Age-related Expectations Research Articles

From legends to legacy: the impact of fan influence on retiring athletes in premier league basketball.

This research examines the perceived age of Premier League basketball players as they near retirement, focusing on the complex interplay between players, fans, and the media in shaping perceptions of age and retirement. The study highlights the unique pressure on the basketball players to retire due to age-related expectations, rooted in the perception that athleticism is age dependent. The research methodology applied in this study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with a sample of 11 professional Israeli basketball players and two veteran players' agents. Three themes emerged: (1) Feelings of betrayal and ingratitude; (2) A farewell tour toward disengagement from one's professional career; and (3) The media's role in shaping beliefs and attitudes. These themes illustrate how the sports environment portrays aging players, shaping fan opinions, both positively and negatively. Significantly, the findings emphasize the challenges that players must confront within an ageist environment. The study concludes by highlighting the cultural and social construction at work. The "coercion" to retire from professional sports is more pronounced here due to the common belief that sports success is time-bound and age-dependent, necessitating a "young body". In this reality, the audience does not merely function as a backdrop for athletes' performances, but has the power, at the collective and the individual level, to affect change on and off the court.

Stage or age? Confused early childhood education and care

Sue Allingham, author, trainer and consultant, discusses some of the recent news stories and developments in early years education which concern ‘age-related expectations’, as the summer term gets underway.

Challenging performative policies

Performative policies in early childhood education need to be challenged, in order to provide a nurturing learning environment. Through this news analysis, Dr Sue Allingham illustrates the tension between a real, unique child with knowledge, skills and agency and the ‘age-related expectations’ child who has to be ‘school ready’.

Judging a book by its older adult cover: age-related expectations and parental preference for children’s books

As they typically have limited direct contact, children’s attitudes towards older adults have more opportunity to be shaped by other social influences such as their parents and children’s literature. Children’s books have been noted for their tendency to portray older adults in stereotypical ways and their tendencies to underrepresent older adults. We investigated how the portrayal of older adults as major versus supporting characters, as well as parents’ age-related expectations were related to parental preference for children’s books. We designed 24 children’s book covers that depicted an older adult as a main character, a younger adult as a main character, or only children. One-hundred-seventy-five parents of children ages 0–12 rated their preference for the covers, their age-related expectations for the books’ stories, and their personal aging expectations. Parents preferred covers featuring only children, and this preference was stronger for parents with more positive personal aging expectations. Cover preference was further predicted by age-related story expectations. When parents expected a book to conform to older-age stereotypes, they liked that particular cover less. Controlling for parents’ age-related story expectations for each book resulted in near equal levels of preference for all types of book covers. Carefully designed children’s books could provide an opportunity to increased vicarious intergenerational contact. These finding suggests that parents’ interest in selecting these books for their children will be higher when they do not perceive the books to align with older-age stereotypes.

Country Differences in Financial Preparation: What Do People Expect From the State?

A considerable gap between one’s pension and living expenses in old age exists in almost all developed countries, making savings and financial preparation for old age inevitable. Nevertheless, financial preparation for old age substantially differs across countries. Using the data from the AAF project, we investigated what motivates people in different countries (USA, Germany, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) to financially prepare for old age. Financial preparation was the highest in the USA, followed by Germany and the Czech Republic. The lowest levels of financial preparation were found in Hong Kong and Taiwan. These differences were explained by age-related expectations on a “paternalistic” role of the state: Greater endorsement of the idea that the state should provide financial support to older citizens led to less preparation. These findings are in line with the idea that individuals’ beliefs and expectations regarding the role of institutions shape personal actions.

Neurodevelopmental, Cognitive, and Psychosocial Outcomes for Individuals With Pathogenic Variants in the TCF12 Gene and Associated Craniosynostosis.

Heterozygous mutations in the TCF12 gene were discovered in 2013 as a cause of craniosynostosis (CS). However, limited information regarding the behavioral phenotypic profile is available. Here the authors provide the first detailed study of the neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes for patients with a pathogenic TCF12 variant and associated CS.A clinical casenote audit was conducted at the 4 UK highly specialized craniofacial centers. A total of 35 patients aged 18 months to 10 years with an identified TCF12 pathogenic variant and CS (bicoronal CS = 45.7%, unicoronal CS = 40.0%, multisuture = 14.3%) were included. Standardized screening and/or assessment of full-scale intelligence quotient, social communication, development, behavior, and self-concept were conducted.In the majority of cases, outcomes were consistent with age-related expectations. About 75% of patients demonstrated no delay across any early developmental domain, while 84.6% demonstrated full-scale intelligence quotient scores within 1 standard deviation of the population mean. Significant behavioral difficulties were demonstrated by parent reporters in 26.3% to 42.1% of cases (dependent upon domain). Clinically elevated social communication profiles were present in (41.7%) of parent-reported cases. Levels of self-concept (at age 10) were consistent with age-related normative data.Most patients with a TCF12 pathogenic variant had a mild behavioral and cognitive phenotype, although they may be at a slightly increased risk of social communication difficulties and psychosocial issues. Although not measured statistically, there were no clear associations between surgical history and cognitive, behavioral, or psychosocial outcomes. This paper highlights the need for robust integrated developmental assessment of all CS patients, particularly those with an identified syndrome.

What has happened to teacher assessment of science in English primary schools? Revisiting evidence from the Primary Science Quality Mark

ABSTRACT Background An earlier article in this journal provided a mapping of primary science teacher assessment practices in England using teacher reflections written for Round 4 of the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM). Purpose In the intervening years, the National Curriculum and statutory assessment system of levels has been replaced with a system of age-related expectations and a call for schools to develop their own systems of assessment. The aim of this study is to find out whether schools have changed their practices and to consider the ongoing changes they are making to their systems of assessment. Sample The previous analysis of 91 Round 4 schools in March 2013 was compared to teacher reflections from 200 schools from across England in the more recent PSQM Round 13, June 2017. Design and methods Qualitative content analysis was used to code the reported assessment methods in PSQM Round 13. The frequency of assessment methods were compared to the Round 4 mapping. Results Reported practice in summative assessment in Round 13 included more ‘ongoing’ assessment information, which could potentially support a more valid sampling of the construct, but there was a lack of clarity regarding the use of data tracking systems. In the PSQM year, subject leaders described starting or developing the use of a range of published and school developed resources to support assessment practices in formative and summative assessment. Conclusion Changing statutory assessment processes instigates change in school practices, but without support for teacher assessment literacy, the implementation of new assessment systems may not lead to clear processes for assessment which support learning in primary science.

'My relationships have changed because I've changed': biographical disruption, personal relationships and the formation of an early menopausal subjectivity.

Early menopause (EM) or premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) can disrupt gendered and age-related expectations associated with perceived 'normative' biographies for young adult women, with implications for subjectivity and relationships. While previous qualitative research has concentrated on the impacts of EM/POI on biography and sense of self, in this article, we examine the enmeshment of personal relationships with the formation of early menopausal subjectivities. Drawing on research exploring concepts of 'biographical disruption' and personal relationships, and theoretical work on social norms and subject formation, we present findings from a narrative thematic analysis of 25 interviews with women diagnosed with spontaneous or medically induced EM/POI. We identify three main narrative 'types' of subjective and relational experience in response to the 'disruption' of EM/POI: interlude and continuity; disruption and adaptation; and disruption and ambivalence. Women's accounts of their experience of EM/POI indicate that the formation of early menopausal selves is mediated by the extent to which women and those around them identify with gendered norms related to reproduction and age. Consistent with theoretical perspectives that consider the self as relationally produced, we argue that the subjective and relational dimensions of EM/POI are intertwined and must be understood in tandem.

The bucket list effect: Why leisure goals are often deferred until retirement.

The central argument of this article is that historical changes in longevity in Western societies, globalization, and the weakening of social expectations regarding the timing of developmental goals lead to a compression of the time for pursuing highly demanding developmental goals related to work and family in late young and middle adulthood. The expectation of longevity might lead adults to construct a "bucket list," postponing important leisure and social goals to the postretirement phase. Jointly, the weakening of age-related social expectations and the long postretirement phase in Western societies might result in a stronger segregation of the life course: education in "emerging adulthood," work and family in later young and middle adulthood, leisure and social goals in later adulthood. This segregation also conforms to a Western cultural script following the Protestant work ethic of delaying gratification by pursuing obligatory goals first (work, family) and only then turn to "play" after retirement (leisure, social goals), a time with relatively few obligations and social expectations. The segmentation of the life course has implications for self-regulatory demands, such that the importance of goal selection increases in emerging adulthood, the importance of managing multiple goals in late young and middle adulthood, and the importance of self-regulation for the pursuit of ill-defined goals in old age. Taken together, historical changes in the increased life expectancy in Western countries and weakened age-related expectations represent a challenge and an opportunity for developmental regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Nosology of the Sexual Dysfunctions: Are They Appropriate to Older Adults?

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision ( ICD-10), describes sexual dysfunction on the basis of the inability of the individual to participate in a sexual relationship. On the other hand, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) ( DSM-5) describes it as the inability to respond sexually or experience sexual pleasure. Neither diagnostic manual addresses age as a contextual factor in sexual response, though DSM-5 notes that aging may be associated with a normative decrease in sexual response. In this review, we argue that the diagnosis of sexual dysfunction in the elderly should be based on age-related expectations. As examples, in older women, diagnostic criteria should factor in the considerations that vaginal dryness is associated with genital pain on penetration and with anorgasmia, as components of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. In older men, the criteria for rigidity of erection and time to ejaculation may be unduly stringent and are not calibrated to changes in autonomic function with age. The lack of consideration of aging physiology in diagnostic systems and the predominance of ageist stereotypes restrict the validity of diagnoses of sexual dysfunction in older adults; there is the possibility of both under and over diagnosis, based upon the attribution models of the patient and the clinician. Age sensitivity during medical training would help reduce ageist stereotyping in clinical practice. Sexual health education in older adults would help familiarize them with and relieve distress related to body changes that may be distressing and that may impact their quality of sexual life.

Association between hearing loss and hereditary ATTR amyloidosis

Background: Hereditary transthyretin (TTR) related amyloidosis (ATTRv) is a life-threatening condition, which can potentially affect all organs. The objective was to identify the hearing status of patients with cardiac ATTRv and describe their audiological pattern.Methods: Nineteen patients with confirmed diagnosis of ATTRv cardiac amyloidosis (CA) underwent otoscopy and audiological tests, including pure tone and speech audiometry.Results: 74% were male, with a mean age of 72 ± 1.8 years. The main mutations were Val122Ile (n = 7) and Val30Met (n = 6). Objective hearing loss was detected in 17 patients (89%), whereas only 37% complained of hearing loss. ATTRv patients presented a different audiometric profile compared to patients of the same age with presbycusis: a higher prevalence and worse hearing thresholds compared to age-related expectations (ISO). Hearing loss affected all frequencies with, unexpectedly, mixed or conductive hearing loss (35%). According to the type of mutation, there was an increased rate of sensorineural or mixed/conductive hearing loss.Conclusions: the present study indicates that hearing loss is more prevalent and worse in patients with ATTRv amyloidosis than in the general population, while mostly clinically under-estimated. It suggests that ATTRv deposits could infiltrate the various anatomical structures of the inner and mild ear.

How your ears can tell what is hidden in your heart: wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis as potential cause of sensorineural hearing loss inelderly-AmyloDEAFNESS pilot study

Background: Wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRwt) is an age-related life-threatening condition. Prognosis is mainly dependent on cardiac involvement. Other organs and tissues may be affected. Their early recognition may increase awareness of physicians and positively affects the prognosis. Presbycusis is another age-related disorder. Whether this disease is associated to ATTRwt amyloidosis is unknown.Methods: Sixteen consecutive patients with confirmed diagnosis of ATTRwt amyloidosis at the Mondor Amyloidosis Network, France, underwent otoscopy and audiological tests including pure tone audiometry, speech reception threshold and speech discrimination score.Results: The mean age was 79 ± 5 years. All were male with an NYHA average of 2.5 ± 0.8. All the patients had sensorineural hearing loss that seemed to preexist to cardiac disorder with greater severity than expected for their age. For speech discrimination test, the mean speech reception threshold was 28 ± 15 dB and the mean speech discrimination score was 68 ± 16 at 40 dB. Ten patients (62.5%) failed to recognize 100% of the words. Compared to age-related expectations according to statistical distribution (ISO), hearing loss included all frequencies and was more severe in patients with ATTRwt amyloidosis.Conclusions: These findings suggest that amyloid deposits could infiltrate the various anatomical structures of the inner ear. Description of specific audiologic pattern of ATTRwt amyloidosis might be proposed as a “red flag” and could help for early identification of patients who may be at high risk of ATTRwt amyloidosis as specific treatments are available.

A developmental study of community participation of individuals with serious mental illnesses: Implications for policy and practice.

Understanding age-related expectations for community participation can aid mental health providers and policy makers in the design and tailoring of age-appropriate services to better meet consumers' participation needs. This study seeks to describe and compare the amount, importance, and sufficiency of community participation in younger adult, middle-aged adult, and older adult consumers. Participants were 879 adults with serious mental illnesses who completed the Temple University Community Participation Measure as part of several studies (only baseline data were analyzed). One-way analysis of variance tests and chi-square analyses were used to evaluate the effect of age group on community participation outcomes. The amount and importance of participation in specific participation areas differed across age groups in developmentally appropriate ways. For older adults, a greater percentage of areas considered important were done enough, and fewer participation days were needed in certain areas for participation to be considered sufficient. Consumers reported participating in the community to meet basic needs (e.g., running errands), but participation appeared lower in areas typically identified as important to various age groups across the life span (e.g., working). Results support the use of developmental frameworks for delivering mental health services and identify particular areas of community participation that policy and practice efforts might focus on to help individuals participate to a greater degree in areas that are important to them. Implications for policy making, program evaluation, and individual interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Life course complexities situated in contemporary age demographics

Despite the shifts in age demographics, few studies have explored contemporary perceptions of age-related expectations for work and family life. We examine whether the relationships between the respondents’ personal biographies (such as perceived career stage and gender) and social history (such as country context) affect perceptions of age-related norms. We analyze data from the multi-national 2009–2010 Generations of Talent Study survey to explore perceptions of age-related norms, comparing the responses of employees working in selected developed economies with those working in selected rapidly developing countries. These comparisons are compelling because of the demographic differences between these two groups. We find that three factors explain variance in perceptions of age-related norms: the respondent's age (using three indicators of age), the country where the respondent works, and gender.

Crime and parenthood: Age and gender differences in the association between criminal careers and parenthood

Abstract Criminal careers are linked with life-course careers in other domains. In life-course criminology, thus far research has predominantly focused on the effects conventional events and transitions (such as marriage or work) have on criminal development. Far less attention has been paid to the way that an individual's criminal career in turn may influence an individual's demographic transitions. This one sided research attention inhibits our understanding of how crime resonates through the life-course. The current effort seeks to help overcome this research bias by focusing on the influence crime has on the occurrence and timing of parenthood. Specifically, this paper examines the role of a criminal lifestyle – or in other words a frequent offending career – on the chance to become a first-time parent and whether this influence differs by age, gender and marital status. We use the Criminal Career and Life-Course Study (CCLS), a long-term longitudinal register dataset on a large sample of offenders (4059 men and 384 women) convicted in the Netherlands in 1977. For men and women, we find that being heavily involved in a criminal lifestyle during adolescence and early adulthood is connected with an early experience of parenthood. By contrast, being heavily involved in a criminal lifestyle after the mid-twenties is associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing fatherhood for men but does not any longer influence the transition to motherhood among women. These findings hold regardless of the type of crime. We discuss the possible importance of age-related social expectations for the involvement in crime, the special situation of criminal women and the possible importance of planned and unplanned parenthood to explain the results.

Measuring change in somatosensation across the lifespan.

The study aim was to determine natural variability in somatosensation across age groups using brief measures. We validated measures in a community-dwelling population as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox; http://www.nihtoolbox.org). Participants included community-dwelling children and adults (N=367, ages 3-85 yr) across seven sites. We tested haptic recognition, touch detection-discrimination, and proprioception using brief affordable measures as required by the NIH Toolbox. Accuracy improved from young children to young adults; from young to older adults, the pattern reversed slightly. We found significant differences between adults and older adults. One proprioception test (kinesthesia; p=.003) showed gender differences (females more accurate). We provide expected score ranges for age groups as a basis for understanding age-related expectations for somatosensory perception. The age-related patterns of somatosensory perception from this study refine decision making about performance.

Comparison of the Expectation of Caregivers and Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Doe Independence in Diabetes Care-Related Tasks

Children who are given unsupervised responsibility for their diabetes care prior to developmental and/or emotional readiness may have poorer glycemic control. The purpose of this study was to assess the age-related expectations of children and caregivers for independence in diabetes care-related tasks. A total of 150 participants with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) receiving multiple daily injections (MDI) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) were enrolled in this study. All caregivers and participants older than 10 years of age completed questionnaires evaluating the expected age of independence for different diabetes care-related tasks. The participants expected independence with no direct supervision in most diabetes care-related tasks at a younger age than their caregivers (P<.05). The difference was more prominent for those on CSII compared to MDI (P<.01). There was a positive correlation between the age when caregivers expect independence for most of the diabetes-related tasks and the age at diagnosis, regardless of the use of MDI or CSII (P<.01). Children with T1DM expect to assume independence at a younger age than their caregivers do. The younger the children are at diagnosis, the younger they are expected by their caregivers to be independent, especially those on CSII.

Language measures of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery.

Language facilitates communication and efficient encoding of thought and experience. Because of its essential role in early childhood development, in educational achievement and in subsequent life adaptation, language was included as one of the subdomains in the NIH Toolbox for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB). There are many different components of language functioning, including syntactic processing (i.e., morphology and grammar) and lexical semantics. For purposes of the NIHTB-CB, two tests of language--a picture vocabulary test and a reading recognition test--were selected by consensus based on literature reviews, iterative expert input, and a desire to assess in English and Spanish. NIHTB-CB's picture vocabulary and reading recognition tests are administered using computer adaptive testing and scored using item response theory. Data are presented from the validation of the English versions in a sample of adults ages 20-85 years (Spanish results will be presented in a future publication). Both tests demonstrated high test-retest reliability and good construct validity compared to corresponding gold-standard measures. Scores on the NIH Toolbox measures were consistent with age-related expectations, namely, growth in language during early development, with relative stabilization into late adulthood.

Young individuals with stroke: a cross sectional study of long-term disability associated with self-rated global health

BackgroundPerceived disability after stroke may persist long-term even among young individuals with mild stroke and may be related to age-related expectations of health and recovery. Thus, in order to appreciate the magnitude of perceived disability in a younger stroke population studies are needed to explore perceived health-related differences between young individuals with stroke and a matched general population. Further, to provide long-term measures by health care, relevant to the same young individuals with stroke, their perceived long-term functioning and disability associated with health need to be explored.MethodsThe generic questionnaire EQ-5D was used to compare ratings of global health and disability between young individuals living in the community up to 6 years after stroke (n = 150) and an age and geographically matched general population (n = 2661). Stroke related medical data were retrieved from medical records and the study specific questionnaire, the MYS-questionnaire, was used to assess self-rated disability associated with global health.ResultsAmong the young individuals 79% had suffered a mild stroke, 45% rated a low global health compared to 15% of the matched general population and a higher proportion rated problems in mobility, self-care, usual activities and anxiety/depression. Among the young individuals with stroke, limitations and restrictions in leisure activities, work, reading as well as low level of physical activity, utilizing personal care provider or personal assistance and tiredness were negatively associated with self-rated global health (R square 0.60).ConclusionThe negative effects of stroke, on self-rated global health among young individuals living in the community, appear to be substantial, multi factorial and long-standing which call for interdisciplinary research collaborations and team measures by health care long-term.

Spaces and places for disrupting thinking about inclusive education in Hard Times

This paper sets out to read closely the National Curriculum Statutory Inclusion Statement in England (2007) alongside Hard Times to see if Dickens offers any insights into ethical responsibility and conceptualisations of inclusive education. I begin by presenting some of the meanings and associated problems of the term ‘inclusive education’ held by academics, activists and practitioners in the field before introducing my approach. I argue that evidence of three logocentric discourses, the technical curriculum perspective, ableist normativity and developmentalism can be detected within the language of the Inclusion Statement. I present a historical account of their provenance and links to population improvement discourses in the past before introducing Derrida's ideas about différance and deferral. Deconstructive reading of the Inclusion Statement reveals the sorts of technical thinking, hierarchisation, naming, norm-referencing and age-related expectations identified in the logocentric discourses described earlier. The story of Hard Times garnishes insights into the idea of inclusion throughout the paper with the main focus on the novel emerging in the final section, when the circus community is likened to the arrivants – those unexpected visitors who transgress the established order to create space for new, more responsible thinking about education.