Psychology of aging

LPSYS2738  2016-2017  Louvain-la-Neuve

Psychology of aging
5.0 credits
45.0 h
2q

Teacher(s)
Agrigoroaei Stefan ;
Language
Anglais
Online resources

Collection of scientific articles and book chapters (icampus)

Main themes
  • Theories (and methods) of lifespan development and aging
  • Long-term effects of early childhood
  • Midlife
  • Health disparities across the lifespan
  • Biological aging, menopause and hormone replacement therapy
  • Cognitive aging - preclinical dementia/mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease
  • Stress and cognition in older adults
  • Applied cognitive aging research
  • Socioemotional aging (emotion and cognition in older adults)
  • Psychopathology in old age
  • Successful aging & resilience
  • Myths and misunderstandings about health and agi
Aims

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

-          Understand how  psychological, social, and biological processes interact to

influence health and human development (A1, A2)

-          Recognize the diversity of developmental pathways in adulthood (appreciation for cultural, socioeconomic, and other differences among older adults) ' A1

-          Consider the applied implications of research findings for improving health throughout the adulthood (E2) and developing effective programs and policies for older adults in the future (B1)

-          Demonstrate knowledge of the key findings from the research literature on (cognitive) aging and provide informed and critical responses to questions (C1, C2) such as:

-             What changes with age?

-             Who changes, how much, and when?

-             Why are there declines?

-             What are the consequences?

-             Can we prevent or remediate declines?

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

The objective of this course is to take an in-depth, interdisciplinary look at the health changes that occur as individuals transition from adolescence into adulthood, midlife, and old age. Age-related physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional changes will be examined from psychosocial and biological perspectives with an emphasis on what it means to age successfully. Within this course, theoretical models, methods, and research findings will be used to understand how development throughout the adult lifespan is influenced by an individual's environment and by the specific life choices that he or she makes.

Faculty or entity<


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Program title
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Speech and Language Therapy
5
-

Master [120] in Psychology
5
-