Adolescence: Crash Course Psychology #20

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive form of dementia that cannot be cured. First memory declines, then logical thinking, and ultimately basic physiological functions such as essential brain neurons continue to fail. It affects about three percent of the world's population before the age of 75, but after that the percentage doubles every five years. So, I repeat, not all dementias are related to Alzheimer's nor are they of the same severity. Although the risk of suffering from dementia increases at older ages, we must remember that it is not part of normal aging. Some changes in memory are normal, but most memories should remain intact.

Ultimately, we still have a lot to learn about the aging process. As life expectancy increases, we may have to change what we think we know about its effects on human

psychology

. In a way, you could say that this is the next frontier of

psychology

. When we know what that looks like, the cast of "The Breakfast Club" could be ready to reunite and they could also make a movie about it. Today, you and your developing minds learned about Erikson's eight stages of progressive psychosocial development and the problems that accompany them. He also learned about apparent adulthood, the differences between fluid and crystallized intelligence, and some facts about dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Thanks for watching this episode of Crash Course, especially to our Subbable subscribers who make this possible. To find out how you can contribute, visit Subbable.com/CrashCourse. This episode was written by Kathleen Yale, edited by Blake DeBastino, and our advisor is Dr. Ranjit Bhagwat. Our director and editor is Nicholas Jenkins, our script supervisor is Michael Aranda, who is also our sound designer, and our graphics team is Thought Café.