Middle Adulthood: Physical & Cognitive Development
Prepared by Ethel Cantu
Based on Development Across the Lifespan, 3rd Ed
by Robert Feldman, Prentice-Hall
Physical Development in Middle Adulthood
Physical Changes
Sensory and Motor Functioning
Sexual and Reproductive Functioning
Health
Sensory Functioning
Declines are small and gradual from early to middle adulthood: noticeable in mid forties
Hearing
Hearing loss for high-pitched sounds (presbycusis)
Men have twice loss rate as women
Vision
Ability to focus declines
Loss of near vision (presbyopia)
Decline in visual acuity-sharpness of vision
Need more brightness
Motor Functioning
Strength and coordination decline
Due to loss of muscle mass, replaced by fat
Exercise program and good nutrition can increase muscular bulk and density
The more people do, the more they can do
Endurance holds up better than strength
Reaction time slows, especially for motor responses
Experience makes up for physical changes
The Ongoing Sexuality of Middle Age
Contrary to popular stereotypes, sexual activity does not fade away for most middle age adults
Although the frequency of sexual intercourse decreases with age, sexual activities remain a vital part of most middle-aged adult's lives
Sexual and Reproductive Functioning
Decline of reproductive capacity
Women: ability to bear children ends
Men: can father children, but have reduced fertility
Both experience decline in sex hormones
Female Climacteric
Female climacteric
15-20 year period of physiological changes that bring on menopause
Menopause
Cessation of ovulation and menstruation
Occurs one year after last menstrual period
Less production of estrogen
Periods become irregular
Hot flashes due to expansion and contraction of blood vessels
Menopause
Lower levels of estrogen linked to higher risk of osteoporosis and heart disease
HRT reduces above risks but increases risks of uterine cancer, breast cancer & blood clots
But current research questions effectiveness of HRT
Experiences of menopause vary by culture
Attitudes toward women and aging
Effect of diet
Male Climacteric
Changes begin 10 yrs later than women
Enlargement of prostrate gland
Causes problems with urination
Testosterone levels decline gradually
Sperm count declines, slower motility of sperm
Less frequent erections & less powerful ejaculations, takes longer to recover
Minority experience erectile dysfunction (impotence)
Multiple causes due to illness, stress, health habits
Sexual Activity
Sexual activity diminishes slightly
Often due to non-physiological causes
Monotony, preoccupation, fears, lack of partner
Sexual relationship often better
Freed from worries about pregnancy
Women freer in sexual expression
Men’s slower response means longer, more leisurely periods of sexual activity
Health
Typical middle-aged American is healthy
Hypertension increases from midlife on
Can lead to heart attack or stroke or cognitive impairment in late life
Leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, and accidents
Changes in lifestyle have reduced mortality
Ethnic Variations in Health
African-Americans in the U.S. have twice the death rate of Caucasians.
Related to SES (socioeconomic status): When death rates are compared for Whites and African-Americans of the same SES, African-Americans' death rate drops below Whites'.
Poorer people are more apt to experience a disabling illness.
Poorer people tend to work in more dangerous occupations & are more likely to become disabled.
Gender Differences in Health
During middle age, women experience more non-life threatening illnesses than men but men experience more serious illnesses.
Women smoke less.
Women drink less alcohol.
Women have less dangerous jobs.
Medical research has typically studied diseases of men with all male samples; the medical community is only now beginning to study women's health issues.
Stress and Health
Stress prompts physiological reactions which weaken the immune system
Increases vulnerability to illness
Stress causes blockage of the arteries
Lifestyle factors affect stress levels
Regular exercise, good nutrition, adequate sleep, frequent socializing, no smoking, little alcohol associated with less stress
Personal mastery and control minimizes stress
Stress & Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease is #1 cause of death in US
Risk factors
Smoking
Obesity
High-fat diet
Physical inactivity
High blood pressure
High cholesterol level
Stress
Type A personality
Type A Personality
Competitive
Hard-driving
Impatient
More physiologically reactive
Larger increases in blood pressure
At risk for coronary disease if accompanied by toxic core
Negative emotions, especially hostility
Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood
Intelligence
Postformal Thought
Intelligence
Cognitive development is multidirectional
Gains in some areas, losses in others
Cross sectional measures of intelligence show decreases with age
May be cohort effect of better/more schooling
Longitudinal measures show increase, at least until fifties
May be inflated due to practice effects and attrition
Uneven performance due to influences of neurological aspects, which decline with age and cultural aspects which improve with age
Fluid intelligence peaks during early adulthood and then declines
Ability to apply mental powers to new problems
Perceiving relationships, forming concepts, drawing inferences
Decline probably due to changes in brain
Crystallized intelligence improves through middle age and on
Ability to remember and use information acquired over a lifetime
Depends on education and culture
Uses stored information and automatic processing
IQ tests may lack ecological validity
Rely on timed, physical responses
Reaction time slows with age
Results may be due to physical, not cognitive changes
Adults face real-life problems
Need measures of practical problem solving
Postformal Thought
Goes beyond abstract, formal thought
Relies on subjective feelings and intuition as well as logic
Relativistic
Sees shades of gray, interprets meaning
Integrates opposing views
Able to reconcile/choose among conflicting views
Thesis, antithesis, synthesis