Chapter 15 Middle Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development Flashcards
baby boomers
are those people who were born between 1946 and 1965.
Interindividual variability
No two people age in the same way or at the same rate.
Changes in metabolism, muscle mass, strength, bone density, aerobic capacity, blood-sugar tolerance, and ability to regulate body temperature may be moderated or reversed through exercise and diet.
from inter individual variability
skin and hair
Grey hair occurs due to a decrease of melanin; hair loss accelerates, especially in men.
Exposure to UV rays plays a part in wrinkling.
presbyopia
Loss of elasticity in the lens that makes it harder to focus on, or accommodate to, nearby objects or fine print; the result is middle-aged adults may need reading glasses.
presbycusis
Loss of hearing over time and impacts the elderly most; 30–35 percent of adults between 65 and 75 have hearing loss.
reaction time
The amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus increases with age, mainly because of changes in the nervous system.
Beginning around age 25, we lose neurons, which are responsible for sensing signals such as sights and sounds and for coordinating muscular responses.
lung capacity
Lung tissue stiffens with age, diminishing the capacity to expand, such that breathing capacity may decline by half between early adulthood and late adulthood; regular exercise can offset this loss; first beginning to exercise in middle adulthood can expand breathing capacity beyond what it was earlier in life.
lean-body mass and body fat
Lean-body mass, especially muscle, declines with age.
The rate of loss accelerates after age 45; fat replaces lean-body mass, which includes muscles.
The average person’s body mass index (BMI) rises.
bone density
Bones begin to lose density at around the age of 40; as bones lose density, they become more brittle and prone to fracture.
Bones in the spine, hip, thigh (femur), and forearm lose the most density as we age.
aerobic capacity
The cardiovascular system becomes less efficient as we age; lung muscles shrink.
Aerobic capacity declines as less oxygen is taken into the lungs and the heart pumps less blood.
Maximum heart rate declines, but exercise expands aerobic capacity at any age.
blood-sugar tolerance
Blood sugar, or glucose, is the basic energy source for our cells; energy supports cell activities and maintains body temperature; glucose circulates in the bloodstream with the help of insulin.
As we age, tissues in the body become less capable of taking up glucose from the bloodstream, increasing the risk of adult-onset diabetes.
health
Regular medical checkups, paying attention to diet, exercising, avoiding smoking, drinking in moderation if at all, regulating stress, and having supportive relationships help to increase health during middle adulthood.
cancer
In many instances, cancer can be controlled or cured if caught early.
Women should have a mammogram to screen for breast cancer beginning at age 50; men and women screen for colon cancer at age 50; men should have a digital rectal exam and blood tests for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at age 40.
tumors
Tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous);
benign tumours typically do not pose a threat to life;
malignant tumours invade and destroy surrounding tissue.
metastases
Cancerous cells in malignant tumours can break away from the primary tumour, and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to form new tumours, called
know basis of this
There is a lack of early detection, and many members of minority groups avoid screening because they feel the healthcare system is impersonal, insensitive, and racist.
cigarette smoking effects
Cigarette smoking and high-fat diet contribute to cancer; cigarette smoking causes 84 percent of lung cancer deaths in Canada.
Treatment consists of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy; the limitation of the treatment is that anti-cancer drugs kill healthy tissue as well as diseased tissue, and have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, loss of hair, and weakening of the immune system.
arteriosclerosis
hardening of the arteries
atherosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis can impair circulation and increase the risk of a blood clot; the most common form
(a buildup of fatty deposits called plaque in the lining of the arteries)
risk factors of heart disease
age, race, ethnicity, and sex; smoking, exercise, diet, and lack of medical checkups
heart disease
has been on the rise for the past decade and is one of the top five reasons for hospitalizations in Canada.
stress suppresses the immune system and…
leaves the body more vulnerable to infections such as the common cold.
Stress hormones associated with anger (steroids, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) can do what to blood vessels
can constrict the blood vessels to the heart, leading to a heart attack in people who are vulnerable.
A stress test may be required if…
if you have had chest pains, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of limited blood flow to your heart, or you have other irregularities.
the stress of chronic hostly and anger is related to what?
higher cholesterol levels and a greater risk of heart disease.
stress testing can help what?
diagnose coronary heart disease as well as its severity; a participant walks on a treadmill or pedals a stationary bike to increase heart rate and “stress” the heart
Most people in middle adulthood lead what lives?
rich sex lives; the most common problems among women are lack of sexual desire and problems with sexual arousal; the common problem among men is erectile dysfunction.
Women in middle adulthood report what?
sexual satisfaction even when their partner uses Viagra; single middle adulthood women report satisfying sex lives as well.
menopause
Cessation of menstruation; normal process occurring between the ages of 46 and 50; lasts about 2 years
perimenopause
Beginning of menopause, characterized by 3 to 11 months of amenorrhea (lack of menstruation) or irregular periods
Climacteric (critical period)
Refers to gradual decline in the reproductive capacity of the ovaries due to a decline in production of estrogen; lasts about 15 years, from ages 45 to 60
After age 35, menstrual cycles begin to shorten or become erratic.
Estrogen deficit may lead to what?
to unpleasant perimenopausal sensations such as night sweats, hot flashes, and hot flushes, alternating with cold sweats, and feeling suddenly cold and clammy; all these sensations are labelled as vasomotor instability (disruptions in the body mechanisms that dilate or constrict the blood vessels to maintain an even body temperature).
osteoporosis
Long-term estrogen deficiency is linked to brittleness and porosity of bones
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
is effective for some women; it consists of synthetic estrogen and progesterone; it alleviates physical symptoms such
as hot flashes/flushes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness; and it lowers the risk of osteoporosis.
HRT side effects include
headaches, irritability, memory loss, and blood clots; HRT also increases risks for stroke, pulmonary embolism, ovarian and breast cancer, and heart disease.
Do Men Undergo an “Andropause”?
There is a gradual decline in the production of male sex hormone and fertility.
A man in his 70s can father a child.
In their 50s, men experience problems achieving and maintaining erections, which may reflect circulatory problems, hormone deficiencies, or other factors.
sexual dysfunctions
Persistent or recurrent problems in becoming sexually aroused or reaching orgasm
Women report more painful sex, lack of pleasure, inability to reach orgasm, and lack of desire.
sexual dysfunctions cont.
Men are more likely to report reaching orgasm too soon (“premature ejaculation”) and performance anxiety.
Premature ejaculation is more common in early adulthood; a lack of interest in sex and erectile dysfunction are more common in men in middle adulthood
remember s3exual dysfunctions
Multidirectionality
Some aspects of intellectual functioning improve while others remain stable or decline; this reflects the interaction of hereditary and environmental factors.
Intellectual development during middle adulthood demonstrates what?
multidirectionality, interindividual variability, and plasticity.
interindividual variability
People mature differently due to different cultural and social settings; this is found in middle adulthood.
plasticity
Intellectual abilities are not fixed but can be modified under certain conditions at almost any time in life; the most optimal time is childhood, but it can occur later on in the 40s to 50s+.
crystallized intelligence
Cluster of knowledge and skills that depend on accumulated information and experience, awareness of social conventions, and the capacity to make good decisions and judgments; includes specialized knowledge in a field; environmental factors; increase with age
fluid intelliegence
Person’s skills at processing information; amount of information held in memory; decreases with age; neurological factors; decreases with age as perceptual speed decreases.
Conditions minimizing cognitive decline may include:
remaining healthy; living in good conditions
remaining intellectually active through reading, lifelong learning, and keeping up with current events;
being flexible in middle adulthood (open to new ideas and new styles of life);
living with an intellectually stimulating partner;
being satisfied with what one has achieved in middle adulthood
speed of information processing
Information processing can be measured in reaction time — the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus.
People in middle adulthood have greater reaction time (meaning slower) than young adults.
memory
People during middle adulthood have more difficulty with rote rehearsal — memorizing lists of words, numbers, or passages of prose — than young adults.
expertise and practical problem solving
Hiring a person in middle adulthood is beneficial due to their greater store of expertise and practical problem-solving skills.
Expertise and practical problem solving increases with age due to social, emotional, and professional experience.
mental health issues
Mental health issues refer to a broad range of disorders affecting mood, thinking, and behaviours.
Common mental health issues in middle adulthood include: depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and substance abuse.
Depression is the most common mental health issue in middle adulthood.
Substance abuse is also a growing issue in middle adulthood due to the opioid crisis; improved awareness and destigmatization of mental health issues and programming is increasing in Canada.
creativity
Many people are at their height of creativity during middle adulthood.
The difference in creativity in age can be found in creativity in music, mathematics, and physics, with young adults surpassing people in middle adulthood.
mature learners
Mature learners are highly motivated and are more likely than younger learners to find the subject interesting for its own sake.
