Santrock Life-span development 16th edition slides.

1. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT
Sixteenth Edition
Chapter 15
Physical and
Cognitive
Development in
Middle
Adulthood
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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Chapter Outline
• The nature of middle adulthood
• Physical development
• Cognitive development
• Careers, work, and leisure
• Religion, spirituality, and meaning in life

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
The Nature of Middle Adulthood
(1 of 4)
• Changing midlife
• Defining middle adulthood

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
The Nature of Middle Adulthood
(2 of 4)
• 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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The Nature of Middle Adulthood
(3 of 4)
• 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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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
The Nature of Middle Adulthood
(4 of 4)
• 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:
 Death of a parent
 Last child leaving the parental home
 Becoming a grandparent
 Preparation for and actual retirement

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Physical Development (1 of 11)
• Physical changes
• Health, disease, stress, and control
• Mortality rates
• Sexuality

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Physical Development (2 of 11)
• 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
– Height and weight
 Individuals lose height and gain weight
 Being overweight is a critical health problem

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Physical Development (3 of 11)
– Strength, joints, and bones
 Sarcopenia - Age-related loss of muscle mass and
strength
 Cushions for bone movement become less efficient
o Leading to joint stiffness and more difficulty in
movement
 Progressive bone loss

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Physical Development (4 of 11)
– Vision and hearing
 Accommodation of the eye - Ability to focus and
maintain an image on the retina
o 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

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Physical Development (5 of 11)
– 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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Physical Development (6 of 11)
– 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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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Physical Development (7 of 11)
• 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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Physical Development (8 of 11)
• Mortality rates
– Chronic diseases are the main cause of death
during middle adulthood
 Heart disease
 Cancer

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Physical Development (9 of 11)
• Sexuality
– Climacteric: Midlife transition in which fertility
declines
– Menopause: Cessation of a woman’s menstrual
periods
 During the late forties or early fifties
 May cause hot flashes, nausea, fatigue, and rapid
heartbeat
– Perimenopause - Transitional period from normal
menstrual periods to no menstrual periods at all

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Physical Development (10 of 11)
– Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
 Treatment for unpleasant side effects of
menopause
 Augments the declining levels of reproductive
hormone production by the ovaries
 Consists of various forms of estrogen, usually
in combination with a progestin
– 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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Physical Development (11 of 11)
– 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

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The Sex in America Survey:
Frequency of Sex at Different Points
in Adult Development
Percentage Engaging in Sex
Age Groups Not at all
A few times
per year
A few times
per month
2-3 times a
week
4 or more
times a
week
Men
18-24 15 21 24 28 12
25-29 7 15 31 36 11
30-39 8 15 37 23 6
40-49 9 18 40 27 6
50-59 11 22 43 20 3
Women
18-24 11 16 2 9 12
25-29 5 10 38 37 10
30-39 9 16 6 33 6
40-49 15 16 44 20 5
50-59 30 22 35 12 2

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Cognitive Development (1 of 6)
• Intelligence
• Information processing

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Cognitive Development (2 of 6)
• 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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Cognitive Development (3 of 6)
– The Seattle Longitudinal Study - Involves
extensive evaluation of intellectual abilities
during adulthood
– Classified participants as:
 Decliners, stable and gainers for:
o Number ability, delayed recall, and word
fluency

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Cognitive Development (4 of 6)
• Information processing
– Speed of information processing
 Reaction-time task
 Causes for the decline in speed
o Levels of analysis
o Cognitive
o Neuroanatomical
o Neurochemical

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Cognitive Development (5 of 6)
– Memory
 Verbal memory declines during middle
adulthood
 Linked to changes in working memory and
ineffective memory strategies

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Cognitive Development (6 of 6)
– 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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Fluid and Crystallized Intellectual
Development Across the Life
Span

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Longitudinal Changes in Six
Intellectual Abilities from Age 25
to Age 95

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal
Comparisons of Intellectual
Change in Middle Adulthood

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Careers, Work, and Leisure (1 of 4)
• Work in midlife
• Career challenges and changes
• Leisure

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Careers, Work, and Leisure (2 of 4)
• 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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Careers, Work, and Leisure (3 of 4)
• Career challenges and changes
– Challenges
 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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Careers, Work, and Leisure (4 of 4)
• 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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Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning in
Life (1 of 2)
• Religion, spirituality, and adult lives
• Religion, spirituality, and health
• Meaning in life

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Religion, Spirituality, and Meaning in
Life (2 of 2)
• Religion, spirituality, and adult lives
– Religion: Organized set of beliefs, practices,
rituals, and symbols that 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
– Spirituality: Experiencing something beyond
oneself in a transcendent manner
 Living in a way that benefits others and society

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Level of Spirituality in Four Adult
Age Periods

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Religion and Meaning in Life (1 of 3)
• Religion, spirituality and health
– Religion is positively linked to health
– Religious commitment helps to moderate blood
pressure and hypertension

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the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Religion and Meaning in Life (2 of 3)
• 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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Religion and Meaning in Life (3 of 3)
– According to Roy Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs,
the four main needs are:
 Need for purpose
 Need for values
 Need for a sense of efficacy
 Need for self-worth