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PSYCH 223 > Middle Adulthood > Flashcards

Middle Adulthood Flashcards

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1
Q

Baby Boomers

A

postwar babies whose births between 1946 and 1965 spiked the Canadian population by 11%

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2
Q

Inter-Individual Variability

A

the notion that people do not age in the same way or at the same rate

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3
Q

Presbyopia

A

loss of elasticity in the lens of the eye, which makes it harder to focus on nearby objects

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4
Q

Presbucusis

A

loss of hearing over time

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5
Q

Metastases

A

new tumors formed by the transference of malignant or cancerous cells to other parts of the body

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6
Q

Arteriosclerosis

A

hardening of the arteries

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7
Q

Atherosclerosis

A

the buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) on the lining of arteries

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8
Q

Leukocytes

A

white blood cells

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9
Q

Menopause

A

the cessation of menstruation

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10
Q

Perimenopause

A

the beginning of menopause, usually characterized by 3 to 11 months of amenorrhea or irregular periods

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11
Q

Climacteric

A

the gradual decline in reproductive capacity of the ovaries, generally lasting around 15 years

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12
Q

Sexual Dysfunctions

A

persistent or recurrent problems in becoming sexually aroused or reaching orgasm

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13
Q

Multidirectionality

A

in the context of cognitive development, the notion that some aspects of intellectual functioning may improve while others remain stable or decline

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14
Q

Plasticity

A

the capability of intellectual abilities to be modified, as opposed to being absolutely fixed

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15
Q

Crystallized Intelligence

A

a cluster of knowledge and skills that depend on accumulated information and experience, awareness of social conventions, and good judgement

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16
Q

Fluid Intelligence

A

a person’s skills at processing information

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17
Q

Generativity

A

the ability to generate or produce, as in bearing children or contributing to society

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18
Q

Stagnation

A

the state of no longer developing, growing, or advancing

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19
Q

Social Clock

A

the social norms that guide our judgment regarding the age-related “appropriateness” of certain behaviors

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20
Q

Midlife Transition

A

a psychological shift into middle adulthood that is theorized to occur between the ages of 40 and 45, as people begin to believe they have more to look back on than to look forward to

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21
Q

Midlife Crisis

A

a time of dramatic self-doubt and anxiety, during which people sense the passing of their youth and become concerned with their own aging and mortality

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22
Q

Empty Nest Syndrome

A

a feeling of loneliness or loss of purpose that parent, especially mothers, are theorized to experience when the youngest child leaves home

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23
Q

“Big Five” Personality Traits

A

basic personality traits derived from contemporary statistical methods: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism (emotional stability), and openness to experience

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24
Q

Sandwich Generation

A

the term for middle-ages people who need to meet the demands of both their own children and their aging parents

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25
Q

How does the brain and nervous system develop in middle adulthood?

A

synapses continue to form, but more synapses are lost than are formed

areas that develop last are the ones that decline first, frontal and parietal lobes begin to decline first, exception of regions in the left temporal lobe associated with language

middle-age brains respond more slowly than those of younger adults, reaction time increases, cognitive processing is less selective, it compensates by activating more areas

less ability to control attention process

such differences are likely due to both primary and secondary aging

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26
Q

What is the premenopausal phase of menopause?

A

around late 30”s, early 40’s

estrogen levels begin to fluctuate and decline

anovulatory cycles leads to lower progesterone levels

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27
Q

What is the perimenopause phase of menopause?

A

late 40’s and early 50’s

estrogen levels decline leading to hot flashes

transition phase can last up to 6 years

3 to 11 months of amenorrhea

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28
Q

What is the postmenopausal phase of menopause?

A

estrogen and progesterone drops to low levels and menstruation ceases

women produce less vaginal lubrification and vaginal walls thin

findings of psychological effects are mixed: researchers believe menopause by itself does not cause psychological issues

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29
Q

What are male reproductive system issues?

A

extremely gradual and slow

quantity of viable sperm produced declines slightly

enlargement of prostate gland

very slow drop in testosterone

erectile dysfunction

testosterone and related drugs: benefits are not proven and maybe increase risk of prostate cancer

30
Q

What is sexual activity in middle adulthood?

A

remain sexually active but frequency drops

cannot be explained only by drop in hormone levels

psychosocial aspects need to be factored too: duration of relationship, psychological pressure to perform, chronic diseases, etc.

women produce less vagina lubrification and vaginal walls thin

31
Q

What is sexual dysfunction in middle adulthood?

A

erectile dysfunction: loss of muscle tissue, clogged arteries, fatigue, performance anxiety, lessening of sexual desire

lack of interest in sex, painful sex, lack of pleasure, inability to reach orgasm

32
Q

What is osteoporosis?

A

loss of calcium from bones

loss of bone density

earlier in women because of menopause

33
Q

How can osteoporosis be prevented?

A

regular exercises through adult life

get enough calcium and vitamin D in early adulthood

34
Q

What is treatment for osteoporosis?

A

hormone replacement therapy

bone-building medications

35
Q

What is presbyopia?

A

loss of visual acuity

lens of the eye thickens and elasticity declines

36
Q

What is presbycusis?

A

loss in the ability to hear sounds of high and very low frequencies

auditory nerves and inner ear structure gradually degenerates

37
Q

What are changes to skin and hair in middle adulthood?

A

hair begins to grey and hair loss accelerates

wrinkles start to appear (mainly due to UV rays)

38
Q

How does lean body mass decreases in middle adulthood?

A

fat replaces it

loss in strength

basal metabolic rate declines

39
Q

How do lung and heart muscles shrink in middle adulthood?

A

decline in aerobic capacity and max heart rate

40
Q

How does blood-sugar tolerance decline in middle adulthood?

A

pancreas need to produce more insulin to achieve same effect

41
Q

What is health in middle adulthood?

A

annual check-ups

more chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, arthritis), varies with racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and sex differences

expectations about aging impacts health-promoting behaviors

shift from accidents to diseases as main cause of death (cancer and CVD)

42
Q

What is cancer in middle adulthood?

A

2 in 5 Canadians will develop cancer

physical exercise and diet matters, healthy body weight reduces risk, red and processed meat increases risk

treatment is aggressive

43
Q

What is CVD in middle adulthood?

A

most commonly results from arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, insufficient blood flow

personality type A is related to CVD: competitive, hostile, sense of time urgency

44
Q

How does stress impact health in middle adulthood?

A

suppresses the immune system

constrict the blood vessels to the heart, increases likelihood of heart attack

related to high cholesterol, increases risk of CVD

45
Q

What is mental health in middle adulthood?

A

mental health improves with age

self-esteem peaks around age 60

depression is the most common mental health issue in middle-age adults: genetics, living in poverty, and environmental stresses

substance abuse is also a growing issue in middle adulthood

46
Q

What is the Baltes model of cognitive aging?

A

selective optimization with compensation

focus on strengths and compensate for weaknesses

47
Q

What is the Denney model of cognitive aging?

A

exercised skills and abilities will achieve a higher peak

might decline at same rate but since we start higher, we are still higher than average

48
Q

What is health and cognitive functioning in middle adulthood?

A

people who had coronary heart disease or high blood pressure, showed earlier and larger cognitive declines

increased physical activity leads to improved cognition

49
Q

What are changes in intellectual abilities in middle adulthood?

A

multi-directionality: verbal intelligence remains stable, performance on timed spatially related activities declines

interindividual variability: use it or lose it

plasticity: able to change throughout all lifespan

processing speed: reaction time and perceptual speed decreases, changes are measurable but not dramatic

50
Q

What is cognitive competence in middle adulthood?

A

development of expertise: developed through attention and practice

experts rely on experience and intuition: beginners rely on formal procedures and rules

behavior becomes automatic: do not need too much though, compensate for losses in reaction time

better strategies when compares to non-experts: use of different neural pathways to solve problems

51
Q

What are the changes in short-term and working memory in middle adulthood?

A

the capacity of using it efficiently declines with aging

52
Q

What are the changes in long-term memory in middle adulthood?

A

semantic memory: general knowledge, remains stable or even increases

episodic memory: remember personal events, declines but use of cues can compensate for it

53
Q

What are the changes in procedural memory in middle adulthood?

A

motor memory

can remain stable for a lifetime

54
Q

What is creativity in middle adulthood?

A

best scientific work and productivity around age 40: more are still on their best through their 40’s and 50’s

among artists best work can come even later in life: music, mathematic, and physics more common in young adults, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, decision making are better in middle adulthood

how to keep up?: accept own creative idiosyncrasies, recognize value of accumulated knowledge and experience

what does it take?: divergent thinking, multiple solutions to problems that have no clear answer

55
Q

What are Goleman’s Four Stages of Creativity?

A

preparation: important info is gathered

incubation: digesting the info

illumination: solution becomes clear (“aha!” moment)

translation: solution is applied and adjustments are made

56
Q

What are mature learners in educational settings?

A

apt to be highly motivated

more likely to find the subject matter interesting for its own sake

may pursue goals they were not able to realize in their youth

57
Q

What is Erikson’s psychosocial theory of generativity versus stagnation stage?

A

success: establishing and guiding the next generation, leaving a legacy, related to satisfaction in life and work, and emotional well-being

fail: sense of stagnation, focus on trivialities of life

58
Q

What is generativity related to?

A

intrinsically rewarding work

civic engagement

59
Q

What is the relationship between generativity and the Indigenous population?

A

generativity as a form of resilience

opportunity to act responsibly and lovingly towards grandchildren

60
Q

What is Vaillant’s revision to Erikson’s psychosocial theory of generativity versus stagnation?

A

keeper of meaning

preserving institutions and values of their culture

adverse childhood experiences as risk factor

protective factors: resiliency and effective coping (e.g. sublimation and thought suppression)

61
Q

How is the midlife crisis a change in a person’s perspective?

A

from “time since birth” to “time left till death”

no time left to achieve “the dream”

but recent research does not show evidence for a mid-life crisis

medicine wheel: caring for children and honoring the elders

62
Q

What is the life events approach to midlife crisis?

A

what you’re going through determines if they have a crisis

normative and non-normative events

a women having her first baby at 21 would experience the same psychological forces as a woman having her first baby at 39 (going through similar things even though they are different ages)

role conflict and role strain (my daughter wants to do dance but I need to pay my moms medical bills)

63
Q

What is continuity and change in personality and middle adulthood?

A

Big 5 follow a general pattern of stability: agreeableness and conscientiousness increase and then start declining after the 70’s, openness, extraversion, neuroticism decline throughout adulthood

tolerance for risk-taking and impulsivity declines

people become less negative over time

personality stability is related to better cognitive performance and psychological and physical well-being, underlying neural correlates

64
Q

What are partnerships, friendships, and sibling in middle adulthood?

A

increases in marital satisfaction and stability: less conflicts, increased sense of control, skilled diplomacy, less likely to get divorce than younger adults, middle-aged women cope better with divorce than younger ones

fewer friends, but still close and intimate: positive correlation with psychological health and well-being, sex differences in friendships as in early adulthood

most middle-aged adults have a sibling: most are close, but relationship tends to mimic the one in childhood

65
Q

What is the “sandwich generation”?

A

multigenerational caregivers, care for offspring and aging parents

30% of Canadian caregivers

caregiver burden

66
Q

What are the different types of grandparenting?

A

companionate relationship: most common, frequent contact and warm interactions

remote relationship: do not see their grandchildren often due to remoteness caused by physical distance

involved relationship: involved in the everyday care or have close emotional ties with them

67
Q

What is the quality of work life in middle adulthood?

A

continue to provide social benefits, a sense of identity and self-esteem

plateau in promotions but job satisfaction is at its peak

more job flexibility and sense of control, careers become more stable, shift in goal orientation from career growth to personal fulfillment, nature of work, job stability

less likely to experience burnout, especially if engaged in work in a meaningful way

capable of keeping high job performance and productivity: selective optimization with compensation, narrow range of activities, exercise crucial abilities, adopt pragmatic strategies to overcome specific obstacles

68
Q

What are involuntary career changers?

A

anxiety, depression, substance abuse, risk for physical illness

protective factors: good coping skills, social support, counselling

marital relationships deteriorate

re-employment brings balance back

69
Q

What are voluntary career changers?

A

leave for personal reasons, better sense of control

shifts into related fields

but can also be stressful

70
Q

What is unemployment?

A

ageism

decline in well-being

clinical depression

early retirement (source of stress, might be tight on money)

71
Q

What are the types of people in retire?

A

wealth builders: want to keep work to gain money

anxious idealists: want to do volunteering but don’t feel they have money

empowered trailblazers: can retire

stretched and stressed: can’t retire

leisure lifers: relaxed

PSYCH 223 (10 decks)

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