The psychology of aging usually focuses upon cognitive changes, with a particular focus on dementia and other forms of cognitive decline. But getting older is about more than simply changes to the brain and related health issues. Changes to our social and emotional lives are also hugely significant as we adapt across our lifespan. The second edition of Aging and Development is the only textbook available that responds to the growing interest in social, personal and emotional development in older age. Ideally suited to complement texts on cognitive change, the book provides a holistic developmental perspective on aging. It highlights a range of issues, including the development of personal meaning and spirituality, improvements in emotional control, uses of reminiscence and life review, the importance of healthy attitudes to aging, as well as the maintenance of close personal relationships. It does not avoid the difficult issues of late life decline, but illustrates how even in circumstances of physical and mental frailty a positive sense of self can be created and enhanced. Fully updated to provide the most cutting-edge overview on this burgeoning topic of interest, Aging and Development includes a glossary and list of useful websites both on the study of gerontology and the psychology of aging. It will be essential reading for all students of developmental psychology, as well as anyone either training to work or already working with older people.

Chance, Development, and Aging analyzes a subject that has been largelyignored until now: the sources of individual variations in development and agingthat cannot be attributed to genes or the external environment. And by doing so,this book develops new insight on aging and the individual. Gathering andscrutinizing evidence from diverse sources, the authors examine thosedifferences in individuals that arise during development and those that mightinfluence outcomes of aging. Through their research, they pose a new set ofquestions about the contribution of chance events during development, andalthough chance variations during development are well known within thesub-fields of developmental biology, there has been little recognition of theiraffects on variations in adult form and function. Here, the authors confrontthis issue with a fascinating hypothesis: chance variations in form andfunction, arising through development, affect individual base-line functions andindividual responses to the external environment and so modify outcomes ofaging. This book will undoubtedly benefit gerontologists, geneticists,reproductive biologists, and physiologists, and it will fascinate all thoseinterested in the outcomes of aging.

Aging is a major risk factor for chronic diseases, which in turn can provide information about the aging of a biological system. This publication serves as an introduction to systems biology and its application to biological aging. Key pathways and processes that impinge on aging are reviewed, and how they contribute to health and disease during aging is discussed. The evolution of this situation is analyzed, and the consequences for the study of genetic effects on aging are presented. Epigenetic programming of aging, as a continuation of development, creates an interface between the genome and the environment. New research into the gut microbiome describes how this interface may operate in practice with marked consequences for a variety of disorders. This analysis is bolstered by a view of the aging organism as a whole, with conclusions about the mechanisms underlying resilience of the organism to change, and is expanded with a discussion of circadian rhythms in aging. Finally, the book presents an outlook for the development of interventions to delay or to reverse the features of aging. The publication is recommended to students, researchers as well as professionals dealing with public health and public policy related to an aging society.

This popular, topically organized, and thoroughly updated child and adolescent development text presents you with the best theories, research, and practical advice that developmentalists have to offer today. Authors David R. Shaffer and Katherine Kipp provide you with a current and comprehensive overview of child and adolescent development, written in clear, concise language that talks 'to' you rather than 'at' you. The authors also focus on application showing how theories and research apply to real-life settings. As a result, you will gain an understanding of developmental principles that will help you in your roles as parents, teachers, nurses, day-care workers, pediatricians, psychologists, or in any other capacity by which you may one day influence the lives of developing persons. Available with InfoTrac© Student Collections http://gocengage.com/infotrac.

The new edition of the leading textbook on the biopsychosocial processes of aging in adults, fully revised and updated. Adult Development and Aging, Second Canadian Edition helps student readers understand the aging process both in themselves and in those around them. Approaching the subject from the biopsychosocial perspective ― an innovative model of adult development that takes into account the influences and interactions of complex biological, psychological, and social processes, the authors explore the latest concepts and applications in this exciting academic discipline. Based on Susan Whitbourne's classroom experience teaching her Psychology of Aging course, this engaging textbook integrates current research, real-world data, detailed explanations, and relatable examples to provide a balanced and accessible examination of the subject. This important work is an invaluable source of topically relevant information for traditional college-age learners and mature returning students alike, as well as for instructors and academic researchers in areas of adult aging and lifespan development.

This work clearly and concisely delivers the most current research findings in the field of adult development and aging.