15 Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

15 Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: • any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; • preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or part, of any images; • any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

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! © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Menopause Phases • 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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Menopause Postmenopausal 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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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) © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Figure 15. 1 Ethnicity and Women’s Attitudes about Aging © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Menopause Sexual 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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Vision Loss 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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Hearing Presbycusis – 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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Figure 15. 2 Trends in U. S. Life Expectancy UPDATE © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Cognitive Functioning • Some cognitive abilities improve in midlife • Adults have large bodies of skill and knowledge • Can compensate for some cognitive losses © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Figure 15. 3 Denney’s Model of Physical and Cognitive Aging © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

Figure 15. 4 Figure 15. 5 Exercise and Mortality © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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 50 s © 2009 Allyn & Bacon Publishers

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