This volume is the fourth in a series designed to facilitate inter-disciplinary communication between scientists concerned with the description of societal phenomena and those investigating adult development. As such, it contains a compilation of papers presented at an annual conference held at the Pennsylvania State University. These essays by sociologists and epidemiologists deal with the impact of disease and health outcomes with advancing age and are critiqued by members of related disciplines. In addition, there are overviews as well as specific discussions about the impact of cancer, depression, and cardiovascular diseases upon psychosocial functions.

This book, the third in a series on the life course, has significance in today's world of research, professional practice, and public policy because it symbolizes the gradual reemergence of power in the social sciences. Focusing on "self-directedness and efficacy" over the life course, this text addresses the following issues:
* the causes of change
* how changes affect the individual, the family system, social groups, and society at large
* how various disciplines--anthropology, sociology, psychology, epidemiology--approach this field of study, with consideration given to common themes and differences
Finally, an effort is made to develop a multidisciplinary perspective unique to the study of self-directedness and efficacy.

This volume studies age as a basis for social organization by uniting research from the social science disciplines while implementing both cross-cultural and historical perspectives. The contributors, a distinguished interdisciplinary group of scholars, advance our understanding of age structuring by relating the changing societal level processes and individual aging experiences, and examining retirement practices, age and power in society, and cultural conceptions of age.

This volume presents a systematic examination of the impact of social structures on individual behaviors and on their development in adulthood and old age. These papers and responses attempt to improve the reciprocal relationship between changes in social macro- and micro-structures and the process of psychological development in relation to issues of human aging. Using and combining concepts and data from various fields, this research promotes a better understanding of the effects of demographic patterns and social structures on the psychological development of adults.

" A] useful reference book. Readers will find themselves returning to chapters again and again...""

--PsycCritiques

This is the 20th and final volume in the "Societal Impact on Aging" series. It focuses on what has been learned over the span of the previous volumes regarding the continuing challenges for older persons in a rapidly changing society and tries to forecast what may be the next set of issues to lie at the intersection of social structures and the individual aging process. The editors therefore invited major organizers of, and contributors to, the 19 earlier volumes to review both the accomplishments and omissions of their efforts, discuss some timely new topics, and provide guidelines for future research and theoretical explanations.

The book is divided into five broad topics: health and wellbeing, including the role of religion; personality and cognition; the impact of changes in technology and the work place; issues of socio-cultural change and historical context; and the familial and societal contexts of aging.

Significant demographic changes are altering the structure of the American population. Larger numbers of immigrants are entering the work force, will become part of our aging population, and increasingly, are providing care for the elderly. Family structures and communities are evolving as marriage, childbearing, divorce, and cohabitation trends are changing. The working population that supports the elderly, physically and economically, is also changing and will most likely become smaller and less able to support this growing population.

What does this mean for the well-being of our aging population and our efforts to ensure the quality of life for our elderly now and that we will want to enjoy ourselves as we become part of this older population?

In this volume Drs. Schaie and Uhlenberg and a host of leading scholars look at the current structure of the American population in an effort to determine the impact it will have on the lives of the elderly and those growing older with disabilities and chronic illness. They examine the effects of the aging baby boomers on health care, migration and immigration and how it can support or tax health care networks, cultural issues regarding access to health care, and changing cultural attitudes towards marriage and family that are affecting the relationships between the elderly and their communities.

This volume studies age as a basis for social organization by uniting research from the social science disciplines while implementing both cross-cultural and historical perspectives. The contributors, a distinguished interdisciplinary group of scholars, advance our understanding of age structuring by relating the changing societal level processes and individual aging experiences, and examining retirement practices, age and power in society, and cultural conceptions of age.

This volume presents a systematic examination of the impact of social structures on individual behaviors and on their development in adulthood and old age. These papers and responses attempt to improve the reciprocal relationship between changes in social macro- and micro-structures and the process of psychological development in relation to issues of human aging. Using and combining concepts and data from various fields, this research promotes a better understanding of the effects of demographic patterns and social structures on the psychological development of adults.

This volume is the fourth in a series designed to facilitate inter-disciplinary communication between scientists concerned with the description of societal phenomena and those investigating adult development. As such, it contains a compilation of papers presented at an annual conference held at the Pennsylvania State University. These essays by sociologists and epidemiologists deal with the impact of disease and health outcomes with advancing age and are critiqued by members of related disciplines. In addition, there are overviews as well as specific discussions about the impact of cancer, depression, and cardiovascular diseases upon psychosocial functions.

This book, the third in a series on the life course, has significance in today's world of research, professional practice, and public policy because it symbolizes the gradual reemergence of power in the social sciences. Focusing on "self-directedness and efficacy" over the life course, this text addresses the following issues: * the causes of change * how changes affect the individual, the family system, social groups, and society at large * how various disciplines--anthropology, sociology, psychology, epidemiology--approach this field of study, with consideration given to common themes and differences Finally, an effort is made to develop a multidisciplinary perspective unique to the study of self-directedness and efficacy.

Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Ninth Edition tackles both the biological and environmental influences on behavior and the reciprocal interface between changes in the brain and behavior that span the adult lifespan. This information is very important to many features of daily life, from workplace to family, and in public policy matters. It is complex and new questions are continually raised about how behavior changes with age. Providing perspectives on the behavioral science of aging for diverse disciplines, the handbook explains how the role of behavior is organized and how it changes over the course of life. Along with parallel advances in research methodology, it explicates in great detail, patterns and sub-patterns of behavior over the lifespan, and how it affects biological, health and social interactions.

Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Eighth Edition, tackles the biological and environmental influences on behavior as well as the reciprocal interface between changes in the brain and behavior during the course of the adult life span. The psychology of aging is important to many features of daily life, from workplace and the family, to public policy matters. It is complex, and new questions are continually raised about how behavior changes with age. Providing perspectives on the behavioral science of aging for diverse disciplines, the handbook explains how the role of behavior is organized and how it changes over time. Along with parallel advances in research methodology, it explicates in great detail patterns and sub-patterns of behavior over the lifespan, and how they are affected by biological, health, and social interactions. New topics to the eighth edition include preclinical neuropathology, audition and language comprehension in adult aging, cognitive interventions and neural processes, social interrelations, age differences in the connection of mood and cognition, cross-cultural issues, financial decision-making and capacity, technology, gaming, social networking, and more.

Adult cognitive development is one of the most important yet most neglected aspects in the study of human psychology. Although the development of cognition and intelligence during childhood and adolescence is of great interest to researchers, educators, and parents, many assume that this development stops progressing in any significant manner when people reach adulthood. In fact, cognition and intelligence do continue to progress in very significant ways. In this second edition of Developmental Influences on Adult Intelligence, K. Warner Schaie presents the history, latest data, and results from the Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS). The purpose of the SLS is to study various aspects of psychological development during the adult years. Initiated in 1956 and focusing on a random sample of 500 adults ranging in age from 25 to 95 years old, the SLS is organized around five questions: Does intelligence change uniformly throughout adulthood, or are there different life-course-ability patterns? At what age and at what magnitude can decrement in ability be reliably detected? What are the patterns and magnitude of generational differences? What accounts for individual differences in age-related change in adulthood? Can the intellectual decline that increases with age be reversed by educational intervention? The first edition of the book provided an account of the SLS through the 1998 (seventh wave) data collection and of the associated family study through the 1996 (second wave) data collection. Since that time, Schaie and his collaborators have conducted several additional data collections. These include a further longitudinal follow-up in 2005/06, a longitudinal follow-up and 3rd data collection for the family study in 2003/04, and acquisition of a 3rd generation sample in 2002. Hence, virtually all of the content from the first edition has been updated and expanded, and three new chapters are included on Health Behaviors and Intellectual Functioning, Biological Influences on Cognitive Change, and Prediction of Individual Cognitive Decline. This new edition is a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners specializing in adult development, aging, and adult education, as well as students and faculty in developmental, cognitive, and social psychology, psychiatry, nursing, social work, and the social sciences interested in issues of human aging.

In this timely volume, prestigious contributors incorporate new knowledge from general psychology into a more comprehensive and accessible view of emotion in adult development and aging. The first chapter sets the stage by providing an overview of emotion across the entire life-span. Subsequent chapters examine and consider thought-provoking themes including: how feelings are used in interpersonal communication across the years of adulthood; the linkage between stressful life events and the occurrence of disease; and the changes in emotional intensity and emotional understanding as we age. This volume is essential for general psychologists, gerontologists, researchers, and geriatric practitioners desiring to better their understanding of their older patients and clients.
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This volume of the "ARGG" is devoted to the behavioral sciences, with particular attention given to topics in experimental and applied psychology. With the rapid rate of research in this field of aging, the contributors address a number of important basic and applied topics that are underrepresented in other literature.

The Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Seventh Edition, provides a basic reference source on the behavioral processes of aging for researchers, graduate students, and professionals. It also provides perspectives on the behavioral science of aging for researchers and professionals from other disciplines. The book is organized into four parts. Part 1 reviews key methodological and analytical issues in aging research. It examines some of the major historical influences that might provide explanatory mechanisms for a better understanding of cohort and period differences in psychological aging processes. Part 2 includes chapters that discuss the basics and nuances of executive function; the history of the morphometric research on normal brain aging; and the neural changes that occur in the brain with aging. Part 3 deals with the social and health aspects of aging. It covers the beliefs that individuals have about how much they can control various outcomes in their life; the impact of stress on health and aging; and the interrelationships between health disparities, social class, and aging. Part 4 discusses the emotional aspects of aging; family caregiving; and mental disorders and legal capacities in older adults.

The Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, 6e provides a comprehensive summary and evaluation of recent research on the psychological aspects of aging. The 22 chapters are organized into four divisions: Concepts, Theories, and Methods in the Psychology of Aging; Biological and Social Influences on Aging; Behavioral Processes and Aging; and Complex Behavioral Concepts and Processes in Aging.
The 6th edition of the "Handbook" is considerably changed from the previous edition. Half of the chapters are on new topics and the remaining half are on returning subjects that are entirely new presentations by different authors of new material. Some of the exciting new topics include Contributions of Cognitive Neuroscience to Understanding Behavior and Aging, Everyday Problem Solving and Decision Making, Autobiographical Memory, and Religion and Health Late in Life.
The "Handbook" will be of use to researchers and professional practitioners working with the aged. It is also suitable for use as a textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on the psychology of aging.
The Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, Sixth Edition is part of the Handbooks on Aging series, including Handbook of the Biology of Aging and Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, also in their 6th editions.