Papers should be typed, 12pt double spaced, and 3-5 pages long.
File name should be labeled with your name, the course number, & the assignment For example: E.Schuyler_Psyc212_Developmental Interview
· Select an individual to interview. This person must fall into one of the following categories: Emerging Adulthood (21-30 years old and MUST NOT be currently enrolled in college (FSU or elsewhere), ideally a recent college graduate); Middle Adulthood (40-64 years old), Older Adulthood (anyone over 65). You may NOT interview anyone enrolled in Psyc 212 this semester, regardless of age. · I am providing a list of questions for each age group, and while you may ask additional questions of your own (or respond to what the person brings up in your conversation) you should to use these questions as a framework at least 3-5 questions from my list. This does NOT mean that you have to include every question from my list.
· In the paper that you submit, you must include the interviewee’s answers to your questions AND how these issues tie-in with what we have learned in class this semester. You MUST include tie-ins to class material (textbook, lecture) to get full credit for this assignment! (For example, if you talk with a 68-year-old about whether they are still working or entering retirement, you must include information from class about retirement social clock expectations, gender differences in adjustment to retirement, etc.). How you organize your paper (interview questions and class references integrated OR in two separate sections) is up to you.
Middle Adulthood
· How do you feel different now as opposed to when you were in your 20’s? Do you feel different physically? Do you feel different emotionally?
· Have you ever experienced a “mid-life” crisis?
· Are you married? How old were you when you got married? Do you have any advice for younger adults about marriage? [*NOTE: Be sensitive in asking this question and the next one regarding children]
· Do you have children? How old were you when you had your first child/last child? How has the experience of having children affected your development? What advice would you offer new parents?
· Do you have grandchildren? How old were you when you became a grandparent? How often do you see your grandchildren? What do you typically do when you spend time with your grandchildren (ex. activities)?
· Are you caring for an aging parent or grandparent? How does that responsibility affect other areas of your life?
· When do you think you might retire? What would you like to do when/if you retire?
· How do you typically spend your leisure time?
· [If you are interviewing a Baby Boomer (born 1946-1964), it might be interesting to ask them about major world events, such the Vietnam War, the various revolutions of the 1960’s, Watergate and other events of the 1970’s, and how that affected their childhood/adolescent development]
These questions are to give you an idea of what to ask, but you can also add your own questions if you have a specific area of interest that you would like to explore.