Physical & Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

Physical & Cognitive
Development in Middle
Adulthood
Middle Adulthood
► Middle Adulthood – Developmental period
lasting from 40-45 until 60-65 years of age
 The midpoint, not the end of life
 Continuation of early adulthood changes
►Physical
►Cognitive
►Time Orientation
 “Years since birth”
 “Years left to live”
Changing Midlife
► Boundaries of middle age are being pushed
upward
 More people lead healthier lifestyles; medical
discoveries are holding off aging process
 Middle age is starting later and lasting longer
 Best educated and most affluent cohort
► Increasingpercentage of population is made
up of middle-aged and older adults
 “Rectangularization” of the age distribution
Old
Old
Young Young
Middle Adulthood
► Middle Adulthood – Developmental period
lasting from 40-45 until 60-65 years of age
► For many, middle age is a time for:
 Declining physical skills and increasing responsibility
 An awareness of the young-old polarity
 Transmitting something meaningful to the next
generation
 Reaching and maintaining career satisfaction
 A reassessment of life’s priorities
Middle Adulthood
► Overall,
gains and losses tend to balance
each other in middle adulthood
 Biological functions decline
 Sociocultural supports such as education,
career, and relationships may peak
 Individual variations are common
► For
many, losses will begin to dominate
toward the end of middle adulthood
Middle Adulthood
► LateMidlife (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
Physical Changes
► Some of the visible signs of aging (usually gradual;
rates of aging vary):
 Skin begins to wrinkle & sag
 Appearance of aging spots
 Hair becomes thinner & grayer
 Nails become thicker & more brittle
 Yellowing of teeth
► Interest
in plastic surgery, Botox, weight control &
vitamins may reflect the desire to take control of the
aging process
Changes in Skin
► Wrinkles
 Forehead – Starting in 30’s
 Crow’s Feet – 40’s
► Sagging
 Face, arms, legs
► Age spots
 After age 50
► Faster
with sun
exposure, for women
Muscle-Fat Makeup
► Weight gain common
 Increase in body fat
►Men: Upper abdomen, back
►Women: Waist, upper arms
 Gradual decline in muscle

► Process can be slowed
 Low-fat diet with fruits,
veggies, grains
 Exercise, especially
resistance training
Physical Changes
► Height tends to decrease in middle age, due
to bone loss in the vertebrae
► Many gain weight, which is a critical health
problem in middle adulthood
 Body fat makes up 20% or more of weight in
midlife, compared to 10% in adolescence
 ~1/3 of adults 40-59 are obese
 Obesity increases probability of other health
issues
Physical Changes
► Sarcopenia – Age-related loss of muscle
mass and strength
 Especially common in the back & legs
 Exercise can reduce these declines
► Cartilage& connective
tissue become less efficient
 Leads to joint stiffness
and difficulty in movement
Skeletal Changes
Skeletal Changes
► Bones broaden, but become more porous
 Loss in bone density
 Women at highest risk
►Twice the bone loss of men
► Loss in bone strength
 Disks collapse,
height shrinks
 Bones fracture more easily
 Heal more slowly
► Healthy lifestyle helps
Vision
► Accommodation of the eye –
 Ability to focus & maintain image
on the retina declines between 40
and 59 years of age
►Difficultyviewing close objects
►Reduced blood supply
decreases visual field
►More need for glasses
and/or bifocals
Changes in Hearing
► Hearing declines across middle adulthood
 ~14% of Americans suffer from hearing loss
►Up to 50% of those over age of 50
 Sensitivity to pitch decreases
►Earliest,most loss in
high pitch frequencies
Cardiovascular System
► Midlife often comes with cardiovascular disease
 High blood pressure and high cholesterol
 Blood pressure typically rises in the 40’s & 50’s
►Women’s blood pressure rise at menopause, and remain
higher than men’s
► Methods to minimize problems:
 Exercise, weight control,
diet rich in fruits, vegetables
and whole grains
Lungs
► Little
change in lung capacity through most
of middle adulthood
 In the late 50s, lung tissue becomes less elastic,
decreasing lung capacity
 Smokers experience the most significant
decreases
►However, lung capacity
improves after quitting
smoking
Sleep
► Midlife leads to changes in sleep patterns
 Beginning in the 40’s, there are more wakeful
periods and less periods of the deepest sleep
►More time lying awake results in feeling less rested
 Sleep problems are more common for those who:
►Use a higher number of medications
►Have cardiovascular disease
►Are obese
►Are depressed
Cognitive Development
► Compared to early adulthood, middle-aged
adults:
 Don’t see or hear as well
 Don’t run as fast
 Aren’t as healthy
 Are less sexually active
 What about their cognitive skills?
► Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence
 Fluid: Depends on basic
information-processing skills
►Detecting relationships among stimuli
►Analytical speed
►Working memory
 Crystallized: Skills valued by a

person’s culture that depend on:
►Accumulated knowledge, Experience
►Good judgment
►Mastery of social conventions
► Research Designs:
 Cross-Sectional Research: Simultaneously
compares individuals of different ages
 Longitudinal Research: Studies the same
individuals over a period of time
 Cohort Effects: Each new

generation experiences
better health and education
than the previous one
Speed of Processing
► Neural Network View
 Neurons in brain die, breaking connections
►Brainforms new connections
►New connections less efficient
► Information-Loss View
 Information lost at each step
through cognitive system
 Entire system slows to inspect
and interpret information
►Photocopy of a photocopy
Erikson’s 7th Stage:
Generativity vs. Stagnation
► Generativity – Reaching out to others in ways
that give to and guide the next generation
 Contributions that will last beyond death
 Often realized through child rearing
►Other family
►Work
►Mentoring
►Cultural
contributions
Erikson’s 7th Stage:
Generativity vs. Stagnation
► Stagnation
 Place own comfort and security above
challenge and sacrifice
 Self-centered, self-indulgent, self-absorbed
 Lack of involvement or
concern with young people
 Little interest in
work productivity,
self-improvement

Physical & Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

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Physical & Cognitive

 Gradual decline in muscle

 Crystallized: Skills valued by a

 Cohort Effects: Each new

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