Addressing Stereotypes and Ageism in a Life Span Development Course

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane P. Sheldon
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Student Response ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Life Span Development ◽  
Class Period ◽  
Development Course

A primary purpose of teaching is to help students become able to critically evaluate their own knowledge base to see where biases and stereotypes exist. An activity that serves to structure a class period is to expand on Fried's (1988) exercise in which students generate positive and negative stereotypes about older adults. The instructor must prepare extensively beforehand by anticipating student responses and finding psychological research and theories that address each of the anticipated stereotypes. Thus, the stereotypes serve as a springboard for a lecture on aging as well as a discussion of ageism. Student response to the activity is positive.

scholarly journals Counseling  Older LGBTQ+ Adults of Color: Relational-Cultural Theory in Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-382
Author(s):  
Christian D. Chan ◽  
Camille D. Frank ◽  
Melisa DeMeyer ◽  
Aishwarya Joshi ◽  
Edson Andrade Vargas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Cultural Theory ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Relational Cultural Theory ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Life Span Development ◽  
History Of

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities have faced a history of discriminatory incidents with deleterious effects on mental health and wellness. Compounded with other historically marginalized identities, LGBTQ+ people of color continue to experience disenfranchisement, inequities, and invisibility, leading to complex experiences of oppression and resilience. Moving into later stages of life span development, older adults of color in LGBTQ+ communities navigate unique nuances within their transitions. The article addresses the following goals to connect relational–cultural theory (RCT) as a relevant theoretical framework for counseling with older LGBTQ+ adults of color: (a) explication of conceptual and empirical research related to older LGBTQ+ adults of color; (b) outline of key principles involved in the RCT approach; and (c) RCT applications in practice and research for older LGBTQ+ adults of color.

Life-Span Lessons: The Importance of Age-Related Knowledge for Aging Into Any Career

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-463
Author(s):  
Allyson S. Graf ◽  
Robin M. Bartlett
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Intergenerational Conflict ◽  
Access Point ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Multigenerational Workforce ◽  
Life Span Development ◽  
Developmental Experiences ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Recruitment Tool ◽  
Development Course

Demand to meet the needs of a rapidly aging population is high. Students outside of gerontology programs, however, remain resistant to enrolling in aging coursework, which are often electives within or outside their degree programs. A life-span development course, however, is likely to be a requirement in many disciplines. In a multigenerational workforce spanning five generations and with intergenerational conflict making media headlines, students must understand how to navigate age-diverse climates. We advocate that a course in life-span development can serve as both a recruitment tool for driving interest in aging-related careers and an access point for preparing students to enter a sometimes contentious, multigenerational workforce. We illustrate how knowledge of developmental influences across the lifespan may lead to a better understanding of individual similarities and differences in developmental experiences, fostering intergenerational cohesion throughout one’s career.

Conflict Monitoring Across the Life Span

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 124-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Czernochowski
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Conflict Detection ◽  
Response Conflict ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Subsequent Performance ◽  
Additional Control ◽  
Performance Response ◽  
Conflict Detection And Resolution

Errors can play a major role for optimizing subsequent performance: Response conflict associated with (near) errors signals the need to recruit additional control resources to minimize future conflict. However, so far it remains open whether children and older adults also adjust their performance as a function of preceding response conflict. To examine the life span development of conflict detection and resolution, response conflict was elicited during a task-switching paradigm. Electrophysiological correlates of conflict detection for correct and incorrect responses and behavioral indices of post-error adjustments were assessed while participants in four age groups were asked to focus on either speed or accuracy. Despite difficulties in resolving response conflict, the ability to detect response conflict as indexed by the Ne/ERN component was expected to mature early and be preserved in older adults. As predicted, reliable Ne/ERN peaks were detected across age groups. However, only for adults Ne/ERN amplitudes associated with errors were larger compared to Nc/CRN amplitudes for correct trials under accuracy instructions, suggesting an ongoing maturation in the ability to differentiate levels of response conflict. Behavioral interference costs were considerable in both children and older adults. Performance for children and older adults deteriorated rather than improved following errors, in line with intact conflict detection, but impaired conflict resolution. Thus, participants in all age groups were able to detect response conflict, but only young adults successfully avoided subsequent conflict by up-regulating control.

Review of Life-Span Development.

1996 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-395
Author(s):  
Terri Gullickson ◽  
Pamela Ramser
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Life Span Development
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