Chapter 8 - H.D Flashcards
Middle Adulthood
- 40 - 65 yrs
-Career development
-Family relationships
Sensory System Development
Vision
- Presbyopia
Hard to focus on close objects
-Floaters
-Scotopic Sensitivity
Lose ability to see in dim light
-Dry eye syndrome
Eye does not produce tears properly
*affects more WOMEN
Sensory system Development
Hearing
-More problems understanding speech in noisy environments
*affects more MEN
Body fat change in middle adulthood
-waist increase
-Men gain fat on upper abdomen and back
-women gain fat n waist and upper arms
-metabolism slows down
What slows down fat increase in middle adulthood
-less calorie intake
-more weight bearing exercise
Loss of Bone density and strength
-Bones become thin and collapse
Disk collapse, shrink
-Bones fracture easily, slow to heal
-Higher risk for women after menopause
Impact of estrogen
Sarcopenia
Loss of muscle and mass and strength that occurs w aging
-might look skinnier
-Earlier for women
Causes:
-Decline of grower and anabolic hormones
-Decline in physical activity
Cholesterol
Fatty substance carried by lipoproteins in the blood
-creates hormones and digest food
-Bad when it is too much
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
-Majority
-Bad
High-density lipoprotein
-absorbs cholesterol
-good
-High levels –> reduce risk of heart problems
Climacteric
Midlife transition when fertility declines
-biologically based, impacted by environment
Climacteric
Women
Pre-menopause:
Transition of woman’s ovaries stop releasing eggs and levels of estrogen and progesterone decrease
Menopause:
-12 months w/o menstruation
-Symptoms:
Caused by decrease in production of female hormones
Hot flashes, pain during intercourse, depression, irritability, weight gain, decrease in sexual desire
Vary across culture and race
-Hormone Replacement theory
Climacteric
Men
-Erectile dysfunction
Psychological and medical problems
-Can continue to reproduce
-Prostate enlargement
Testosterone deficient
Andropause
Osteoporosis
Bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases
-Structure and strength of bone changes
-Good diet, exercise, avoid smoking and heavy alcohol consumption
Misinterpretation of cognitive development in middle adulthood
Cross-sectional study
-10 year smarter than 60 yr old
-decline around 30s
-Difference in education system between age groups
Misinterpretation of cognitive development in middle adulthood
Longitudinal study
-fluid intelligence –> decrease w age
-Crystallized intelligence –> stable may increase
-Cognitive changes:
Change in divided attention
Decrease performance in complex tasks
Performed better in; verbal memory, spatial skills, inductive reasoning, vocabulary
EX: Pilots
Fluid Intelligence
Capacity to learn new ways of solving problems and performing activities quickly and abstractly
Crystallized intelligence
Accumulated knowledge of the world we have acquired throughout our lives
Semantic knowledge, vocabulary and knowledge
Cognitive strengths in middle adulthood
-Practical Problem solving
Real-world situations
Requires expertise
-Creativity
Peaks in 30s and 40s
Generatively vs Stagnation
-Eriksons stages
-Highly generative adults
Commitment extends beyond self
High autonomy, low depression, low anxiety, self-acceptance, satisfaction
EX: Children, volunteer tutor
Coping strategies:
Problem-focused coping
Thought of as actively addressing the event that is causing stress in an effort to solve the issue at hand
Coping strategies
Emotion focused coping
Regulates emotion that copes with the stress
EX: watching a funny movie
