Course

Developmental Psychology: Adulthood & Aging

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Course code
PSYC 3322
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
In this course, students will examine theory and research on age-related changes in adult physiology, sensory and perceptual abilities, cognition, memory, social relationships, social cognition, personality, and mental and physical health. Current changing age-related demographics and their implications will be presented. The course will explore methods and findings within the psychology of aging. Stereotypes and attitudes toward older individuals, as well as their effects, will be discussed. This course will include the growths, declines, benefits, challenges, and strengths of aging.
Course content
  1. Introduction to aging
    • Definitions of aging.
    • Changing age trends in Canada and globally.
    • Implications of demographic changes.
    • Issues and debates in developmental psychology.
    • Aging as biopsychosocial.
  2. Theoretical shifts from decline models to lifespan models of aging.
  3. Ageism, ableism, and discrimination.
  4. Research methods in developmental psychology and aging.
  5. The role of neuroscience in understanding aging.
  6. Psychological outcomes of biological changes.
  7. Theorizing the causes of age-related change.
  8. Cognitive changes in aging.
  9. Social relationships, attachment, families, and aging.
  10. Self, identity, and personality in aging.
  11. Work, volunteerism, and retirement.
  12. Living arrangements and care.
  13. Elder abuse.
  14. Neurocognitive disorders and mental health in adulthood and aging.
  15. End of life: Death, dying, bereavement, and grief.
Learning activities

The course will involve a number of instructional methods, such as the following:

  • lectures
  • small group discussions
  • demonstrations
  • presentations
  • audio-visual materials
Means of assessment

The course evaluation will be in accordance with Douglas College and Psychology Department policies. Evaluations will be based on the course objectives. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:

2 Midterm exams - 50%

Final exam - 20%

Presentation - 15%

Written essay - 15%

Total - 100%

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

  1. Describe the research methods used by developmental psychologists, particularly in psychology of aging.
  2. Describe and explain physiological and health changes in adulthood and aging.
  3. Describe and explain how sensory and perceptual abilities change over adulthood.
  4. Describe and explain age-related changes in adult memory and cognition.
  5. Describe and explain how social relationships change and endure in adulthood and aging.
  6. Describe and explain age-related changes in adult social cognition.
  7. Describe and explain age-related changes and consistencies in adult personalities.
  8. Describe and explain mental health issues pertinent to aging.  
  9. Analyze the implications of aging and attitudes toward aging and older individuals.
  10. Analyze how aging intersects with gender, culture, race, class, and sexuality.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

Harper, L., & Dobbs, B. (2018). Adult development and aging: The Canadian perspective. (1st Ed.). Canada: Nelson Publishing.

Requisites

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100 AND PSYC 1200

Corequisites

Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course:

  • No corequisite courses

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for PSYC 3322
Athabasca University (AU) AU PSYC 381 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU PSYC 305 (3)
Coast Mountain College (CMTN) CMTN PSYC 202 (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PSYC 2425 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU PSYC 357 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PSYC 3220 (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU PSYC 3XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO PSYO_O 323 (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV PSYC 357 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC PSYC 2XX (1.5)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU PSYC 339 (3)

Course Offerings

Fall 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
35
Remaining seats:
0
On waitlist
47
Building
Online
Room
ONLINE
Times:
-