Transcript Slide 1
Psychology 203
Human Development
Physical and Cognitive
Development
In
Middle Adulthood
Chapter 15
11/05/2005
Part taken from Human Development 9e
1
Middle Age
A Cultural Construct
Middle adulthood was least studied
part of life span
“Middle age” came into use 1900
because of lengthening of life
expectancy
Only present in industrial societies
No consensus on specific biological or
social events that mark beginning or
end
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
2
Middle Age
Text book defines middle age in
chronological terms (40-65 years)
Meaning of middle age varies with
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Health
Gender
Ethnicity
Socioeconomic status
Cohort (group or followers)
Culture
Part taken from Human Development 9e
3
Middle Age
Physical Development
“Use it or Lose it!” – research suggest that
this is true
The more middle age people do, the more
they can do
Physical changes are direct results of
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Biological aging
Genetic makeup
Behavioral factors
Lifestyle factors
Part taken from Human Development 9e
4
Physical Development
Sensory and Psychomotor Functioning
Young adulthood – middle years
Sensory and motor changes are small and
gradual
Age-related visual problems in five areas
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Near vision (reading moving sings)
Sensitivity to light
Visual search (locating a sign)
Speed of processing visual information
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Physical Development
Sensory and Psychomotor Functioning
Lens of eye
40 and older need reading glasses
(presby means “with age”)
becomes progressively less flexible
Ability to shift focus diminishes
Bifocals and Trifocals glasses
Hearing loss speeds up at age 50 and
beyond
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
6
Physical Development
Sensory and Psychomotor Functioning
Sensitivity decline in midlife
Women tend to retain senses longer than men
Lose sensitivity to touch after 45
Strength and coordination decline
Sensitivity to taste
Sensitivity to smell
Loss of muscle fiber replaced by fat
Some muscle strength by age 45
10-15% strength may be gone by 60
First weakening in back and leg muscles, then arm and
shoulder (in age 60’s)
Manual dexterity generally becomes less efficient
after 30’s
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
7
Physical Development
Structural and Systemic Changes
Changes in appearance
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50-60’s skin becomes less taut and smooth
Hair becomes thinner do to slowed replacement
rate (collagen molecules become rigid and elastin
fibers more brittle
Hair becomes greyer because of melanin decline
Perspire less because number of sweat glands
decreases
Bone density decreases becoming more thin and
brittle (women twice as rapidly then men)
Part taken from Human Development 9e
8
Physical Development
Structural and Systemic Changes
Heart begins to pump more slowly and
irregularly in mid 50’s
By 65, may loose up to 40% of aerobic
power
Vital capacity (lung volume of air)
diminish at age 40 (40% decline by
age 70)
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
9
Physical Development
Sexuality and Reproductive Functioning
Female
Male
Hormonal change
Drop in estrogen and
progesterone
Drop in testosterone
Symptoms
Hot flashes, vaginal dryness,
urinary dysfunction
undetermined
Sexual changes
Less intense arousal, less
frequent and quicker orgasms
Loss of psychological arousal,
less frequent erections,
slower orgasms, longer
recovery, increased risk of
erectile dysfunctions
Reproductive capacity
Ends
Continues; some decrease in
fertility may occur
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
10
Physical Development
Sexuality and Reproductive Functioning
Menopause
Physical
Vaginal
Urinary
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Dryness
Burning
Itching
Infections
Infections
Dysfunction (tissue shrinkage)
Hot flashes
Part taken from Human Development 9e
11
Physical Development
Sexuality and Reproductive Functioning
Psychological
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Irritability
Nervousness
Anxiety
Depression
Memory loss
Not insanity
Part taken from Human Development 9e
12
Physical Development
Sexuality and Reproductive Functioning
Changes in Male Sexuality
Physical
Climacteric
Sudden drop in hormone production
Weakness
Lower sexual drive
Erectile failure
Memory loss
Fatigue
Reduced muscle and bone mass
Reduced body hair
Depression
Anxiety
Irritability
Insomnia
No strong relationship between testosterone levels and sexual desire
or performance
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
13
Physical Development
Sexuality and Reproductive Functioning
Sexual Activity
Diminish only slightly and gradually during 40 and 50’s
Many find sexual relationship better
Know their own sexual needs and desires better
Sexual dysfunction is persistent disturbance in
sexual desire or sexual response
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Lack of interest
Painful intercourse
Difficulty in arousal
Premature orgasm or ejaculation
Inability to reach climax
Anxiety about sexual performace
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Physical Development
Sexuality and Reproductive Functioning
Appearance and Attractiveness
1.6 million had injections of Botox
Wrinkles and graying hair imply
“Over the hill” for woman
“In the prime of life” for men
Self-esteem suffers when people
devalue their physical being
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
15
Health
Health Concerns
Hypertension (chronically high blood
pressure)
Most common chronic condition 45-64
men
Second most common (after arthritis) in
women
Leads to
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Heart attack
Stroke
Cognitive impairment
Part taken from Human Development 9e
16
Health
Health Concerns
Lifestyle diseases (table 15-2)
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Coronary heart disease
Stroke
Diabetes
Breast cancer
Long cancer
Prostate cancer
Colorectal cancer
Melanoma (skin cancer)
Osteoporosis
Osteoarthritis
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Health
Health Concerns
Socioeconomic Status
Lower socioeconomic status lower life
expectancy
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Chronic disease
Lower well-being
Restricted access to health care
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Health
Health Concerns
Race/Ethnicity
Hypertension
33%
25%
20%
10%
Diabetes
10% African American
African American adults
white Americans
death African American
death white Americans
Blindness
Kidney failure
Amputation of limbs
Largest single underlying factor of African
American’s health problem is POVERTY
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
19
Health
Health Concerns
Women’s Health After Menopause
Heart Disease – every ten years after menopause risk of heart
disease X3
Bone Loss
Breast Cancer
One in eight American women
95% survive for at least 5 years
50% can expect at least 15 years
Hysterectomy
Estrogen helps blood absorb calcium from food
33% by age 60
May be overused
Hormone Replacement Therapy
38% of postmenopausal American women
Risk of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke and blood clots
Replace with
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Losing weight
Stop smoking
Lower cholesterol
Part taken from Human Development 9e
20
Health
Health Concerns
Osteoporosis seems to have a genetic
basis
* Recommended way to reduce the risk
of osteoporosis is to eat foods high in
calcium
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
21
Health
Emotional States, Personality and Stress
Negative moods
Positive moods
Suppress immune functioning
Increasing susceptibility to illness
Increase immune functioning
Decrease susceptibility to illness
The more stressful the changes the greater the
likelihood of illness within one to two years
* Stressful events are less likely to lead to illness
when the stressful event can be controlled by the
person experiencing it
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
22
Health
Emotional States, Personality and Stress
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Health
Emotional States, Personality and Stress
* Whether or not an event causes stress
may depend on the reaction it produces
Stress harms health indirectly
Sleep less
Smoke and drink more
Eat poorly
Pay little attention to their health
More realistic in coping with stress
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Learned more effective strategies
Accept what cannot be changed
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Health
Emotional States, Personality and Stress
Men who use adaptive defenses for 2047 years see themselves having good
physical health at 65
Stress management workshops
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Relaxation techniques
Meditation
Biofeedback
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Health
Emotional States, Personality and Stress
Job related stress
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High job satisfaction and control reduce stress
casualties
Social support helps coping with stress and a lack
of social support correlates with heart disease
Employees with high levels of skills and abilities
are more resistant to stress
Type A / Type B personalities
Hardiness, self-efficacy, and locus of control
Self-esteem, negative affectivity, type of
occupation, and sex characteristics
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Health
Emotional States, Personality and Stress
Unemployment
Greatest work-related stressor
Headaches
Stomach trouble
High blood pressure
Physical and metal illness
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Heart attack
Stroke
Anxiety
Depression
Marital and family problems
Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Health
Emotional States, Personality and Stress
* When men who define their worth in
terms of their ability to support their
family lose their jobs they experience
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loss of identity
loss of control of their lives
loss of a sense of purpose
decreased ability to structure their time
Part taken from Human Development 9e
28
Cognitive Development
Middle-aged prime of Cognitive Ability
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
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Cognitive Development
Horn and Cattell
Fluid intelligence (neurological status) Decline
with age
Crystallized intelligence (education and cultural
experience) hold or improve with age
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Perceiving relations
Forming concepts
Drawing inferences
Vocabulary
General information
Responses to social situations
Social dilemmas
Part taken from Human Development 9e
30
Cognitive Development
* Cognitive development in middle adulthood
is usually related to acquiring specialized
knowledge
Cognitive ability in expertise continue and
are independent of general intelligence
Encapsulation “captures” fluid abilities
(information processing) for expert problem
solving
Thinking is more flexible and adaptable
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
31
Cognitive Development
Integrative Thought
Feature of postformal thought is
integrative nature
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Integrate logic with intuition and emotion
Integrate conflicting facts and ideas
Integrate new information with known
information
Filter information through their life
experiences and previous learning
Part taken from Human Development 9e
32
Creativity
Exceptional talents are less born than made
– require systematic training and practice
Extraordinary creative achievements
Deep highly organized knowledge of the subject
Intrinsic motivation to work hard for the sake of
the work
Strong emotional attachment to the work
Creativity develops over a lifetime in social
context, not nurturing environments
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
33
Creativity
* Highly creative people characteristic
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self-starters
strong sense of purpose and direction
can juggle several ideas or projects at a
time
are not easily discouraged
Part taken from Human Development 9e
34
Creativity and Intelligence
General intelligence has little relationship to
creative performance
Sternberg three aspects of intelligence may
play a role
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Insightful – define a problem and see it in a new
light
Analytic – evaluate an idea and decide whether
its worth pursuing
Practical – selling an idea and getting accepted
Part taken from Human Development 9e
35
Creativity and Age
Creative people’s last decade of a creative
career typically produces only abut half as
much as during the late 30’s or early 40’s
Age curve varies depending on field
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Poets, mathematicians and theoretical physicists
late 20’s early 30’s
Research psychologists peak around 40
Novelist, historians and philosophers late 40’s or
50’s
Part taken from Human Development 9e
36
Work and Education
Age-differentiated – roles based on age
Traditional life structure in industrialized
societies
Holdover from a time when life was
shorter and social institutions less diverse
Age-integrated – roles open to adults
of all ages
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
37
Occupational Patterns
Ginzberg two career paths
Stable
Stay with a single vocation
Shifting
Multiple occupational choices
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Workaholics – last ditch effort to reach financial security
* Mellowed – come to terms with their level of
achievement
Try to achieve a better match between what they can do
want and expect from work
what they are getting out of it
Part taken from Human Development 9e
38
Work versus Retirement
80% for 40-59 years work
61% for 60-69 years work full time 36% part
time
50 year olds work for financial reasons
60 year olds work for intrinsic value
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Enjoyment of work
Remain productive
Feeling valued
Respected
Part taken from Human Development 9e
39
Mature Learners
45% of middle-aged people
participated in continuing or adult
education
Training to update knowledge and skills
New occupations
Many adults simply enjoy learning
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Part taken from Human Development 9e
40