PSYCH 210- CHP 13- Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
Many of today's 50-yr olds are in better shape, more alert, and more productive than 40-yr olds. -looks like middle age is *starting later and lasting longer* for increasing numbers of active, healthy productive people.
answer
-*Age Identity*-"to which age group do you belong? and "How old do you feel?" reflect the concept of age identity. -a consistent finding is that as adults become older their age identity is younger than their chronological age. -a study found that almost half of individuals 65 to 69 consider themselves middle-aged
question
todays population is made up of middle-aged and older adults. In the past, the age structure of the population could be represented by a pyramid, with the largest percentage of population in the childhood yrs
answer
Today, the percentages of people at diff. ages in the lifespan is more similar, creating what is called *Rectangularization* of the age distribution.
question
*Middle Adulthood*
answer
developmental period that begins at approx. 40 yrs old and extends to about 60 to 65 yrs of age (40-60 or 65)
question
In sum, middle adulthood involves:
answer
balancing work and relationship responsibilities in the midst of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging
question
*Late Midlife*
answer
age period of 55 to 65
question
late midlife more likely to be characterized by the death of a parent, the last child leaving the parental home, becoming a grandparent, preparing for retirement, or in actual retirement
answer
Many ppl in this age range experience their first confrontation with health problems -overall, although gains and losses may balance each other in early midlife, losses may begin to outweigh gains for many individuals in late midlife
question
PHYSICAL CHANGES
answer
the rates at which adults age vary considerably from one individual to another -GENETIC makeup and lifestyle factors play imp roles in whether chronic disease will appear and when
question
Visible Signs of aging in Middle Adulthood
answer
one of the most visible signs of physical changes in middle adulthood is physical appearance. -first outwardly noticeable signs of aging usually are apparent by the forties or fifties. -wrinkles, graying or loss of hair, and age spots begin to appear
question
HEIGHT and WEIGHT
answer
Individuals lose height in middle age, and many gain weight -on avg. from 30 to 50 yrs of age, men lose about half and inch in height; may lose another 3/4 inches from 50 to 70 yrs of age -Height loss for women can be as much as 2 inches over a 50-yr span from 25 to 75 yrs of age -decrease in height is due to bone loss in the vertebrae -gain weight
question
*Sarcopenia*
answer
refers to the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength
question
VISION and HEARING
answer
ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina-declines sharply between 40 and 59 yrs of age. -individuals begin to have difficulty viewing close objects (wear glasses or bifocals) -hearing can also start to decline by age of 40 -sensitivity to high pitches usually declines first (men seem to lose it sooner than women) -(hearing aids have improved hearing dramatically)
question
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
answer
midlife- time when high blood pressure and high cholesterol take many individuals by suprise - cardiovascular disease increases considerably in middle age
question
*Metabolic Syndrome*
answer
a condition characterized by hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance.
question
Chronic stress exposure is linked to metabolic syndrome
answer
Metabolic syndrome often LEADS to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease -physical activity helps reduce risk of developing cardiovascular disease -high body mass index (BMI) in adolescence was related to metabolic syndrome in middle-aged men and women
question
LUNGS and SLEEP
answer
little change in lung capacity through most of middle adulthood -some aspects of sleep become problematic -beginning in 40s-wakeful periods are more frequent and there is less of the deepest type of sleep (stage 4)
question
HEALTH and DISEASE
answer
frequency of accidents declines, and individuals are less susceptible to colds and allergies than in childhood -for some disease and health problems become more common in middle adulthood than in earlier life stages -Stress is increasingly being found to be a factor in disease
question
MORTALITY RATES
answer
infectious disease was the main cause of death until the middle of the twentieth century -infectious disease rates declined -chronic disorders increased -characterized by a slow onset and a long duration -in middle age, many deaths are caused by a single, readily identifiable condition, whereas in old age death is more likely to result from the combined effects of several chronic conditions -since 2005, more individuals 45 to 64 yrs of age in the U.S died of cancer, followed by cardiovascular disease
question
*Climacteric*
answer
term used to describe the midlife transition in which fertility declines
question
*Menopause*
answer
the time in middle age, usually in the late forties or even early fifties when a women's menstrual periods cease completely
question
in menopause the production of estrogen declines dramatically, and this produces uncomfortable symptoms in women:
answer
"hot flashes", nausea, fatigue, and rapid heatrbeat -most women do NOT hv severe physical or psychological problems related to menopause
question
do men have male menopause?
answer
most men do NOT lose their capacity to father children, although there usually is a modest decline in their sexual hormone level and activity -testosterone production begins to decline about 1% a yr during middle adulthood but men dont lose their fertility
question
*Crystallized Intelligence*
answer
an individuals accumulated information and verbal skills, continues to increase in middle adulthood
question
*Fluid Intelligence*
answer
the ability to reason abstractly, which steadily declines from middle adulthood on (according to Horn)
question
Main focus of the *Seattle Longitudinal Study*
answer
been on individual change and stability in intelligence
question
6 areas of mental abilities assessed in Seattle Longitudinal Study
answer
1) verbal comprehension 2) Verbal Memory 3) Numeric ability 4) Spatial orientation 5) inductive reasoning 6) perceptual speed
question
verbal comprehension
answer
ability to understand ideas expressed in words
question
verbal memory
answer
ability to encode and recall meaningful language units such as a list of words
question
Numeric ability
answer
ability to perform simple mathematical computations (addition, sub, multiplication)
question
spatial orientation
answer
ability to visualize and mentally rotate stimuli in two and three dimensional space
question
Inductive reasoning
answer
ability to recognize and understand patterns and relationships in a problem and use this understanding to solve other instances of the problem
question
perceptual speed
answer
ability to quickly and accurately make simple discriminations in visual stimuli
question
highest level of functioning for 4 of the 6 intellectual abilities occurred in middle adulthood yrs
answer
both men and women, peak performance on *verbal ability, verbal memory, inductive reasoning, and spatial orientation* was attained in middle age -only two of the six abilities *numeric ability and perceptual ability* showed a decline in middle age -Perceptual speed showed the earliest decline starting in early adulthood
question
peak time for aspects of both crystallized intelligence (verbal ability) and fluid intelligence (spatial orientation and inductive reasoning)
answer
from mid-seventies through mid-nineties, all cognitive abilities showed considerable decline
question
Work in Midlife
answer
Middle-aged adults may reach their peak in position and earnings -they may also be saddled with multiple financial burdens including rent or mortgage payment, medical bills, home repairs, college tuition, loans to family members , or bills from nursing homes for aging parents
question
Schaie's seattle longitudinal study indicates that *perceptual speed* begins to *decline* in early adulthood and continues to decline in middle adulthood
answer
A common way to assess speed of information is through a *reaction-time* task, in which individuals simply press a button as soon as they see a light appear
question
the slowdown in learning new information has been linked to changes in *Working Memory*
answer
the mental "workbench" where individuals manipulate and assemble info when making decisions, solving problems, and comprehending written and spoken language -working memory capacity in late middle age- the amount of info that can be immediately retrieved and used-becomes more limited
question
because it takes so long to attain, expertise often shows up more in middle adulthood than in early adulthood
answer
*Expertise*= hving extensive, highly organized knowledge and understanding of a particular domain
question
*Leisure*
answer
refers to the pleasant time after work when individuals are free to pursue activities and interests of their own choosing-hobbies, sports, or reading
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New