Chapter 13: Physical and cognitive development in middle adulthood Flashcards
What’s a new finding about aging and age identity
As adults become older, their age identity is younger than their chronological age.
How did Carl Jung refer to midlife
He referred to it as “the afternoon of life”.
Midlife serves as an important preparation for late adulthood “the evening of life”.
What’s an issue with the fact that people are increasingly living to older ages
It’s getting harder to pin down what constitutes middle age/adulthood
What is rectangularization of the age distribution
In the past, the age structure of the population could be represented by a pyramid, with the largest percentage of the population in the childhood years.
Today the percentages of ppl at diff ages are more similar creating what is called rectangularization
What are the approx age boundaries for middle adulthood
Begins at approx 40 years of age and extends to 60-65 years of age.
What is it a period of for many people
A time of declining physical skills and expanding responsibility.
People also become more conscious of the young-old polarity and the shrinking amount of time left to live.
A point when individuals seek to transmit something meaningful to the next generation
A time when people reach and maintain satisfaction in their careers.
In sum, what does middle adulthood involve
Balancing work and relationship responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging.
In midlife, what may be a “serious accident, loss, or illness”
= a major restructuring of time and a reassessment of life’s priorities
What do a growing number of experts on middle adulthood describe the age period of 55 to 65
They describe it as late midlife
What is late midlife compared to earlier midlife
More likely to be characterized by the death of a parent, the last child leaving the parental home, becoming a grandparent, preparing for retirement, and in most cases actual retirement
Is physical change relatively similar for people in middle adulthood
No, although everyone experiences some physical changes due to aging.
-> the speed of the aging process varies considerably from one individual to another.
What plays an important role in whether chronic disease will appear and when
Genetic makeup and lifestyle
What is one of the most visible signs of change in middle adulthood
Physical appearance, usually apparent by the forties or fifties.
What are the visible -physical- signs of aging
- Skins begins to wrinkle and sag because of a loss of fat and collagen in underlying tissue
- Small + localized areas(esp. the ones exposed to sunlight-hands and face) of pigmentation in the skin produce age spots
- Hair becomes thinner and grayer
- Fingernails and toenails develop ridges and become thicker and more brittle
What happens to height and weight in middle age
Individuals lose height in middle age and many gain weight.
- From 30 to 50, men lose about 1/2 inch in height
- 3/4 (possibly) from 50 to 70 years.
- For women, can be as much as 2 inches over a 50-year span
What causes the decrease in height in middle adulthood
Bone loss in the vertebrae
How much % does body fat account for body weight in middle age
In adolescence it’s 10%, it makes up 20% or more in middle age
Why is being overweight in middle adulthood problematic?
Because it increases the risk that individuals will develop chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.
What’s the probability of drying in middle adulthood for those who are 30% overweight
Probability of dying increases by 40%
What does the term sarcopenia refer to
It refers to age-related loss of muscle mass and strength
What’s the rate of muscle loss past 50 years of age
1 or 2% per year
Where does the loss of strength primarily occur
Back and legs
When does bone loss begin
After the maximum bone density (that occurs in mid- to late 30s)
Rate of bone loss begins slowly but accelerates during the 50s
How is vision affected in middle adulthood
Accommodation of the eye- the ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina- declines sharply between 40 and 59.
Esp, viewing close objects becomes difficult- individuals have to wear bifocal lenses.
When does hearing start to decline
By the age of 40.
- Sensitivity to high pitches usually declines first. (men usually first, may be due to greater exposure to noise in occupations like automobile work etc)
But ability to hear low-pitched sounds does not seem to decline much.
What happens with blood pressure and cholesterol
Level of cholesterol in the blood increases through adult years and in midlife begins to accumulate on the artery walls
= increasing the risk for
cardiovascular disease
High blood pressure also happens in 40s and 50s
What are the 7 strategies for improving cardiovascular disease
1) manage blood pressure
2) control cholesterol
3) blood sugar
4) get active
5) eat better
6) lose weight
7) quit smoking
An increasing problem in middle and late adulthood is metabolic syndrome, what is it
= A condition characterized by hypertension, obesity and insulin resistance
It often leads to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
What aspects of sleep become more problematic
Beginning 40s, wakeful period are more frequent and there is less of the deepest type of sleep (stage 4).
Amount of time spent lying awake in bed at night begins to increase in middle age
What was the main cause of death until the middle of the 20th century
Infectious diseases.
What are chronic disorders
Health conditions characterized by a slow onset and a long duration.
Difference between death in middle age and death in old age
In middle age many deaths are caused by a single, readily identifiable condition.
In old age, death is more likely to result from combined effects of several chronic conditions.
What were the leading causes of death in middle adulthood
Heart disease followed by cancer.
but cancer is the leading cause in ages 55-74.
What does Climacteric mean
Climacteric is a term used to describe the midlife transition during which fertility declines.
What is menopause
Time in middle age (late 40s or 50s) when a woman’s menstrual periods cease completely.
What happens to the production of estrogen by the ovaries
It declines dramatically.
This decline produces uncomfortable symptoms in some women: hot flashes, nausea, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, …
What are hormonal changes in men during middle adulthood.
Most do not lose their ability to father children
but there is a modest decline in their sexual hormone level and activity.
Testosterone production begins to decline about 1% per year during middle adulthood
Sperm count has a slow decline.
What is male hypogonadism
used to describe a condition in which the body does not produce enough testosterone.
What has been used to treat ED (erectile dysfunction)
Viagra, Low-intensity shockwave therapy
What is John Horn’s fluid and crystallized intelligence
Crystallized intelligence: an individual’s accumulated information and verbal skills - continues to increase in middle adulthood.
Fluid intelligence: one’s ability to reason abstractly, begins to decline during middle adulthood.
What is K.Warner Schaie’s Seattle longitudinal study
The main focus in this study has been on individual change and stability in intelligence.
The main cognitive abilities tested are:
1. Verbal comprehension
2. Verbal memory
3. Numeric ability *
4. Spatial orientation
5. Inductive reasoning
6. Perceptual speed *
only * showed decline in middle age
When is the peak of functioning for many intellectual skills achieved
In middle adulthood, not early adulthood.
What are cohort effects
In a recent analysis, Schaie concluded that the advances in cognitive functioning are likely due to a combination of factors:
increased educational attainment, diff occupational structures, changing in health etc.
What are the information-processing changes that take place in middle adulthood involved in
- Speed of processing info
- memory
- expertise
What’s a common way to assess speed information processing
Through a reaction-time task
= in which individuals press a button as soon as they see a light appear.
What does the reaction-time task assess
Speed of information processing (perceptual speed for Schaie)
How does memory change in middle adulthood
In Schaie’s seattle long. study, verbal memory peaked in 50s.
Reality is, there still is controversy about whether memory declines, although most experts conclude that it does decline (at least in middle age)
What is working memory
Closely related to short-term memory but places more emphasis on mental work.
What does Denise Park say about cognitive changes in adulthood
- More time is needed to learn new information
- In late middle age, working memory capacity - the amount of info that can be immediately retrieved and used becomes more limited
How might middle-aged individuals improve their memory?
By organizing things and imagining things + physical exercise
Why is it more likely for expertise to show up in middle adulthood
Because it takes a long time to attain.
What is expertise, what does it involve
It involves having extensive, highly organized knowledge and understanding of a particular domain.
Becoming an expert takes many years of experience, learning, effort
Do middle-aged workers perform their work as competently as younger adults?
For most jobs, no differences has been found in the work performance of young adults and middle-aged adults.
What is leisure
Leisure refers to the pleasant times after work when individuals are free to pursue activities and interests of their own choosing- hobbies, sports, ..
Is there a link between leisure activities and cognitive decline
Yes, engaging in physical and cognitive leisure activities during retirement showed less cognitive decline.
What might be some of the effects of religion/spirituality on physical health?
- Some cults or religious sects encourage behaviors that are damaging to healthe.g ignored medical adavice.
- But religion was also associated with better longevity
Why might religion promote physical health?
- Lifestyle issues: they’re less likely to use drugs
- Social networks: Well-connected individuals have fewer health problems
- Coping with stress: religion offer a source of comfort and support when individuals are confronted with stressful events.
