middle adulthood

Question 1

the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age

Answer 1

middle adulthood

Question 2

middle adulthood involves the balancing of what components

Answer 2

balancing work and relationship responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging

Question 3

biological functioning may decline in middle adulthood, however…

Answer 3

sociocultural supports such as education, career, and relationships may peak in middle adulthood

Question 4

middle age is a pivotal period because…

Answer 4

it is a time of balancing growth and decline, linking earlier and later periods of development and connecting younger and older generations.

Question 5

visible signs of aging

Answer 5

• skin wrinkle and sag because of the loss of fat and collagen in underlying tissues
• small, localized areas of pigmentation in the skin produce age spots, especially in areas that are exposed to sunlight
• hair becomes thinner and grayer due to a lower replacement rate and a decline in melanin production

Question 6

height and weight in middle adulthood

Answer 6

lose height and many gain weight

Question 7

reason for decrease in height

Answer 7

bone loss in the vertebrae

Question 8

age-related loss of muscle mass and strength

Answer 8

sarcopenia

Question 9

the ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina—experiences its sharpest decline between 40 and 59 years of age

Answer 9

accomodation

Question 10

middle age and decline in hearing

Answer 10

sensitivity to high pitches usually declines first; the ability to hear low-pitched sounds does not seem to decline much in middle adulthood.

Question 11

2 forms of cholesterol

Answer 11

low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
high-density lipoprotein (HDL)

Question 12

a condition characterized by hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance

Answer 12

metabolic syndrome

Question 13

aspect of cognitive processes that declines in early adulthood and continues to decline in middle adulthood

Answer 13

perceptual speed

Question 14

a common way to assess speed of information processing

Answer 14

reaction-time task

Question 15

decline in speed of processing information in adults occurs at different levels of analysis which are…

Answer 15

cognitive, neuroanotomical, and neurochemical

Question 16

it is either nonexistent or minimal in the early part of middle age but does occur in the latter part of middle age or in late adulthood.

Answer 16

memory decline

Question 17

the slowdown in learning new information has been
linked to…

Answer 17

changes in working memory

Question 18

the blame for declining memory in late middle age lies in

Answer 18

result of information overload that builds up as we go through the adult years.

Question 19

involves having extensive, highly organized knowledge and understanding of a particular domain.

Answer 19

expertise

Question 20

erikson proposed that middle aged adulhood face what dilemma

Answer 20

generativity vs. stagnation

Question 21

encompasses adults’ desire to leave legacies of themselves to the next generation

Answer 21

generativity

Question 22

develops when individuals sense that they have done nothing for the next generation (sometimes called “self-absorption”)

Answer 22

stagnation

Question 23

a crisis where the middle-aged adult is suspended between the past and the future, trying to cope with this gap that threatens life’s continuity.

Answer 23

midlife

Question 24

one-third of midlife crisis cases is composed of

Answer 24

triggered by life events such as a job loss, financial problems,
or illness

Question 25

parents undergo adjustments as a result of the child’s absence

Answer 25

empty nest syndrome

Question 26

three grandparenting styles

Answer 26

formal, fun-seeking, distant

Question 27

the grandparent performed what was considered to
be a proper and prescribed role showed a strong interest
in their grandchildren but were careful not to give child-rearing advice

Answer 27

formal style

Question 28

the grand grandparent was informal and playful. grandchildren were a source of leisure activity; mutual satisfaction was emphasized

Answer 28

fun-seeking style

Question 29

the grandparent was benevolent but interaction was infrequent

Answer 29

distant style

Question 30

because of the responsibilities they have for their adolescent and young adult children as well as their aging parents, middle-aged adults were described as the

Answer 30

“sandwich”, “squeezed”, or “overload” generation

Question 31

in which the middle generation alternates attention between the demands of grown children and aging parents; alternate view of “sandwich”

Answer 31

“pivot” generation