Exam #4 -13-17 Flashcards
What age range is defined as middle adulthood
40 to 60-65
Visible signs of aging in middle adulthood
- physical appearance
- wrinkles
- saggy skin
- age spots
- grey hair
- brittle nails
Changes to height and weight during middle adulthood
- Height loss
- weight gain
men lose 0.5 inches
women lose 2.0 inches
Sarcopenia
The loss of muscle mass and strength due to age
- after 50 = 1-2% of muscle loss per year
- smoking or diabetes = risk factor
Changes to joints and bone density throughout adulthood
Cartilage and connective tissue begin to decline causing stiffness and less movement
Bones break more easily and heal slowly
-women lose bone mass faster than man
- eating more fruits and vegetables can help increase bone density
Changes to vision and hearing throughout adulthood
vision (40-59)
- harder to see
- difficulty reading
- difficulty recognizing people
hearing (40)
- high pitch sounds harder to hear
- low pitched sounds are harder to hear
Decline of cardiovascular system decline in midlife
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
maintain healthy diet, exercising, weight control
Metabolic syndrome
a condition characterized by hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance
- regular exercise and weight loss
Menopause
when a woman stops getting her period
- regular exercise, dietary supplements, HRT, etc
Hormonal changes in middle aged men
-lose 1% of testosterone per year
- sperm count declines
TRT and viagra
Crystallized intelligence
is one’s accumulated information and verbal skills which increases.
Fluid intelligence
is an individual’s ability to reason abstractly which declines in middle adulthood.
Erikson’s 7th stage
Generativity vs stagnation
- trying to leave a legacy of themselves behind for future generation so they will never be forgotten
- come to the realization that they have not done anything significant for the next generation
Importance of generativity for middle age
contributes to
- positive social engagement with family and community,
- better health in late adulthood - greater wisdom in late adulthood.
Levinson’s view on midlife crisis
midlife as a crisis and middle aged adults are looking at the past and the future knowing there is no going back in life so they are trying to cope with this gap
Valliant’s view on midlife crisis
middle aged adults are telling the truth about adolescence and adulthood and reassessing their past.
- A midlife crisis is not really that common based on what the experts say
Five big factors of personality
openness
conscientiousness
extraversion
agreeableness
neuroticism
Openness
they can be either imaginative or practical, they like variety or routine, and they can be either independent or conforming.
- tend to live longer
- have superior cognitive functioning
- have better health and well being
Conscientiousness
they can be organized or disorganized, careful or careless, or they can be disciplined or impulsive
- increases throughout life
Extraversion
they can either be fun loving or somber, affection or reserved, or socials or retiring. These individuals high in extraversion are more likely to be satisfied in relationships and have a higher well being.
Agreeableness
they can be softhearted or ruthless, trusting or suspicious, or helpful or uncooperative.
- tend to live longer
- be more generous
- have satisfying romantic relationships
- experience less stressors
- less likely to engage in physical activity.
Neuroticism
they can either be calm or anxious, secure or insecure, or self satisfied or self pitying.
High conscientiousness and longevity
These individuals high in conscientiousness tend to live longer, have positive life satisfaction, better health and less stress, and higher levels of marital satisfaction to name a few
High in neuroticism and longevity
These individuals high in neuroticism are likely to die younger, have worse health, become drug dependent, lower levels of marital satisfaction, and have a lower sense of well being.
Personality stable or changes during adulthood
The research shows that personality is not fixed during adulthood
Although, as we age stability is more common there still can be changes in personality even though they are small and limited they are positive.
Empty nest syndrome
when there is a decrease in marital satisfaction due to children leaving home
Outcomes of children leaving the home
Positive
- more time to spend together
- more time for pursuing career or hobbies
- increased quality time
Negative
- decreased marital satisfaction
Helicopter parents
these parents tend to hover around their children to make sure that they succeed in whatever they are doing.
Lawnmower parents
these parents shield their child from danger or obstacles or negative experiences that a child might face
Evolutionary theory of aging
there are still harmful conditions and nonadaptive characteristics that natural selection has not eliminated
Cellular clock theory
as we age our cells lose the ability to divide. When we are younger our cells can divide 75-80 times
- This places a limit to human life.
Free radical theory
when cells metabolize their outcome produce molecules that move around inside cells which damage DNA and other cell structures.
- damage from free radicals causes aging
mTOR pathway
cellular pathway that involves the regulation of growth and metabolism that has been connected to longevity
What areas of the brain/parts of neuron shrink during late life
The frontal lobes and hippocampus are brain structures that shrink in late life.
There is also shrinkage of neurons, lower number of synapses, reduced length and complexity of axons and reduced branching in dendrites
Neurogenesis
Neurogenesis is the creation of new neurons. This occurs in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb. Dendritic growth can be seen in human adults and even older adults.
Physical appearance changes in late adulthood
- wrinkles
- age spots
- getting short
- bodies sag
Movement changes in late adulthood
- moving more slowly
- increase falling risk
exercise to increase mobility
Vision changes in late adulthood
- take longer to adjust to light changes
- tolerance for glare decreases
- visual field becomes smaller
- can’t see far away
- depth perception declines
Glaucoma
a buildup of fluid in the eye that causes pressure which results in damage to the optic nerve
- can be treated with eyes drops
What factors are associated with a lower risk of heart failure
Lower risk of heart failure is associated with
- no smoking exercising
-limiting alcohol drinking
-avoiding obesity
By what percent does lung capacity drop from age 20 to 80 under normal conditions?
drops 40% between 20 and 80 years old
What can be done to improve lung functioning in older adults?
Older adults can strengthen their diaphragm with exercises to help them improve their lung functioning
What exercises do gerontologists recommend for older adults
- strength training
- aerobic activity
- stretching
exercise is linked to increased longevity, improves immune system functioning in older adults, and improves cellular functioning
Selective attention
focusing on a specific aspect of something that is important while ignoring the other things that do not matter
- decreases
Sustatin attention
ability to focus attention on a certain stimulus for a long period of time
Explicit memory
memory of facts and experiences that one knows and can talk about
- decline with aging
Implicit memory
memory without conscious thought, involving skills and routines
- less likely to be affected by aging
Episodic memory
remembrance of information about the where and when of personal life events
- declines more
Semantic memory
a person’s knowledge about the world
- ability to remember specific declines
Working memory
similar to short term memory but more focused on memory as a place for mental work
- declines during late adulthood
- can be improved
Final stage of Erikson’s stage
Integrity vs despair
looks back on their life and has feelings of satisfaction, a positive outlook, and overall feeling of life well spent
or
look back on their life and have feelings of negativity or regret and overall negative feelings of their life
Socioemotional selectivity theory
an individual knows their time is running out so they start to change who they spend their time with
- keep close connections that they have and prioritize meaningful relationships
- motivated by 2 goals (knowledge related and emotional)
Selective optimization with compensation theory
Successful aging that is connected to a process of selection, optimization, and compensation
- love gardening but you are getting old and your body hurts –> use a stool to help your back
Brain death
A person is brain dead when all electrical activity of the brain has ceased for a specified period of time
higher cortical functions and the lower brain stem functions when determining brain death
Higher cortical functioning- involved with personality
Lower cortical functioning- involved with breathing and heart rate
Advance care planning
gives a clear plan of what they want the end of their life to look like if they cannot communicate themself
Living will
it makes their advance care planning known in legal writing
Kubler-Ross stages of dying
denial and isolation
anger
bargaining
depression
acceptance
Denial and isolation
having trouble accepting the fact that you are dying
- this can’t be happening to me
Anger
having anger that you are dying
- why me
Bargaining
trying to make a deal with god to give yourself more time to live
- i’ll be clean for the rest of my life if you give more time to leave
Depression
one accepts the fact that they are dying and goes into a depression for a period of time
Acceptance
one truly makes peace with the face that they are dying
Criticism of Kubler-Ross
- not been shown in research
- does not mention that everyone experiences death in a different way
What should conversations with a dying person focus on
- include the fact that they are dying and informing significant others
- being on the same page and being open about what is about to happen
- living the rest of the life that they have and their strengths
Grief
the emotional numbness, disbelief, separation anxiety, despair, sadness, and loneliness that accompany the loss of someone we love
- pinning the need to recover the lost person
- separation anxiety
Complicated grief
when an individual who has lost someone that they love has feelings of dumbness or feel detached
- life is nothing without the deceased
- no purpose in life
Disenfranchised grief
a death that is not publicly acknowledged so they cannot openly grieve
