CH15: Middle Adulthood - Physical & Cognitive Development

Question 1

Baby Boomers

Answer 1

Postwar babies whose births between 1946 and 1965 spiked the Canadain population by 11%.

Question 2

Inter-individual Variability

Answer 2

The notion that people do not age in the say way or at the same rate.

Question 3

Presbyopia

Answer 3

Loss of elasticity in the lens that makes it harder to focus on nearby objects.

Question 4

Presbycusis

Answer 4

Loss of hearing over time.

Question 5

Metastases

Answer 5

The transference of malignant or cancerous cells to other parts of the body.

The development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from a primary site of cancer.

Question 6

Atherosclerosis

Answer 6

The buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) on the lining of arteries..

Question 7

Stress Affect on the Body

Answer 7

• Stress suppresses the immune system.
• Stress hormones connected with anger can constrict the blood vessels to the heart, leading to a heart attack.
• Important to test stress when assessing the risk for heart disease.

Question 8

Leukocytes

Answer 8

White blood cells; engulf and kill pathogens.
- The immune system combats disease by producing white blood cells (leukocytes).
- Recognize foreign substances (antigens), reactive them, and marl them for activation.

Question 9

Menopause

Answer 9

The cessation of menstruation.
- Lasts about 2 years within the female climacteric
- Results from female no longer ovulating

Question 10

Perimenopause

Answer 10

(~ late 40’s, early 50’s)
The beginning of menopause is usually characterized by 3 to 11 months of amenorrhea or irregular periods.
- Estrogen levels decline and lead to hot flashes
- The transition phase can last up to 6 years

Perimenopause means “around menopause” and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years. Perimenopause is also called the menopausal transition. Women start perimenopause at different ages.

Question 11

Climacteric

Answer 11

The gradual decline in reproductive capacity of the ovaries, generally lasting about 15 years.

Question 12

Sexual Dysfunctions

Answer 12

Persistent or recurrent problems in becoming sexually aroused or reaching orgasm.

Question 13

Multidirectionality

Answer 13

In the context of cognitive development, the notion is that some aspects of intellectual functioning many improve while others remain stable or decline.
- Verbal intelligence remains stable
- Performance on timed spatially related activities declines
- Interindividual variability

Question 14

Plasticity

Answer 14

The capability of intellectual abilities to be modified, as opposed to being absolutely fixed.

Question 15

Crystallized Intelligence

Answer 15

A cluster of knowledge and skills that depend on accumulated information and experience, awareness of social conventions, and good judgement.

Question 16

Fluid Intelligence

Answer 16

A person’s skills at processing information.

Question 17

The difference between climacteric and menopause

Answer 17

Globally, the term menopause is much more frequently used than climacteric but, before we use either one, we should consider that ‘menopause’ is referring to a specific event, the cessation of menses, and ‘climacteric’ to gradual changes of ovarian function that start before the menopause and continue thereafter for a while.

Question 18

Physical Changes and Developments in Middle Adulthood

Answer 18

• Presbyopia
• Reaction time is slower
• Lung & heart muscles shrink
• Breathing capacity declines
• Decline in aerobic capacity & max heart rate
• Lean body mass decreases
• Fat replaces lean tissue, and the basal metabolic rate declines
• Strength decreases
• Blood-sugar tolerance decline
• Pancreas need to produce more insulin to achieve same effect

Question 19

Leading Causes of Death

Answer 19

• Cancer (44%) & heart diseases (16%) are the two leading causes of death in Canada
• 2 in 5 canadians will develop cancer
• Shift from accidents to diseases as the main cause of death; Cancer and CVD (cardiovascular diseases)
• men are more likely to have CVD and to die from it
• Women have more diseases but live longer

Question 20

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Answer 20

Cardiovascular disease is the term for all types of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels, including coronary heart disease (clogged arteries), which can cause heart attacks, stroke, congenital heart defects and peripheral artery disease.
- Most commonly results from arteriosclerosis
- Personality type A is related to CVD (Competitive, hostile, sense of time, urgency)

Question 21

Risk Factors for Cancer

Answer 21

• Heredity
• Problems in the immune system
• Hormonal factors
• Carcinogens
• Smoking
• Weight
• Infections and chronic diseases

Question 22

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Answer 22

• Family history
• high blood pressure (above 130)
• high serum cholesterol,
  -smoking, a sedentary lifestyle
• arteriosclerosis.

Question 23

What causes accelerated aging?

Answer 23

• Sedentary behaviour
• Lack of Sleep
• Smoking
• Fast/Junk Fiid
• Stress

Question 24

What causes deaccelerated aging?

Answer 24

• Exercise
• Everyday activity
• Sleep time & quality
• Appropriate nutrion
• Relaxation techniques

Question 25

The trend in white matter volume & age

Answer 25

The trend is comprised of a negative quadratic coefficient that causes the parabola's ends to point downward. The peak in white matter volume is around 40-50 years.

Question 26

The trend in grey matter volume & age

Answer 26

Exponential decay slowly over time; grey matter volume starts at around 90-95 millimetres before reaching approximately 70 millilitres consistently.

Question 27

The trend in CSF volume & age

Answer 27

Linear increases over time; y-intercept is approximately ten years.

Question 28

Overall trends in the brain & nervous system in middle adulthood

Answer 28

* Synapses continue to form (more are loss) * Areas that develop last are the ones that decline first - Frontal and parietal lobes begin to decline first - Exception of regions in the left temporal lobe associated with language * Middle-age brains respond more slowly than those of younger adults; Cognitive processing is less selective * Less ability to control attention process * Such differences are likely due to both primary and secondary aging

Question 29

Female Climacteric/Menopause Transition (Ages)

Answer 29

* Premenopausal phase (~ late 30’s, early 40’s) * Perimenopause (~ late 40’s, early 50’s) * Postmenopausal phase

Question 30

Premenopausal Phase

Answer 30

- Late 30s, early 40s - Estrogen levels begin to fluctuate and decline - Anovulatory cycles lead to lower progesterone levels

Question 31

Postmenopausal Phase

Answer 31

- Estrogen and progesterone drops to low levels and menstruation ceases - Women produce less vagina lubrication and vaginal walls thin - Findings of psychological effects are mixed

Question 32

Male climacteric

Answer 32

- Extremely gradual and slow - The quantity of viable sperm produced declines slightly - Enlargement of the prostate gland - Very slow drop in testosterone - Erectile dysfunction - Taking testosterone to combat this: Benefits are not proven and maybe increase risk of prostate cancer

Question 33

Discuss Sexual Difficulties in Middle Adulthood

Answer 33

* Remain sexually active, but frequency drops - Cannot be explained only by a drop in hormone levels * Women produce less vagina lubrication, and vaginal walls thin

Question 34

Mental Health in Middle Adulthood

Answer 34

- Mental health improves with age - Self-esteem peaks around age 60 - Depression is the most common mental health issue in middle-aged adults - Substance abuse is also a growing issue in middle adulthood; specially opioid-related drug use

Question 35

Selective Optimization With Compensation

Answer 35

A strategy for improving health and well-being in older adults and a model for successful aging. It is recommended that seniors select and optimize their best abilities and most intact functions while compensating for declines and losses. - Is the theory developed by Paul and Margaret Baltes, that people try to balance their lives by looking for the best way to compensate for physical and cognitive losses and become more proficient in activities they can already do well.

Question 36

Denny's Model

Answer 36

- Age-related changes follow a typical curve on nearly any physical or cognitive functioning measure. - This curve's height varies depending on how much an individual exercises some ability or skill. - Unexercised abilities have lower peak performance. Exercised abilities have a higher peak. - For Ex. when adults persist with challenging and engaging cognitive training, such as starting a new hobby or craft or acquiring and using new strategies to solve problems, they maintain or improve their cognition. - Performance peaks in middle adulthood. TLDR: Challenge yourself, exercise unused skills, and improve cognition.

Question 37

How does crystallized and fluid intelligence relate to Denney's Model?

Answer 37

Crystallized abilities are at least moderate exercise, but fluid abilities are unexercised. Whether abilities are crystallized or fluid, those that are exercised more often will have a higher peak.

Question 38

What does the gap between the curves for unexercised and exercised abilities mean?

Answer 38

It represents the degree of improvement that would be possible for any given skill if only we would exercise those skills.

Question 39

Intellectual Development in Middle Adulthood

Answer 39

Shows multi-directionality, inter-individual variability, and plasticity. Development of expertise * Developed through attention and practice - Experts rely on experience and intuition * Beginners rely on formal procedures and rules * Behaviour becomes automatic - Do not need too much thought - Compensate for losses in reaction time * Better strategies when compared to non-experts - Use of different neural pathways to solve problems

Question 40

Short-term & Working Memory

Answer 40

The capacity to use it efficiently declines with aging. - Short-term memory refers to the memory systems in the brain involved in remembering pieces of information for a short period, often up to 30 seconds. Short-term memory creates a kind of “visuospatial” sketch of information the brain has recently absorbed and will process into memories later. - Working memory is the small amount of information that can be held in mind and used in the execution of cognitive tasks.

Question 41

Long-term Memory

Answer 41

* Semantic memory (general knowledge): Semantic memory refers to the memory of meaning, understanding, general knowledge about the world, and other concept-based knowledge unrelated to specific experiences. - Remains stable or even increases * Episodic memory: Episodic memories are what most people think of as memory and include information about recent or past events and experiences, such as where you parked your car this morning or the dinner you had with a friend last month. - Remember personal events - Declines, but the use of cues can compensate for it

Question 42

Goleman’s four stages of creativity

Answer 42

1. Preparation: Important info is gathered 2. Incubation: Digesting the info 3. Illumination: The solution becomes clear (“aha!” moment) 4. Translation: The solution is applied, and adjustments are made