Module 16: Adulthood

Question 1

emerging adulthood

Answer 1

Includes the time from 18 to the mid-twenties; a not-yet-settled phase of life
Characterized by not yet assuming adult
responsibilities and independence and feelings of being “in-between”
May involve living with and still being emotionally dependent on parents

Question 2

early adulthood

Answer 2

Muscular strength, reaction time, sensory keenness, and cardiac output peak in the mid-twenties.

Question 3

middle adulthood

Answer 3

Physical vigor is more closely linked to health and exercise than age.
Physical decline is gradual
Gradual decline in fertility (Menopause, Gradual decline in sperm count, testosterone level, erection, and ejaculation speed)

Question 4

late adulthood

Answer 4

Telomere tips shorten, leading to aging.
Visual sharpness, distance perception, and stamina diminish; pupils shrink and become less transparent.
Immune system weakens; susceptibility to life-threatening disease increases.
Neural processing lag occurs; brain regions related to memory begin to atrophy; speech slows.
Exercise slows aging and stimulates brain cell development and neural connections.

Question 5

How does memory correlate with aging?

Answer 5

Early adulthood: Peak time for learning and
memory
Middle adulthood: Greater decline in ability to recall rather than recognize memory
Late adulthood: Better retention of meaningful than of meaningless information; longer word production time
End of life: Terminal decline; typically occurs during last 4 years of life

Question 6

neurocognitive disorders

Answer 6

acquired disorders marked by cognitive deficits. related to alzheimers, brain injury, disease or substance abuse. results in erosion of mental abilities that is not typically of normal aging.

Question 7

alzheimer’s disease

Answer 7

Marked by neural plaques. Often has an onset after age 80. Leads to a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities.

Question 8

transition

Answer 8

events that have lasting impact. midlife transition occurs in the early forties.
social clock varies from era to era and from culture to culture.

Question 9

commitments in adulthood

Answer 9

marriage/divorce, work, future generations

Question 10

grief

Answer 10

grief is severe when the loved one’s death comes suddenly and before the expected time.
grief reactions vary by culture and by individuals within cultures.

Question 11

dementia

Answer 11

frontal lobe(judgment, emotions, thinking) deterioration.