PY 264 - Psychology of Aging

1. Indicate changes in the demographics of aging in the United States and worldwide, and explore the historical roots of the field of Gerontology.
2. Identify age-change theories as well as “age-irrelevant” theories in the study of late adulthood.
3. Compare and contrast research methods use do explore age related changes.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of biological theories of aging, “normal” aging, and the role of genes and lifestyle in predicting disease.
5. Identify typical age-related changes in senses and motor functioning.
6. Contrast chronic disease with disability.
7. Identify the range of living options during late adulthood, and recognize indicators of high quality care in community and residential settings.
8. Indicate age-related changes in intelligence, processing speed, creativity, and wisdom.
9. Identify normative age changes in memory and symptoms, types, and causes of dementias, most notably Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementias.
10. Identify changes in stress, maturity, and personality with age, including the role of perceived control on health and wellness.
11. Distinguish among mental health issues such as depression and alcoholism in late adulthood.
12. Recognize factors involved in the lack of mental health care in long-term care facilities.
13. Explore normative transitions in marriage, sexuality, grandparenthood, relationships with adult children, and retirement.
14. Identify factors in the experience and rates of widowhood for men and women.
15. Indicate key end-of-life issues for an individual and caregivers, including the role of Hospice, palliative care, and religion.
16. Create a written summary of the main ideas extracted from information gathered. 
17. Make connections between academic learning at GRCC and the knowledge and skills necessary for careers of interest.

A. Demographics of aging

B. Historical perspective

II.Theories and research methods

A. Age-irrelevant theories: behavioral, psychoanalytic, behavioral genetic, information processing

B. Age-change theories: Erikson, Jung, Baltes, and the Contextualist approach

C. Research methods to study age changes

III. Physical Dimension: Normal Aging and Disease Prevention

A. Biological theories of aging

B. Normal aging

C. Lifestyle, aging and disease

IV. Physical Dimension: Sensory and Motor Functioning

A. Vision, hearing, taste, smell

B. Motor performance

C. Sleep

D. Designing housing for the elderly

V. Physical Dimension: Disease, Disability, and Health care

A. Chronic disease vs. disability

B. Dealing with disability; community and nursing home options

VI. Cognitive Dimension: Intelligence

A. Changes in intelligence with age

B. Measures of adult intelligence: Sternberg, Denny, and Neo-Piagetian perspectives

C. Wisdom and creativity

VII. Cognitive Dimension: Memory and Dementia

A. Information processing perspective on memory

B. Dementia: Vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

VIII. Emotional dimension: Personality

A. Consistency/Change Debate: Costa and McCrae

B. Maturity with age

C. Stress with age

D. Nursing homes and internal/external control

IX. Emotional Dimension: Psychopathology

A. Problems: alcoholism, depression, phobias

B. Mental health system and older adults

C. Mental health care in the community and (lacking) in long-term care facilities

X. Social Dimension: The Older Family

A. Older married couples

B. Sexuality in later life

C. Parents and children as adults

D. Grandparenthood

XI. Life Transitions: Retirement and Widowhood

A. Retirement

B. Widowhood

XII. Death and Dying

A. Death anxiety

B. Role of religion

C. Dying: from the perspective of the person, and health care providers

D. Interventions: Hospice care, ethics of controlling the timing of death

Class Discussion or Activities: 10-30%

Use of Audio/Visual Materials: 20-40%
Mandatory Course Components:
Evidence based writing in at least one assignment, in which students are required to support their opinions with empirical evidence from a research article or from the textbook. 
Name of Industry Recognize Credentials: None

Course prepares students to seek the following external certification:
No
Course-Specific Placement Test:
Course Aligned with ARW/IRW Pairing: N/A