Human Development Ch 15

changes in hearing

Presbycusis- “Old hearing”, age related hearing impairment/decline beginning at 50 yrs, inner-ear structures that transform mechanical sound waves into neural impulses deteriorate through natural cell death or reduced blood supply caused by atherosclerosis, men tend too loose hearing before women

Changes in skin:

Epidermis is less firmly attached to the dermis, less water content, fat diminishes, leads to wrinkling, looser, dryer skin

Muscle-fat makeup changes

Muscle and fat switch places, muscle decreases and fat increases, men gain fat in upper abdomen and back, and women gain more fat in upper arms and waist

changes in skeleton

Increase risk of fractures, and spine problems due to osteoporosis, loss of bone density/strength cause: disks/spinal column to collapse, height shrinks, bones fracture more easily and take longer to heal

changes in reproduciton

Estrogen drops, cycles shorten, become irregular, and eventually stop, decreases skin elasticity, loss of bone mass

What causes perimenopause?

Changes in hormones, less estrogen due to ovarian failure

Benefits of hormone therapy: what do we know for certain that it can help

reduces hot flashes & vaginal dryness, protection against bone loss, primary benefits: 

Reduces physical discomforts of menopause

what is sexual frequency in middle adulthood related to?

Sexual frequency is most directly related to relationship satisfaction, couples sexually active in young adulthood continue until midlife

Cancer & CVD are the leading cause of

death in adulthood

Leading cancer incidence

lung cancer

Breast cancer gene testing is

available , permitting prevention efforts to start early, women with familial breast cancer and in middle/late adulthood should go for testing

Men Heart attack symptoms:

Heaviness, pressure, tightness in chest, pain in left arm, jaw

Women Heart attack symptoms:

Extreme fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, pain in upper back/arm nausea, 

Risks associated with high blood pressure:

Damage to artery walls, higher risk of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, stroke, arrhythmia, heart failure

Risks associated with heart disease:

Expressed hostility in particular—frequent angry outbursts; rude, disagreeable behavior; critical and condescending nonverbal cues during social interaction, including glares; and expressions of contempt and disgust, social dominant interactive style

Stress management: and relationship to illness

Stress management in middle adulthood limits age-related illness, psychological stresses are associated with negative effects on CVD, Immune, and gastrointestinal systems

Constructive approaches to anger reduction

to be assertive rather than hostile and to negotiate rather than explode interrupts the intense physiological response that intervenes between psychological stress and illness. It can be best to delay responding by simply leaving a provocative situation, taking time to think through how to handle it.

Crystallized intelligence-

refers to skills that depend on accumulated knowledge and experience, good judgment, and mastery of social conventions—abilities acquired because they are valued by the individual’s culture.

Fluid intelligence-

depends more heavily on basic information-processing skills—ability to detect relationships among visual stimuli, speed of analyzing information, and capacity of working memory, Better when you are young

how does slowing of processing speed affect executive function

As processing speed slows down so does executive function in middle adulthood, as a result working memory declines, inhibition is weakened, cognitive flexibility is reduced

Semantic memory

Memory for information removed from the context in which it was first learned that has become part of an individual’s general knowledge base. (general knowledge base)

procedural memory-

Such as how to drive a car, solve a math problem, procedural tasks, automatic skills . (how to knowledge)

Metacognitive memory-

how we remember to do things, the awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes, including how to plan, monitor, and evaluate thinking

reasons for not completing degrees of returning students

Role overload, lack of social support, financial stress, self doubt, anxiety, lack of school-life balance, slow academic progress