Middle Age
Biosocial Development
Physical signs of middle age
 Graying and thinning of hair, drying and
wrinkling of skin. Change in body shape
(more fat), loss in height, increased
likelihood of being overweight
 most of these changes have no significant
health consequences, but this is dependent
upon the individual’s attitude toward aging.
Hearing and vision
 Some decline in hearing is due to
environment, but most is related to sex
(men are at risk), genetic tendencies and
age
 Men begin to show hearing loss at 30,
women at 50.
 Visual acuity shows great variation from
one person to another across adulthood. It
is influenced more by heredity factors than
Hearing and Vision
 Older adults are more likely to need
corrective lenses for farsightedness and
astigmatism
 Depth perception, eye-muscle resilience,
color sensitivity and adaptation to darkness
also decline steadily with age
 Middle aged adults seem to adjust to
changes in vision without major difficulty
Hearing and Vision
 Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness
by age 70. It becomes increasingly
common after 40.
Disease
 Declines in immune system become
apparent in middle age, when recovery from
illness takes longer
 Autoimmune Diseases: the immune system
mistakes the person’s won body cells for
foreign invaders and attacks them
 The death rate among middle-aged adults
has dropped dramatically over the past 50
years (esp. from heart disease and cancer)
Smoking
 Smoking is a risk factor form many
diseases, including cancer and heart disease,
stroke and emphysema.
 Smoking has been declining in most
developing countries, it is rising in
developing ones
 All smoking diseases are dos and duration
sensitive
Alcohol
 Moderate use can decrease risk of heart
disease due to an increase in HDL, which
reduces cholesterol.
 Alcohol abuse is responsible for 5% total
mortality in U.S.
Alcohol
 Heavy use is main cause of cirrhosis of liver
 it puts stress on the heart and stomach and
destroys brain cells
 Hastens calcium loss associated with
osteoporosis
 risk factor for cancer
Nutrition
 In middle age, it is strongly related to the
onset and progress of heart disease and
cancer
 High-fat, low-fiber diet promotes the
development of these
 At least 40% of middle age adults are obese
in America, a risk factor for heart disease,
diabetes, stroke and arthritis
Exercise
 Adults who exercise have lower rates of
serious illness and death that do sedentary
individuals. Aerobic activity 30 minutes 34 times/week recommended.
Intelligence
 Is intelligence one or many things?
 Consider: Spearman’s g, Gardner’s
Multiple Intelligences Theory, Robert
Sternberg’s theory (analytic, creative,
practical)
 Is it innate and unchanging or
multidirectional and plastic?
 What is the relationship between
intelligence and creativity?
Personality
 The Big Five: extroversion, agreeableness,
neuroticism, conscientiousness, and
openness
 Discuss/critique trait theory and the role of
genes, culture, early child-rearing, and
experiences and choices made in late
adolescence and early adulthood, ecological
niche
 Discuss the possible explanations of