EXAM 4 LECTURE NOTES

1. EXAM 4 LECTURE NOTES CHAPTERS 13, 14, 15, 16,17

2. Chapter 13: Physical and cognitive development in middle adulthood • (344-361)

3. 1. Defining middle adulthood (346) • Approximately 40 to 60-65 years of age. • Declining physical skills and expanding responsibilities

4. Balancing work and relationship responsibilities • With physical and psychological changes associated with aging

5. 2. Middle adulthood likely includes: • Death of parents • Last child leaving home • Becoming grandparent

6. Preparing for retirement • Actual retirement

7. Physical development • Skin begins to wrinkle and sag • Loss of fat and collagen in underlying tissues

8. Small localized areas of pigmentation result in aging spots • Thinning and graying hair • Fingernails and toenails thicker and more brittle

9. 3. Height and weight (347) • Begin to lose height • Men: average ½ inch, from 30-50; ¾ inch from 50-70 • Women: up to 2 inches from 20-75

10. Many people gain weight • Average 20% body fat during midlife • Being overweight or obese critical health problem in midlife

11. Increases likelihood for developing hypertension, diabetes, digestive disorders

12. 4. Strength, joints, bones (348) • Sarcopenia: age-related loss of muscle mass and strength • Exercise reduces rate of developing sarcopenia

13. Cartilage, tendons and ligaments become less efficient • Decline in bone density begins mid-late thirties and accelerates in 50’s

14. 5. Vision and hearing • Accommodation of eye declines most between 40-59 • Difficulty focusing on near objects

15. Hearing begins decline about age 40 • First lose sensitivity to high pitch sounds

16. 6. Cardiovascular system • High blood pressure and high cholesterol noticeable • Fatty deposits and scar tissue develop on walls of blood vessels • Cholesterol collects on wall of blood vessels • Result in reduce blood flow to brain and heart

17. Exercise and healthy eating including fruits, vegetables and grains delay cardiovascular problems

18. 7. Lungs (349) • About age 55, proteins in lung tissue become less elastic • Gradual stiffening of connective tissue in chest wall combines • result in decrease in lung capacity to bring oxygen to veins • Smokers have especially low lung capacity

19. 8. Sleep • Total hours of sleep remains stable • Beginning in 40’s, increasing frequency of wakeful periods • Less frequent stage 4 (very deep) sleep

20. 9. Health and disease • Decrease frequency of accidents, colds, allergies for some • Stress increasingly a factor in disease, especially in immune system and cardiovascular system

21. Mortality rates (350) • Chronic diseases more likely cause of death than infectious diseases • Most likely a single, identifiable condition • Heart disease, cancer and cerebrovascular disease

22. 10. Sexuality • Menopause: usually late 40’s or early 50’s in women • Menstrual flow stops • Timing and side effects vary widely • Side effects result from decline in estrogen • Include hot flashes, nausea, fatigue and rapid heartbeat

23. (351) • Side effects experiences vary widely, especially across different cultural and ethnic groups • May not be a negative experience for most women • Loss of fertility is important marker

24. Hormone replacement therapy controversial • Consists of forms of estrogen and progestin • Some HRT recipients developed increased risk of stroke and dementia • HRT study found lower risk of hip fractures and no increase in risk for heart attack or breast cancer

25. Hormonal changes in middle-aged men • Modest decline in sexual hormone level and activity • May be more psychological than physical • (352) • Gradually reduced sex drive • Erections less full and less frequent

26. Erectile dysfunction may be psychological and/or physical • Smoking, diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol contribute to erectile problems

27. 11. Sexual attitudes and behavior • Activity less frequent compared to early adulthood • Increasing career interests, family matters, lower energy levels, changing activity routines contribute

28. 12. Fluid and crystallized intelligence • (353) • Fluid: ability to reason abstractly declines in midlife • Crystallized: accumulated information and verbal skills increase in midlife • Data from cross-sectional study (Horn and Donaldson, 1980)

29. Differences may have been because of cohort effects • Whether data collected in cross-sectional or longitudinal study affects results on crystallized and fluid intelligence

30. 13. Seattle Longitudinal study beginning in 1956 • (354) • Schaie,1996; Willis & Schaie, 2005) • Tested vocabulary, verbal memory, spatial orientation, inductive reasoning, perceptual speed, numerical ability • Highest level functioning in midlife for first 4 areas tested

31. Two abilities showed decline in midlife: numerical ability and perceptual speed • Schaie’s results indicate cognitive funtioning peaks in midlife, not early adulthood

32. 14. Information processing • Speed of information processing • Declines beginning in early adulthood and continues in midlife • Commonly measured using reaction-time task • Press a button when a light appears

33. 15. Memory • (355) • Denise Park (2001) proposed more time required to learn new information beginning in midlife • Slowdown may be linked to changes in working memory (short-term memory)

34. Working memory allows manipulating and assembling information • especially - • making decisions, • solving problems, • understanding written and spoken language

35. Memory decline most likely if not use strategies such as organization and imagery • Can improve memory in midlife if organize (phone) numbers in different categories or imagine the numbers representing different objects in a familiar location

36. 16. Expertise • Most evident in midlife, possibly because of time needed to develop • Involves highly organized knowledge and understanding of a particular domain

37. Experts more likely to -- • rely on accumulated experience to solve problems • Process information automatically • Analyze information efficiently • Devise better strategies • Use shortcuts to solve problems • Be creative and flexible in solving problems

38. 17. Careers, work and leisure • Work in midlife • Role of work usually central in midlife • Middle-aged adults also may have multiple financial responsibilities, • Often reach peak in position and earnings

39. Career paths are diverse • Some have stable careers • Others move in and out of work force • Age discrimination common in midlife • Midlife often a time of evaluation, assessment and reflection about employment

40. Midlife employment issues: • Recognize limitations in career progress • Decide whether to change jobs or career fields • Decide whether to change balance in work and family responsibilities • Plan for retirement

41. 18. Career challenges and changes • Challenges include - • Globalization of work • Rapid technological developments • Organizational downsizing • Early retirement • Health care

42. Globalization has resulted in a workforce of employees with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds • Increased computer technology means increased computer literacy necessary for effective competition in the workforce

43. Increased frequency of restructuring, downsizing and outsourcing - • Result: increased incentive to retire early

44. Midlife career changes vary in motivation • Some self-related: • desire for change in type or amount of responsibility • adjustment of idealistic hopes to realistic possibilities • Timing of reaching occupational goals

45. 19. Leisure- (357) • Pleasant activities after work when free to pursue interests of own choosing • Important during midlife • May have increased free time and money • Expanded leisure opportunities • Important in preparing for retirement

46. 20. Religion and meaning in life • Religion, spirituality and adult life • Important to many adults across most cultures and ethnic groups • wide diversity of influence for individuals

47. Religion, spirituality and health • For mainstream, either no link or positive effect • Why a connection with health? • Lifestyle issues - • Religious individuals have lower level drug use

48. Religious/spiritual social networks - • People with strong social support networks tend to have fewer health problems • Coping with stress - • Religion and spirituality offer source of comfort and support

49. 21. Life meaning • Viktor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning, 1984) • Emphasized individual uniqueness and life finiteness • Certainty of death adds meaning to life • -

50. (359) • 3 distinct human qualities: • Spirituality, freedom and responsibility • Spirituality = human uniqueness of spirit, philosophy and mind • Recommends questioning existence, life goals, and life meaning