Physical and
Cognitive
Development
in Middle
Adulthood
Chapter 15
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Chapter Outline
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The nature of middle adulthood
Physical development
Cognitive development
Careers, work, and leisure
Religion, spirituality, and meaning in life
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
The Nature of Middle Adulthood
• Changing midlife
– As adults become older, their age identity is
younger than their chronological age
– An increasing percentage of the population is
made up of middle-aged and older adults
• “Rectangularization” of the age distribution
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
The Nature of Middle Adulthood
• Defining middle adulthood
– Middle adulthood: 40–45 years of age to about
60–65 years of age
– Declining physical skills and increasing
responsibility
– Awareness of the young-old polarity
– Transmitting something meaningful to the next
generation
– Reaching and maintaining career satisfaction
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
The Nature of Middle Adulthood
• Defining middle adulthood
– Gains and losses and biological and sociocultural
factors balance each other
– Late midlife (55 to 65) is likely to be characterized
by:
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Death of a parent
Last child leaving the parental home
Becoming a grandparent
Preparation for and actual retirement
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Physical changes
– Visible signs
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Wrinkling and sagging of skin
Appearance of aging spots
Hair becomes thinner and grayer
Nails become thicker and more brittle
Yellowing of teeth
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Physical changes
– Height and weight
• Individuals lose height and gain weight
• Being overweight is a critical health problem in middle
adulthood
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Physical changes
– Strength, joints, and bones
• Sarcopenia - Age-related loss of muscle mass and
strength
• Cushions for bone movement become less efficient
– Leading to joint stiffness and more difficulty in movement
• Progressive bone loss
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Physical changes
– Vision and hearing
• Accommodation of the eye - Ability to focus and
maintain an image on the retina
– Experiences sharp declines between 40–59 years
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Difficulty viewing close objects
Reduced blood supply decreases visual field
Hearing can start to decline by the age of 40
High-pitched sounds are typically lost first
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Physical changes
– Cardiovascular system
• High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and
cardiovascular disease
• Metabolic syndrome: Hypertension, obesity, and
insulin resistance
• Exercise, weight control, and a diet rich in fruits,
vegetables, and whole grains can often help
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Physical changes
– Lungs
• Lung tissue becomes less elastic at about age 55,
decreasing the lung’s capacity
– Sleep
• Wakeful periods become more frequent in the 40’s
• Sleep-disordered breathing and restless legs syndrome
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Health, disease, stress, and control
– Chronic disorders: Slow onset and a long duration
• Rare in early adulthood but increase in middle age
– Stress and disease
• The immune system and stress
• Stress and the cardiovascular system
• Culture and health
– Control
• Peaks in midlife then declines in late adulthood
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Mortality rates
– Chronic diseases are the main cause of death
during middle adulthood
• Heart disease
• Cancer
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Sexuality
– Climacteric: Midlife transition in which fertility
declines
– Menopause: Cessation of a woman’s menstrual
periods
• During the late forties or early fifties
– Perimenopause - Transitional period from normal
menstrual periods to no menstrual periods at all
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Sexuality
– Menopause
• Hot flashes, nausea, fatigue, and rapid heartbeat
– Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
• Sexuality
– Hormonal changes in middle-aged men
• Decline in sexual hormone level and activity
• Erectile dysfunction: Inability to achieve and maintain
an erection
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Physical Development
– Sexual attitudes and behavior
• Sexual activity occurs less frequently than in early
adulthood
– Middle-aged men are more interested in sex than middleaged women
• Living with a spouse or partner makes all the difference
in terms of engaging in sexual activity
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Figure 15.2 - The Sex in America Survey: Frequency
of Sex at Different Points in Adult Development
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Cognitive Development
• Intelligence
– Crystallized intelligence: Accumulated
information and verbal skills
• Continues to increase in middle adulthood
– Fluid intelligence: Ability to reason abstractly
• May begin to decline in middle adulthood
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Figure 15.3 - Fluid and Crystallized Intellectual
Development Across the Life Span
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Cognitive Development
• Intelligence
– The Seattle Longitudinal Study - Extensive
evaluation of intellectual abilities during
adulthood
– Classified participants as:
• Decliners, stable and gainers for:
– Number ability, delayed recall , and word fluency
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Figure 15.4 - Longitudinal Changes in Six Intellectual
Abilities from Age 25 to age 95
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Figure 15.5 - Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Comparisons
of Intellectual Change in Middle Adulthood
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Cognitive Development
• Information processing
– Speed of information processing
• Reaction-time task
• Causes for the decline in speed
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Levels of analysis
Cognitive
Neuroanatomical
Neurochemical
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Cognitive Development
– Memory
• Verbal memory declines during middle adulthood
• Linked to changes in working memory and ineffective
memory strategies
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Cognitive Development
• Information processing
– Expertise
• Rely on accumulated experience
• Process information automatically and analyze it more
efficiently
• Have better strategies and shortcuts to solving
problems
• Are more creative and flexible in solving problems
– Practical problem solving
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Careers, Work, and Leisure
• Work in midlife
– The role of work is central during middle age
– In the U.S., about 80% of people aged 40-59 years
of age are employed
– A time of evaluation, assessment, and reflection
about work
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Careers, Work, and Leisure
• Career challenges and changes
– Challenges
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Globalization of work
Rapid developments in information technologies
Downsizing organizations
Early retirement
Pensions and health care
– Changes
• Self-motivated
• Consequence of losing one’s job
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Careers, Work, and Leisure
• Leisure
– Pleasant times after work
• When individuals are free to pursue activities and
interests of their own choosing
– Changes may produce expanded opportunities for
leisure
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning
in Life
• Religion, spirituality, and adult lives
– Religion: Organized set of beliefs, practices,
rituals, and symbols:
• Increases an individual’s connection to a sacred or
transcendent other
– Religiousness: Degree to which an individual is
affiliated with an organized religion
• Participates in prescribed rituals and practices
• Feels a sense of connection with its beliefs
• Involved in a community of believers
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning
in Life
• Religion, spirituality, and adult lives
– Spirituality: Experiencing something beyond
oneself in a transcendent manner
• Living in a way that benefits others and society
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Figure 15.6 - Level of Spirituality in Four
Adult Age Periods
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Religion and Meaning in Life
• Religion, spirituality and health
– Religion is positively linked to health
– Religious commitment helps to:
• Moderate blood pressure and hypertension
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Religion and Meaning in Life
• Meaning in life
– Emphasized each person’s uniqueness and the
finiteness of life
– According to Frankl, the three most distinct
human qualities are:
• Spirituality
• Freedom
• Responsibility
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Religion and Meaning in Life
– According to Roy Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs
the four main needs are:
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Need for purpose
Need for values
Need for a sense of efficacy
Need for self-worth
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document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.