DEVELOPMENT   Myths and Stereotypes about Aging We are surrounded by misconceptions of older adults. We have all seen cartoons making jokes about older adults whose memories are poor or whose physical abilities have declined. Most damaging are the ideas portrayed in the media that older adults are incapable of leading productivelives and making a […]

LEARNING OBJECTIVES • What is gerontology? How does ageism relate to stereotypes of aging? • What is the life-span perspective? • What are the characteristics of the older adult population? • How are they likely to change? R oberto’s great-grandmother Maria is 89 years old. Maria tells Roberto that when she was a young girl […]

AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN Beijing, swim­mer Dara Torres, at age 41, the oldest woman ever to compete in that sport at this level, redefined people’s beliefs about world-class athletes and mothers (her daughter was aged two at the time). She won three silver medals, missing a gold by.01 second. Competing in her fifth Olympic […]

1.1 PERSPECTIVES ON ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING Discovering Development: Myths and Stereotypes about Aging • The Life-Span Perspective • The Demographics of Aging • Global Aging Quiz: A Test of Your Knowledge of Global Aging for the 21st Century 1.2 ISSUES IN STUDYING ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING The Forces of Development • Interrelations among the […]

John C. Cavanaugh is Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Previously, he was President of the University of West Florida. A researcher and teacher of adult development and aging for more three decades, he has published nearly 80 articles and chap­ters and authored, co-authored, or co-edited 15 books on aging, infor­mation technology, […]

ISBN-13: 9780495603450 The sixth edition of Adult Development and Aging is accompanied by an instructor’s manual with test bank. Each chapter begins with a lecture outline that highlights the main points of the chapter. Additionally, supplemental information is included, as are suggested activities and dis­cussion topics. A list of suggested videos is also PREFACE XIII […]

Although Adult Development and Aging covers com­plex issues and difficult topics, we use clear, con­cise, and understandable language. We examined all terms to ensure that their use was essential; other­wise, they were eliminated. The text is aimed at upper-division undergradu­ate students. Although it will be helpful if students have completed an introductory psychology or life­span […]

The sixth edition represents a thorough revision from the fifth edition, with a new chapter discussing neuroscience and aging. Among the most impor­tant changes are: • New discussions on the link between brain and behavior. • New discussions of global aging and the economics of aging. • New discussions of microgenetic research and the meta-analytic […]

The 21st century is certainly one of major change. The issues confronting society are the reason that having a solid grounding in research and theory about adult development and aging is essential even for understanding news events. The health care debate of 2009 brought many issues to the fore, including Medicare, end-of-life issues, and longev­ity. […]