1. Chapter 15 Physical and cognitive Development in middle adulthood

2. Variability in middle adulthood
The Baby Boomers
Born between
Today, Baby Boomers have reached middle age – brink of old age
Cohort effects
Variability in middle adulthood
Spans a period of nearly 25 years (40-64)
Gender, race, and socioeconomic status
Interindividual variability
Intraindividual variability

3. Primary aging and secondary aging Appearance
Physical Development
Primary aging and secondary aging
Appearance
Loss of hair pigment
Thinning of hair
Skin changes
Body build
Osteoporosis
Height and weight changes

4. Figure 15.1: Prevalence of Obesity by Age and Gender

5. Physical Development Mobility and strength Sensory systems
Age-related declines in musculoskeletal system
Sarcopenia
Sensory systems
Vision
Presbyopia
Adaptation to darkness
Glaucoma
Hearing

6. Figure 15.2: Prevalence of Hearing Loss of Age

7. Physical Development Vital Organ Systems The cardiovascular system
The respiratory system
The urinary system

8. Video: Physical Changes with Aging

9. Figure 15.3: Rates of First Heart Attack by Age, Sex, and Race

10. Reproductive and Sexual Functioning
Reproductive changes and women
Climacteric
Menopause
Symptoms of menopause
Women’s perceptions of menopause
Health implications of menopause
Hormone replacement therapy

11. Reproductive and Sexual Functioning
Reproductive changes in men
Androgens
Andropause
Testosterone replacement therapy
Erectile dysfunction

12. Reproductive and Sexual Functioning
Sexual Activity
Engage in sexual activity less frequently and feel somewhat less satisfied with their sex lives
Decline in sexual activity may be due to physical factors, lack of a partner, life stress, role demands

13. Rates of chronic illness increases through middle age.
Health Conditions
Rates of chronic illness increases through middle age.
Self-rated health
Ratings of health lower in middle adulthood than young adulthood.
Approximately 85 percent rate health as excellent/very good.

14. Figure 15.4: Chronic Conditions that Cause Activity Limitations by Age

15. Influences on Health in Middle Adulthood
Genes
Behavior
Health risk behaviors
Stress and cortisol
The environment
Workplace hazards, toxins in the environment, and inadequate living conditions can erode health over time
Actions taken to cope with stress, such as comfort eating, can negatively affect physical health

16. Personality and stress Protective factors
Stress and Health
Stress
The response of the body to perceived threats or demands in the environment
Chronic stress damages bodily systems and elevates risk of acute illness and chronic disease.
Allostatic load
Personality and stress
Type A behavior pattern and hostility
Protective factors
Optimism and social support

17. Cognitive Development
Intelligence
Age differences versus cohort effects
Longitudinal studies suggest an increase in intelligence from early to middle adulthood.
Crystallized intelligence
Fluid intelligence
Reasons for age-related change
Generalized cognitive slowing
Structural changes in the brain

18. Figure 15.6: Predicted Association Between Age and Crystallized Intelligence versus Fluid Intelligence

19. Figure 15.7: Longitudinal Change in Basic Cognitive Abilities with Age

20. Cognitive Development
Implications for everyday functioning
Cognitive ability is not the only factor that determines functioning.
Most situations do not require that people perform at their maximum level of cognitive functioning.
People adapt to declining abilities.
People may have less need for novel problem solving as they acquire more experience and expertise.

21. Cognitive Development
Flynn Effect
Striking gains in intelligence from one cohort to the next cohort
Pattern of increases documented in at least 14 developed countries

22. Figure 15.8: Gains in Various Dimensions of Intelligence in Successive Cohorts over the 20th Century

23. Cognitive Development
Expertise
Organized set of skills and knowledge in a particular area acquired through extensive experience and practice
Experts process information automatically and draw upon their intuition about what will or will not work in order to solve a problem efficiently.
Creativity
The ability to produce work or a solution to a problem that is
Novel
Appropriate
Creative output peaks in early midlife

24. Cognitive Development in Context
Influence of work on cognition
Jobs high in cognitive complexity have implications for intellectual functioning.
Influence of cognition on work
Boomers may remain in workforce longer than previous cohorts.
Selection and optimization