; fidelity, relationships with emphasis on romance; giving up some independence.
What is isolation?
Hesitant to form close ties; fear of losing identity; threatened by closeness. Related to parent-child attachment bonds.
How does inter-generational conflict relate to the social clock?
Since older generations have expectations for when their child should have a career, get married have children(...), this may create conflict since younger generations do not prioritize these things anymore. Ex.: having children later in life so that she can finish school.
General differences in mate selection: women
Women are interested in men who have good financial status, intelligence, ambition, same age or slightly older, psychological before physical itimacy.
General differences in mate selection: Men
Men are interested in women who are attractive, have domestic skills, younger in age, physical intimacy, caring and nurturing capacity.
True or false: most partners are 'opposites' of each other.
False. Most select partners that are similar to themselves.
Name the three adult attachment styles.
Secure, dismissive, preoccupied
Describe secure attachment.
Capable of commitment and unafraid of abandonment; empathetic, understands needs of partner, love, happiness
Describe dismissive attachment.
Anxiety of being close. Emphasis on mistrust and independence. Uncaring, emotionally distant, jealousy
Describe preoccupied attachment.
Needy, seeking quick love, jealousy, suffocating feeling, needs continual reassurance of being loved, emotional highs and lows.
Robert Sternberg: name the 3 components of love.
Passion, intimacy, commitment.
Meaning of companionate love ("companion")
Wanting to spend the rest of their lives together.
Meaning of compassionate love:
Care, trust, honesty, general enjoyment.
What is Murstein's stimulus phase of relationships?
- Mate selection
- Judgements about potential partner based on external characteristics
Value-comparison phase:
- Second mate-selection phase
- Make judgements about a partner on the basis of similar values and interests
Role phase:
- Third mate-selection phase
- Commited partners plan their future life together
3 signs of a happy couple:
- More positive than negative comments toward each other
- Disagreements do not get personal
- Sensitivity to each partner's need for "space"
What are some benefits of close friendships duringe early adulthood?
- High self-esteem, loyalty, support, intimacy among female friends
Discuss the difference between norms of marriage in the late 20th century versus throughout history.
In the early 20th century, marriage was practical. It was encouraged because lifespan was shorter and society created an idea of the perfect family. Today, marriage may be put off due to women getting more education, possibility of living alone, less stigma about children before marriage.
Why is the fourth year of marriage important?
If a couple surpasses the 4th year of marriage, their likelihood of staying married increases.
How does parenthood affect a mother's happiness and temper?
Lower happiness and less control over temper
What are the three periods of vocational development?
- Fantasy: early/middle childhood
- Tentative: 11-16 years old (based on interests and values)
- Realistic: late teens and early 20s (exploration and crystallization)
Name three factors that influence vocation choice.
- Teachers
- Gender stereotypes
- Personality