ESSENTIALS OF LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT JOHN W. SANTROCK

1. 3e ESSENTIALS OF LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENTJOHN W. SANTROCK 13 Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

2. Chapter Outline • The nature of middle adulthood • Physical development • Cognitive development • Careers, work, and leisure • Religion and meaning in life

3. The Nature of Middle Adulthood • Changing midlife • Defining middle adulthood

4. 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

5. 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

6. The Nature of Middle Adulthood • Late midlife (55 to 65) is likely to be characterized by: • Death of a parent • Last child leaving the parental home • Becoming a grandparent • Preparation for and actual retirement • Gains and losses and biological and sociocultural factors balance each other

7. Physical Development • Physical changes • Health and disease • Mortality rates • Sexuality

8. Physical Development • Physical changes • Visible signs • Wrinkling and sagging of skin • Appearance of aging spots • Hair becomes thinner and grayer • Nails become thicker and more brittle • Yellowing of teeth

9. Physical Development • Height and weight • Individuals lose height and gain weight • Being overweight is a critical health problem in middle adulthood • 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

10. Physical Development • Vision and hearing • Accommodation of the eye - Ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina • Experiences sharp declines between 40–59 years • 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

11. Physical Development • Cardiovascular system • High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease • Exercise, weight control, and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can often help • Metabolic syndrome: Hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance

12. Physical Development • 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

13. Physical Development • Health and disease • Frequency of accidents declines • Individuals are less susceptible to colds and allergies • Stress is increasingly being found to be a factor in disease • Chronic stress can interfere with immune functioning • Linked to disease through immune system and cardiovascular factors

14. Physical Development • Mortality rates • Chronic diseases are the main cause of death during middle adulthood • Heart disease • Cancer

15. 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 • Hot flashes, nausea, fatigue, and rapid heartbeat • Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) • Hormonal changes in middle-aged men • Decline in sexual hormone level and activity • Erectile dysfunction - Inability to achieve and maintain an erection

16. Physical Development • Sexual attitudes and behavior • Sexual activity occurs less frequently than in early adulthood • Middle-aged men are more interested in sex than middle-aged women • Living with a spouse or partner makes all the difference in terms of engaging in sexual activity

17. Cognitive Development • Intelligence • Information processing

18. 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

19. Figure 13.2 - Fluid and Crystallized Intellectual Development Across the Life Span

20. Cognitive Development • The Seattle Longitudinal Study - Extensive evaluation of intellectual abilities during adulthood • Main focus on individual change and stability in intelligence • Mental abilities tested • Verbal ability • Verbal memory • Numeric ability • Spatial orientation • Inductive reasoning • Perceptual speed

21. Figure 13.3 - Longitudinal Changes in Six Intellectual Abilities from Age 25 to Age 88

22. Figure 13.4 - Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Comparisons of Intellectual Change in Middle Adulthood

23. Cognitive Development • Information processing • Speed of information processing • Reaction-time task • Memory • Verbal memory declines during middle adulthood • Linked to changes in working memory and ineffective memory strategies • Working memory: Mental “workbench” where individuals manipulate and assemble information when making decisions, solving problems, and comprehending written and spoken language

24. Cognitive Development • 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

25. Careers, Work, and Leisure • Work in midlife • Career challenges and changes • Leisure

26. Careers, Work, and Leisure • Work in midlife • The role of work is central during middle age • A time of evaluation, assessment, and reflection about work

27. Careers, Work, and Leisure • Career challenges and changes • Challenges • Globalization of work • Rapid developments in information technologies • Downsizing of organizations • Early retirement • Concerns about pensions and health care • Changes • Self-motivated • Consequence of losing one’s job

28. 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

29. Religion and Meaning in Life • Religion and adult lives • Religion and health • Meaning in life

30. Religion and Meaning in Life • Religion and adult lives • Important to consider the role of individual differences • A powerful influence in some adults’ lives • Whereas it plays little or no role in others’ lives • Research suggests: • Significant increase in spirituality between late middle and late adulthood • Females more than males participated in organized and personal forms of religion

31. Figure 13.5 - Level of Spirituality in Four Adult Age Periods

32. Religion and Meaning in Life • Religion and health • Some cults and religious sects encourage behaviors that are damaging to health • Researchers increasingly finding positive links between religion and physical • Reasons why religion promotes health: • Lifestyle issues • Social networks • Coping with stress

33. 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