Middle Adulthood-- physical and cognitive development

chapter 15

senescence

naturally occurring declines related to age

osteoporosis

bone becomes brittle, fragile, and thin 

when does bone become less dense

~age 55

how to reduce lessening bone density

???

height decline in women and men

women: 2 in

men: 1 in

strength loss usually happens where (2)

back

leg muscles

visual acuity

ability to discern fine spatial detain in both close and far objects

visual acuity begins to decline around

age 40

presbyopia

universal change in eyesight during middle adulthood that results in some loss of near vision

presbyopia: what other aspects of vision also diminish? (4)

depth perception

distance perception

ability to see 3D dimensions

night vision

glaucoma

increasing fluid pressure of the eye

in terms of hearing, what does aging bring? (2)

loss of hair cells in inner ear 

eardrum become less elastic

presbycusis vs sound localization

prebycusis: can’t hear high frequency sounds

sound localization: can’t identify the direction/origin of sound

does metabolism slow down during middle adulthood?

no— it’s readily steady

the ongoing sexuality of mid-age: what are the challenges for men? (3)

• more time needed to get an erection

• ejaculated fluid volume declines

• testosterone production declines

the ongoing sexuality of mid-age: what are the challenges for women? (2)

• vaginal wall becomes thinner and less elastic

• vagina shrinks, potentially making intercourse painful

female climacteric

transition from being able to bear children to being unable to

when does female climacteric begin and how long does it last?

age ~45
lasts 15-20 years

menopause

cessation of mensturation

menopause: hormone production changes and symptoms can include… (5)

hot flashes

headaches

dizziness

heart palpitation

joint aches

perimenopause

period beginning ~10 yrs prior to menopause when hormone production starts to change

hormone therapy (HT)

estrogen and progesterone given to alleviate menopause symptoms

what would HT do? (3)

reduce probs like hot flashes, bone thinning, and colon cancer risks

increase risk of breast cancer, blood clots, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and heart disease

greater sex drive

menopausal symptoms differ according to a woman’s…

ethnic and cultural background

male climacteric

period of physical and psychological change relating to the male reproductive system that occur during late middle age

male climacteric include… (3)

decrease in testosterone and sperm production

enlarging prostate glands (that cause urination problems)

erectile dysfunction (inability to achieve/maintain erection becoming more common)

common chronic diseases that appear in middle adulthood (3)

arthritis (age 40)

type 2 diabetes (age 50-60)

HTN

major consequence of stress (3)

direct physiological outcomes

leads to people to engage in unhealthy behaviors

indirect effects on health-related behavior

stress: examples of direct physiological effects (4)

↑ blood pressure

↑ hormonal activity

↓ immune system functioning

psychophysiological conditions

stress: examples of direct harmful behaviors (3)

↑ use of nicotine, alcohol, other drugs

↓ nutrition

↓ sleep

stress: examples of direct indirect health-related behaviors (2)

↑ delays in seeking medical care

↓ compliance with & likelihood seeking medical advice

risk factors of coronary artery/heart disease

type A, B, D behavior pattern

type A behavior pattern (5)

competitiveness

impatience

frustration

hostility

polyphasic activities (multitasking) 

type B behavior pattern (3)

non-competitiveness

patience

lack of aggression 

type D behavior pattern (5)

“distressed”

insecurity

anxiety

negativity

related to heart attack risks

cohort effect

influences associated with growing up at a particular historical time that affect persons of a particular age

cohort effects: influence in intelligence

underestimate the true cognitive capacities of older adults

• older adults tend to score lower than younger adults on traditional intelligence tests

• makes older generations appear less intelligent than younger ones even when their underlying abilities haven’t declined

fluid vs. crystallized intelligence

fluid intelligence: reflects information processing capabilities, reasoning, and memory

crystallized intelligence: the info, skills, and strategies that people have learned through experience and can apply in problem-solving situations 

as people age, fluid intelligence tends to

decline, because it relies on speed and efficiency of neural processing (which gradually slows over time) 

as people age, crystallized intelligence tends to

remain stable and often grow, benefiting from decades of learning and experience

selective optimization with compensation 

concentrating on specific skill areas to compensate for losses in other areas

short-term vs long-term memory

short-term: working memory, 15-20 secs

long-term: relatively permanent storage

sensory memory

initial storage that lasts an instant

does sensory and short-term memory show weakening in mid-adulthood?

no— they function much as they did in earlier years

does long-term memory decline with age?

for some people— yes

schemas

organized bodies of information stored in memory