© 2009 allyn & bacon publishers 15 physical and cognitive development in middle adulthood this...

© 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

15Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

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Physical Changes

• Physical development matter of diversity in middle adulthood

• Primary aging—more universal (gray hair)

• Secondary aging—earlier habits have strong effects (smoking, drinking, exercise)

• More research on midlife is needed!


Physical Changes The Brain and Nervous System

• Cognitive tasks activate larger area of brain tissue in middle-aged adults– Cognitive processing may be less selective

with age

• Middle aged process sensory stimuli differently, experiencing problems with attentional control—but are still safer drivers than younger adults


The Brain and Nervous System

• Middle aged brains respond more slowly to cognitive tasks

• Behavioral choices and mental health affect the brain.

• Circulatory system health can affect parts of the brain involved with memory, planning, and processing speed


The Reproductive System Males

Climacteric: loss of reproductive capacity• Gradual with a slow loss of reproductive

capacity• Quantity of viable sperm produced declines

slightly• Very slow drop in testosterone

– Gradual loss of muscle tissue– Increased risk of heart disease

• Erectile dysfunction or impotence increases


Menopause in Women

• Cessation of menses due to declines in sex hormones, estrogens and progesterone

• Occurs roughly at age 50, though anything between 40 and 60 is normal

• May be occurring at later ages in more recent cohorts of women


MenopausePhases

• Premenopausal phase– Estrogen levels begin to fluctuate and decline– Cycles without ovum are more common– Dramatic drop in progesterone

• Perimenopausal phase– More extreme variations in menstrual cycle– Hot flashes – sudden sensations of being hot– Hot flashes may cause sleep deprivation in many

women• Sleep deprivation can generate psychological

distress


MenopausePostmenopausal phase

• Once a woman has stopped menstruation for one year

• Estrogen and progesterone are very low• Breast tissue becomes softer• Uterus becomes smaller• Vagina becomes smaller, thinner, less

elastic, and produces less lubricant


Hormone Therapy (HT)

• Progesterone and estrogens administration

• Women’s Health Initiative Study– Placebo controlled experiment– HT does not prevent cardiovascular disease or

other illnesses in midlife women– Ameliorates menopausal symptoms– May protect against osteoporosis (thinning of

bone density due to loss of calcium)


Menopause Psychological Effects

• Research mixed on menopausal effects– Depressive symptoms may increase BUT– Longitudinal research shows no relationship between

menopause and serious depression• Woman’s negativity and overall life stressors affect

moods during menopause• Women with more severe symptoms of sleep deprivation

may feel more anxiety• Ethnicity can influence women’s attitudes about

menopause and aging– African American women less concerned


Figure 15.1 Ethnicity and Women’s Attitudes about Aging


MenopauseSexual Activity

• Most remain sexually active, although frequency of activity declines somewhat

• Demands of other roles are pressing middle-aged adults, so less time for sex

• Increasing illnesses such as diabetes and arthritis may explain declines


The Skeletal System• Osteoporosis

– Reduced bone mass– More brittle and porous bones– Can cause bone fractures

• Linked to loss of estrogens and progesterone in women– Hormone replacement therapy may help– Getting sufficient calcium early in life helps– Regular weight-bearing exercise helps– New bone-building medications


VisionLoss of Visual Acuity

• More people need reading glasses due to farsightedness—Presbyopia

• Lens of the eye thickens and the total amount of light reaching the retina decreases

• Harder for muscles around the eye to change the shape of the lens to adjust the focus

• Part of primary aging requiring physical and psychological adjustment


HearingPresbycusis – loss of hearing

• Auditory nerve and structures in the inner ear gradually deteriorate

• Losses occur in high and low frequencies

• After age 55, hearing loss accelerates

• Both primary aging and secondary aging effects occur– Environmental noise hastens the loss of

hearing


Figure 15.2 Trends in U.S. Life Expectancy

UPDATE


Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

• Atherosclerosis– Arteries become clogged with plaque

– Clogged arteries cause heart attacks and strokes

• Leading cause of death in U.S.– Majority of Americans have at least one risk factor

– Risks are cumulative – the more risks you have the higher your risk for heart disease

– However, rates recently are dropping


Cardiovascular Disease Personality and Health

Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman• Type A personality pattern

– Competitive strivings for achievement– Sense of time urgency– Hostility or aggressiveness– Compared themselves to others– Frequent conflict with co-workers

• Type B personality pattern– Less hurried and more laid back


Cancer

• Second leading cause of death for adults 45 years+

• Risk factors similar to heart disease

• Establishing and maintaining good health habits early on reduces risks

• The role of dietary fat is a controversial risk factor

• Several types of cancer caused by infectious agents– HPV linked to cervical cancer– Epstein-Barr virus associated with ear, nose, and throat cancers


Questions to Ponder

• Looking at your parents, what risk factors do they have for cancer or heart disease? What are controllable variables in your life that could lead to reduced risk for these diseases?

• What cognitive functions or physical would you miss the most if they began to deteriorate as you began to age? Why?


Gender and Health

• Women’s life expectancy greater than men’s– Women have more diseases and disabilities that limit

daily activity

– Already present in early adulthood and difference grows larger with age

• Men die of CVD at higher rates than women.– Women have greater ability to recover

– Women recover higher levels of physical functioning from heart attacks than men


Socioeconomic Class, Race, and Health

• Social class more significant predictor of health variations in middle age than at other adult ages

• Occupational level and education are the best predictors of health

• African Americans have shorter life spans than Whites


Socioeconomic Class, Race, and Health Cardiovascular disease

• Disables or kills higher proportion of African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans than either White or Asian Americans

• Among women, obesity is a leading factor

• Among men, hypertension is the key risk


Socioeconomic Class, Race, and Health Diabetes

• Proportion of adults who suffer from diabetes growing for all racial groups

• Diabetes a risk factor for CVD, blindness and kidney failure

• Minorities have higher risks than Whites

• Minorities have higher risks for diabetes complications too


Socioeconomic Class, Race, and Health Cancer

• African Americans have higher rates of some cancers and poorer survival rates– Prostate, colon, lung cancer– African American women have higher breast cancer

rates

• Asian American have higher rates of liver cancer

• Minorities fail to receive routine screenings


Alcoholism

Physical and psychological dependence on alcohol

• More than 40% of men and 20% of women report alcohol problems at some point in life

• Long-term drinking harms brain, heart, liver, digestive system

• Increases risk of death

• Some effects of alcoholism are reversible if the individual stops drinking


Cognitive Functioning

• Some cognitive abilities improve in midlife

• Adults have large bodies of skill and knowledge

• Can compensate for some cognitive losses


Cognitive Functioning

One model of physical and cognitive aging• Nancy Denny

– On nearly any measure of physical and cognitive functioning, age-related changes follow typical curve

– Height of the curve varies based on exercise of the skill or ability

– More fully exercise that skill or ability, higher the peak performance

– There is an underlying decay curve related to age


Figure 15.3 Denney’s Model of Physical and Cognitive Aging


Cognitive Functioning Baltes and Baltes

• Physical declines of middle age create selective optimization with compensation to combat effects of aging– Be selective

• Minimize distractions

– Optimize strengths – Use compensatory strategies

• EXAMPLE: Wear reading glasses


Health and Cognitive Functioning

• Subjects who had cardiovascular disease showed earlier and larger declines on intellectual tests

• Even adults on blood pressure medicine have declines in functioning

• Exercise lowers mortality risks

• Physical activity also may help maintain cognitive functions


Figure 15.4 Exercise and Mortality

Figure 15.5


Memory Function• The subjective experience of forgetfulness

increases with age

• Middle-aged experts are proficient at overcoming perceived memory limitations– Develop cognitive strategies to buffer effects of aging

• Visual memory – the ability to remember an object you have seen for a few seconds – declines in middle age

• Performance on remembering lists of words declines after age 55


Semantic and Episodic Memories

• Episodic memories – Recollections of personal events– Middle aged use cues to help remember

(where did I put my car?)

• Semantic memories– Represent general knowledge

• Episodic memories slow with age, but not semantic memories


Practiced and Unpracticed Skills

• Practice helps maintain or gain a skill

• “Use it or lose it” holds true for cognitive skills

• Expertise in a particular field helps compensate for age-related deficits in cognitive functioning

• Middle aged adults use different strategies than younger adults to remember expository text


Creativity

Original, appropriate and valuable ideas or solutions to problems

• Simonton looked at the creativity and productivity of thousands of notable scientists.– First significant work– Their best work– Their last work

• Thinkers produced their best work at about 40, publishing outstanding work in their 50s


Creativity

• Divergent thinking a key to creativity– Generate multiple solutions to problems– Often arises from cognitive bits and pieces

• Goleman’s stages:– Preparations– Incubation– Illumination (the aha! moment)– Translation

© 2009 allyn & bacon publishers 15 physical and cognitive development in middle adulthood this...

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