Life-span Developmental Perspective Research Articles

Action Regulation Across the Adult Lifespan (ARAL): A Metatheory of Work and Aging

The goals of this article are to integrate action regulation theory (ART) with the lifespan developmental perspective and to outline tenets of a new metatheory of work and aging. The action regulation across the adult lifespan (ARAL) theory explains how workers influence, and are influenced by, their environment across different time spans. First, the basic concepts of ART are described, including the sequential and hierarchical structure of actions, complete tasks and actions, foci of action regulation, and the action-regulating mental model. Second, principles of the lifespan developmental perspective are delineated, including development as a lifelong and multidirectional process, the joint occurrence of gains and losses, intraindividual plasticity, historical embeddedness, and contextualism. Third, propositions of ARAL theory are derived by analyzing workers’ action regulation from a lifespan developmental perspective (i.e., effects of aging on action regulation), and by analyzing aging and development in the work context from an ART perspective (i.e., effects of action regulation on age-related changes in cognition and personality). Fourth, we develop further propositions to integrate ART with lifespan theories of motivation and socioemotional experience. Finally, we discuss implications for future research and practice based on ARAL theory.

Lifespan Developmental Perspectives on Working: A Literature Review of Motivational Theories

Lifespan perspectives have emerged as important theoretical foundations for empirical investigations of a wide-range of phenomena relevant to the study of aging and work. The present manuscript presents a review and qualitative synthesis of this literature that satisfies several goals. To begin understanding this perspective, lifespan thinking in introduced as a general mode for understanding and conceptualizing dynamics in human development. Then, specific tenets and predications of 4 lifespan theories are summarized. Such summaries precede individually framed qualitative reviews of contemporary empirical investigations that either measure key lifespan constructs and relate them to work relevant outcomes, or adopt specific lifespan theoretical perspectives to support hypothesis development. This discussion supports a critique of lifespan thinking, and a recognition of several “gaps” in our understanding of lifespan development theories applied to this research domain. Following from this, several directions for future research are offered, including calls to develop an expanded understanding of lifespan processes in work contexts through the improvement of measurement tools and through the application of enhanced research methodologies. Finally, mirroring recent theoretical advancements, several possible points of integration among lifespan theories are offered on the basis of related predictions. This synthesis should serve as the basis for an enhanced lifespan theory of aging and work.

Developmental cognitive neurosciecne: Functional connectomics agenda for human brain lifespan development

Tremendous advances in brain science and neuroimaging technology mark the progression of developmental cognitive neuroscience (DCN). An interdisciplinary field that incorporates psychology and neuroscience, DCN plays an increasingly important role in revealing mind-brain-behavior association, in which the brain connectome of lifespan development may deeply parse the underlying mechanism between micro (molecular and hormone) levels and macro (psychological and behavioral) levels. This is of paramount importance for our understanding of the neural basis of the human lifespan development process. To elucidate the mind-brain-behavior association, several brain developmental imaging initiatives were implemented recently. Some detailed profiles of these projects were also elucidated. Herein, we introduce the latest DCN progress and the lifespan characteristics, as well as their behavioral correlates. Regarding the developmental characteristics of both brain structure and function, compelling evidence indicated four main stages with specific neural features. Specifically, in fetal brains, gradients from both medial to lateral and from forward to backward were observable, whereas the brain weakens its connectivity between homologous cortical regions when age reaches childhood. Adolescents exhibit stronger cortical-subcortical connectivity, echoing their strengthened self-consciousness and an important time window for developing emotion regulation. As a relatively stable stage, adults show a steady trajectory, but this stable trend can be modulated through cognitive training or innervation. As the brain ages, humans experience age-related cognitive decline, with decreases of functional connectivity. Beyond these changes occurring at different states of the human life span, we further discussed both the feasibility and the necessity of envisioning the construction of normative brain lifespan developmental trajectories for applications. With the advances in large-scale lifespan neuroimaging datasets shared with the public, this construction is becoming possible and will be of great value in the early detection of brain-related psychopathological changes and the guidance of diagnostic processes, as well as decisions regarding treatment selection and the effectiveness of clinical therapy. In China, several large-scale cognitive/ behavior and neuroimaging longitudinal studies have been funded. For example, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) funded the Chinese Color Nest Project (CCNP) in 2012 to construct a draft version of the normative trajectory of Chinese brains. The CCNP includes three waves (with a 15-month interval) of multimodal neuroimaging data from 192 participants (6–18 years old) with both psychological and behavioral assessments. To summarize, growing evidence demonstrates that brain connectomics is becoming a fundamental framework of various important brain initiatives with a lifespan developmental perspective. This connectome agenda will play a critical role in parsing the relationship between brain function and behavior performance across the human lifespan. With the advances in both data-sharing and brain research, the normative lifespan trajectories of the human brain will be modeled and mapped out in the future.

Societies' tightness moderates age differences in perceived justifiability of morally debatable behaviors.

Research on age differences in moral judgment tends to focus on children and adolescents. The current study examined age differences in perceived justifiability of morally debatable behaviors across adulthood cross-culturally. A large cross-cultural dataset consisting of 25,142 individuals of varying ages (15-95years old) from 20 societies was drawn from the World Values Survey. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test age differences in perceived justifiability of morally debatable behaviors on issues pertaining to honesty and fairness as well as the moderating effect of societies' tightness. Across societies, older adults judged moral transgression less leniently than did younger adults. However, this pattern was moderated by the societies' tightness, such that age was a stronger predictor of perceived justifiability of morally debatable behaviors in loose societies relative to tight societies. The current study highlights the importance of examining moral development from the lifespan development perspective. The findings may illuminate potential mechanisms for inter-generational misunderstanding about moral issues.

Teoría de la Aceptación-Rechazo Interpersonal (IPARTheory): Bases Conceptuales, Método y Evidencia Empírica [Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory): Theoretical Bases, Method and Empirical Evidence

Interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory) is an evidence-based theory of socialization and lifespan development that attempts to predict and explain major causes, consequences, and other correlates of interpersonal—especially parental—acceptance and rejection. This theory is divided into three subtheories. These are personality subtheory ( children everywhere—in different sociocultural systems, racial or ethnic groups, genders, and the like—respond in essentially the same way when they perceive themselves to be accepted or rejected by their parents or other attachment figures), coping subtheory (some children and adults emotionally cope more effectively than most with the similar experiences of childhood rejection), and sociocultural systems subtheory (specific psychological, familial, community, and societal factors tend to be reliably associated the world over with specific variations in parental acceptance-rejection). Several distinctive features guide IPARTheory's method: 1) the theory draws extensively from worldwide and cross-cultural evidence employing a multimethod research strategy; 2) provide a conceptual framework for integrating empirical studies on issues of parental acceptance-rejection from a lifespan developmental perspective.

아동기 어머니에 대한 애착, 성인기 자아존중감이 성인 학습자의 대학생활적응에 미치는 영향

This study examines the effects of parent-child attachment across the child's life from a life-span developmental perspective. The study investigates the effects of a child's attachment to his or her mother in childhood on his or her school attachment as an adult student and explores the role of self-esteem as a mediator of the relationship between these two variables. A total of 529 S Cyber University students taking social welfare classes participated in this study. These students completed a questionnaire about their present level of self-esteem, attachment to their mother in childhood, and school adjustment. According to the SEM results, adult students' self-esteem fully mediated the relationship between their mother-child attachment in childhood and their school adjustment in adulthood. Attachment security for the mother in childhood was related to the child's own internal working model, and positive self-esteem was related to school adjustment.

Subjective Aging and Awareness of Aging: Toward a New Understanding of the Aging Self

The objective of this chapter is to provide the overall background and framework for the remainder of the volume. Specifi cally, we will lay the foundation for the subsequent chapters by focusing on four major issues. First, we present a brief historical overview in part not only to pay homage to past contributions and accomplishments but in part also to delineate the reasons why research on subjective aging in the 1980s and for most part of the 1990s went through a period of skepticism and disinterest. Second, we discuss both theoretical as well as empirical reasons why we believe the fi eld is making strides toward integration of new approaches and toward a new understanding of the role of subjective aging experiences. Third, we describe and explain what we see as the main components of this new understanding and how it is different from earlier approaches. Finally, we will discuss future challenges and directions for integrating the new developments with a new understanding of the aging self. In particular, we will advocate for a position that (a) views adult development and aging from a life span developmental perspective and (b) recognizes the bidirectional and dynamic interrelatedness of individual, social, and cultural factors in shaping adults’ awareness and understanding of their own aging.

Differences in the use of autobiographical memory across the adult lifespan

Current research distinguishes between self, directive and social function of autobiographical memories (AMs). To date, only few studies have investigated these functions across adulthood. The comparison of different age groups requires that the functions of AM are measured in the same way across groups (measurement invariance, MI). Additionally to the average use of AM, the factor variances and factor covariances among the three functions were examined across adulthood. In the present study, 1290 adults (aged between 17 and 93 years) completed the Thinking about Life Experiences Questionnaire (TALE), which measures the overall use of AMs for self, directive and social purposes. The sample was divided into five age groups and partial strong MI was established using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed an increase in the factor associations as well as a decrease in the factor mean levels of all three functions across age groups. Both findings could be adequately described by linear functions of age. The factor variances were on most parts equal across age groups. These results strengthen the assumption that—from a lifespan developmental perspective—the use of AM may be aligned with relatively normative developmental tasks in a given society.

Blame It on the Alcohol: The Influence of Alcohol Consumption During Adolescence, the Transition to Adulthood, and Young Adulthood on One-Time Sexual Hookups

Using public-use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 3,733) and the life-span developmental perspective, the current study sought to determine whether global reports of alcohol use, binge drinking, and drunkenness are best represented as indicators of a latent alcohol consumption construct during adolescence, the transition to adulthood, and young adulthood. We also examined the predictive power of alcohol consumption during each developmental period on the total number of one-time sexual hookups reported in young adulthood. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed alcohol use, binge drinking, and drunkenness are consistent indicators of a latent alcohol consumption variable over time, although the mean levels of the indicators were significantly lower during adolescence. Structural equation modeling analyses found alcohol consumption during the transition to adulthood and young adulthood predicted one-time sexual hookups in young adulthood, but alcohol consumption during the transition to adulthood exhibited the strongest association with hooking up. Implications for research, theory, and practice are discussed.

On the transition into elite rugby league: Perceptions of players and coaching staff.

Transitions need to be effectively managed to allow for successful progression through developmental stages in many life domains. In this study, we aimed to generate new insights into within-career athletic progressions by exploring players' and coaching staff's perspectives on the transition from subelite to elite level rugby league within an Australian context. A personal construct psychology approach including experience cycle methodology was used to interview 17 purposefully recruited male rugby league players (M = 21.71, SD = 2.79) who had been or were part of an elite rugby league squad, and 9 staff(M = 47.14, SD = 11.13) who had experience working with transitioning rugby league athletes. Overall, 21 themes (11 combined, 5 unique for each group) were extracted from the participants' discourse using a thematic analysis, all of which were separately conceptualized into 3 global themes: personal attributes, environmental factors, and critical incidents. Our findings provided support for the robustness of a holistic, life span developmental perspective of career transitions in sport contexts. The theoretical integration of this life span perspective with the Job Demands- Resources model is discussed as a fruitful avenue for future research and theory.

Developmental trajectories of work values and job entitlement beliefs in the transition to adulthood.

Employing a life span developmental systems perspective, this study used a 5-wave (1985-1992) Canadian longitudinal data set (N = 404) to examine trajectories of intrinsic and extrinsic work values and job entitlement beliefs from age 18 to 25. Piecewise growth models (Slope 1: age 18-20; Slope 2: age 20-25) showed intriguing patterns of change. Unconditional and conditional models suggested downward trends in all 3 measures from age 18 to 20. After age 20, the 2 work values reversed direction. Competing scarcity and value reinforcement hypotheses guided the analysis of change in work values and job entitlement beliefs conditional on unemployment experiences and postsecondary education pathways. Supporting a scarcity hypothesis, more unemployment from age 18 to 20 was associated with a faster increase in intrinsic and extrinsic work values, and a slower decrease in job entitlement beliefs from age 20 to 25. In line with a value reinforcement hypothesis, more unemployment from age 20 to 25 was associated with a slower concurrent increase in intrinsic work values. A postsecondary selection effect was observed; individuals who eventually obtained a university degree had higher intrinsic work values and job entitlement beliefs at age 18. Also congruent with a scarcity hypothesis, young adults with only a high school education experienced a significantly faster increase in extrinsic work values from age 20 to 25. This study highlights the transition to adulthood as a key developmental period for change in work values and beliefs.

Infant reminders alter sympathetic reactivity and reduce couple hostility at the transition to parenthood.

The transition to parenthood marks an important developmental stage in adult life, associated with unique challenges to the partners' conflict dialogue in the formation of the family unit. Utilizing a biobehavioral experimental design, we examined the potential positive effects of the infant on the couple's conflict discussion. One hundred forty new parents of 6-month-old infants engaged in a face-to-face marital conflict discussion, while sympathetic reactivity was recorded online from mother and father and conflict interaction was microcoded for hostility and empathy. In the experimental group, a picture of one's own infant appeared on a screen halfway into the interaction, whereas controls viewed an affectively neutral stimulus. Infant reminders decreased mothers' sympathetic arousal, whereas fathers reacted with sympathetic vigilance by preserving sympathetic arousal. For both parents, infant reminders decreased couple hostility in parent-specific ways. Results accord with life-span developmental perspectives, support evolutionary models of mothering and fathering, and suggest that infants may enhance the quality of marital dialogue during this stressful transition.

Homeless Aging Veterans in Transition: A Life-Span Perspective

The need for counseling and career/educational services for homeless veterans has captured political and economic venues for more than 25 years. Veterans are three times more likely to become homeless than the general population if veterans live in poverty or are minority veterans. This mixed methods study emphasized a life-span perspective approach for exploring factors influencing normative aging and life-quality of 39 homeless veterans in Alabama and Florida. Seven descriptive quantitative and qualitative research questions framed the investigation. Study participants completed a quantitative survey reflecting their preferences and needs with a subset of the sample (N = 12) also participating in individual qualitative interview sessions. Thirty-two service providers and stakeholders completed quantitative surveys. Empirical and qualitative data with appropriate triangulation procedures provided interpretive information relative to a life-span development perspective. Study findings provide evidence of the need for future research efforts to address strategies that focus on the health and economic challenges of veterans before they are threatened with the possibility of homelessness. Implications of the study findings provide important information associated with the premise that human development occurs throughout life with specific characteristics influencing the individual's passage. Implications for aging/homelessness research are grounded in late-life transitioning and human development intervention considerations.

The role of androgenic steroids in shaping social phenotypes across the lifespan in male marmosets (Callithrix spp.).

Steroid hormones, particularly androgens and their metabolic derivatives, play a prominent role in shaping morphological, behavioral, and social phenotypes in many organisms, including primates. This paper reviews the endocrine correlates of development in male marmoset monkeys of the genus Callithrix (C. kuhlii and C. geoffroyi). A lifespan developmental perspective is adopted, in which our knowledge of hormone effects and profiles from prenatal periods through old age is described. Prenatal steroid hormones appear to play a prominent role in shaping behavioral and morphological phenotypes both the prepartum and in the early postpartum periods of life, with exposure to high gestational androgen associated with reduced fetal growth and lower levels of juvenile play. Early postnatal elevations in androgen levels in males are ubiquitous in Callithrix, and play a role in the further differentiation of male genital morphology and behavior. Changes in androgens as males approach puberty are similar to the conventional primate pattern, and unlike in female marmosets, gonadal steroidogenesis appears to be independent of social context. In adults, androgens appear to be an important modulator of paternal responsiveness to infants, since androgens are low at times when males typically engage in maximal levels of care, and fathers that care for offspring extensively appear to have lower androgen levels than fathers that are less involved in offspring care. Finally, aging in male marmosets is associated with reduced androgen levels. This reduction appears to be attributable to deficits in central mechanisms, since experimental induction and inhibition of gonadal steroid synthesis and release appears to be normal in older males. Together, these results suggest a complex picture of lifetime involvement of androgens in shaping marmoset phenotypes.

Age group differences and longitudinal changes in approach–avoidance sensitivity: Findings from an 8-year longitudinal study

An increasing number of studies point to normative changes in personality occurring during adulthood. We examined age group differences and longitudinal changes in approach–avoidance sensitivities across adulthood using a population-based sample of younger, midlife, and older adults (N=7468) assessed on three occasions over an 8year interval. Younger adults reported higher approach sensitivity (assessed using BAS-Drive and BAS-Reward subscales) relative to midlife and older adults. Approach sensitivity tended to decline between Times 1 and 3 for all age groups. Cross-sectional age differences were not evident for avoidance sensitivity at Time 1 (assessed using the BIS); however there was evidence for different patterns of change in avoidance over time across the age groups. Results are discussed in the context of lifespan developmental perspectives on self-regulation of emotion and behaviour.

Understanding retirement: the promise of life-span developmental frameworks.

The impending retirement of large population cohorts creates a pressing need for practical interventions to optimize outcomes at the individual and societal level. This necessitates comprehensive theoretical models that acknowledge the multi-layered nature of the retirement process and shed light on the dynamic mechanisms that drive longitudinal patterns of adjustment. The present commentary highlights ways in which contemporary life-span developmental frameworks can inform retirement research, drawing on the specific examples of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model, Baltes and Baltes Selective Optimization with Compensation Framework, Schulz and Heckhausen's Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development, and Carstensen's Socioemotional Selectivity Theory. Ultimately, a life-span developmental perspective on retirement offers not only new interpretations of known phenomena but may also help to identify novel directions for future research as well as promising pathways for interventions.

Application of person-centered medicine in addiction.

This article discusses human individuality within a lifespan developmental perspective. The practical application of an individual differences framework for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of addiction is described. A brief overview of the methods conducive to knowledge development within the rubric of person-centered medicine that are available to practitioners working in office and clinic settings concludes the discussion.

The Dynamic Goal Theory of Marital Satisfaction

Marital satisfaction is gaining increasing concern in modern society. The current review proposes the dynamic goal theory of marital satisfaction to integrate previous findings about marital satisfaction from a life span developmental perspective. The theory argues that people have multiple goals to achieve in their marriage. These marital goals can be classified into three categories: personal growth goals, companionship goals, and instrumental goals. The priority of the three types of marital goals is under dynamic changes across adulthood. Generally speaking, young couples emphasize the personal growth goals, middle-aged couples prioritize the instrumental goals, and old couples focus on the companionship goals. Whether the prioritized marital goals are achieved in marriage determines marital satisfaction. Other factors influencing marital satisfaction can be linked with marital goals in two ways. Some factors, such as life transitions and cultural values, can affect the priority of different marital goals; while other factors, such as communication pattern, problem solving, and attribution, can facilitate the achievement of the prioritized marital goals.

The Effects of Teachers’ Attitudes on Students’ Personality and Performance

The emphasize of student centered educational topics is usually on the effect of teachers’ attitudes on students’ academical success with a lack of lifespan developmental perspective. A teacher with his teaching methods and furthermore with his attitudes and behaviours, provides his students to gain a mentally healthy personality and to have a new clear world view by leaving unforgettable traces on them. This is a prepatory study to uncover how attitudes of teachers affect the personalities and performances of students. In this sense this study will provide an emic understanding of education and the dynamics of relationship between teachers and students beyond the limited areas of classes and courses. Sample group of research consists of totally 353 students from different departments of Istanbul Kultur University and Maltepe University. By giving a questionaire the students were asked to give samples of their primary school, secondary school, high school and university teachers’ positive and negative attitudes and behaviours as well as to tell how it effects their personality development and performances by giving samples. The most important findings of the research evidenced that teachers’ positive attitudes have positively influence students’ personality as well as their life performances. Based on these findings teachers’ role in lifespan education as beyond a simple knowledge transformation is discussed.

Age Differences in Emotion Recognition: The Task Matters

This study examined the impact of context information on emotion recognition from a life-span developmental perspective. The main prediction was that age-related deficits in emotion recognition will only be evident in context-poor tasks. A sample of 48 younger (M(age) = 23 years) and 35 older women (M(age) = 70 years) watched 48 film clips, each depicting a female target who talked about an emotional biographical episode and expressed one of three target emotions (i.e., happiness, sadness, or anger). Half of the films were presented without sound (context-poor condition) and the other half was presented with sound (context-rich condition). Independent of the condition, younger women were better at recognizing sadness and anger than older women. However, the condition had an effect on age differences in happiness recognition: Age-related deficits were only evident in the context-poor condition. In addition, we found that logical reasoning predicted individual differences and age-related differences in sadness and anger recognition but not in happiness recognition. The present findings suggest that age differences in emotion recognition are context and emotion specific. Together, the evidence speaks for substantial plasticity in emotion recognition (i.e., within-person variability) well into old age.