Middle Adulthood

Question 1

What is Primary aging?

Answer 1

• Aging that occurs due to non-controllable factors like biological, molecular, and cellular factors
• Affects ALL members of a species (even those in good health)

Question 2

What is Secondary aging?

Answer 2

Aging that occurs due to
controllable factors

Question 3

What happens to hair as we age?

Answer 3

• Melanin & follicle production goes down à gray hair & balding
• Begins ~30s but can vary based on genes and environment

Question 4

What happens to skin as we age?

Answer 4

• Loss of fat & muscle tone in the face = visible lines, hollower under eyes, sagging
• Can be exacerbated due to frequent sun exposure, smoking,
  lack of sleep

Question 5

What happens to muscle mass as we age?

Answer 5

• Less production of certain hormones PLUS declines in physical activity
• Can begin as early as age 40 = decreases in quality of life, increases in health care costs

Question 6

What are some vision changes that happen as we age?

Answer 6

• Presbyopia: loss of elasticity in the lens à harder to focus on nearby objects
• Floaters: little spots or “hairs” that float around the field of vision
• Less scotopic sensitivity: ability to see in dim light
• Dry eye syndrome – most experienced by people over age 50

Question 7

What are some hearing changes that occur as we age?

Answer 7

• Difficulty hearing high frequency sounds
• Difficulty understanding speech in noisy
  environments
• Can be exacerbated by aspects of environment

Question 8

What are the most common types of cancer?

Answer 8

Breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer

Question 9

What does a buildup of cholesterol lead to?

Answer 9

Buildup = atherosclerosis = increased risk of hypertension & heart disease

Question 10

What is cholesterol?

Answer 10

Cholesterol: Waxy, fatty substance carried in the blood = creates hormones and digests fatty foods

Question 11

What is hypertension and what health risks does it cause?

Answer 11

Hypertension is High blood pressure = greater force in flow of blood than is normal
Creates a greater risk of hearth attack, stroke, kidney damage, white matter damage, cognitive problems

Question 12

Name a few heart defects

Answer 12

Heart arrhythmias/murmurs,
narrowed/blocked/stiffened blood vessel, atherosclerosis

Question 13

Heart disease typically appears in ____.

Answer 13

Midlife

Question 14

What is diabetes?

Answer 14

A disease in which the body is unable to manage or control amount of glucose in the blood because it doesn’t make
enough insulin or use insulin as it should

Question 15

______ middle age adults have prediabetes, 15% - 30% of then
will dev diabetes

Answer 15

1 in 3 middle age adults have prediabetes

Question 16

What are some risk factors for diabetes?

Answer 16

Age, obesity, family history, gestational diabetes, race/ethnicity, physical inactivity, diet

Question 17

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Answer 17

Inflammatory disease causing pain/swelling/stiffness/loss of function in joints (affects 0.6%
of Americans)

Question 18

What are the 3 types of diabetes?

Answer 18

Type 1
Type 2
Gestational

Question 19

Which type of diabetes is defined as an autoimmune diesease?

Answer 19

Type 1

Question 20

Which of the following symptoms is/are associated with rheumatoid
arthritis?
* Swollen joints
* Nausea
* Build up of arterial plaque
* Bone erosion

Answer 20

Swollen Joints and Bone Erosion

Question 21

What is the ideal amount of sleep for middle adulthood?

Answer 21

7-9 hours (10+ is too much)

Question 22

In 2013, __% of US adults met the ideal amount of sleep for middle adulthood

Answer 22

60%

Question 23

What are the consequences of sleep deficits?

Answer 23

Suppression of immune
responses, obesity, memory impairment,
hypertension, greater risk of cancers and diabetes, more stress hormone

Question 24

Older adults with better _____________ tend
to live longer

Answer 24

sleep patterns

Question 25

Only about __% of middle aged adults exercise enough to achieve health benefits

Answer 25

20%

Question 26

What are the benefits of exercise?

Answer 26

Builds muscle, increases metabolism, helps control blood sugar, increases bone density, and relieves stress

Question 27

How many minutes of moderate-intensive aerobic activity should be done a week?

Answer 27

150 minutes

Question 28

How many days a week should muscle strengthening exercises be performed?

Answer 28

At least 2 days out of the week

Question 29

True or False? As we move through middle adulthood, we tend to require fewer calories

Answer 29

True

Question 30

Is it common to experience weight gain as we age?

Answer 30

Yes due to slowing metabolism

Question 31

What are the three things we consume too much of?

Answer 31

§ Too much sodium § Too much fat § Too much added sugar

Question 32

What is Climacteric?

Answer 32

A critical period or event that occurs; typically used to define transitions that occur in adulthood such as menopause

Question 33

What is Perimenopause?

Answer 33

A period in which women’s ovaries stop releasing eggs, estrogen & progesterone decreases

Question 34

What is menopause and it's symptoms?

Answer 34

Biological process that marks the end of women's’ menstrual cycles (diagnosed after 12 months without menstruation) Symptoms include: Difficulty falling asleep, Hot flashes, Decreases in vaginal lubrication and thinning of vaginal wall, Mood swings* (more common among women who have prior histories)

Question 35

What are the different cultural perceptions of menopause dicussed in lecture?

Answer 35

* Negative = menopause marks a loss * Positive = menopause marks a gain * Ambivalent = it is what it is

Question 36

Are experiences and expectations of menopause affected by culture?

Answer 36

Yes they can be affected by cultural norms, values, and traditions about gender roles, aging, etc

Question 37

Are male climacteric experience varied or universal?

Answer 37

Varied

Question 38

What is Late-onset hypogonadism? What are the health consequences of it?

Answer 38

Characterized by low testosterone due to impaired endocrine capacity of the testes and pituitary = loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, anemia, osteoporosis, depressed mood, decreased vitality, fatigue, sweating, and hot flashes

Question 39

ED affects ~__% of men ages 40 – 70 but is not due to primary aging

Answer 39

50%

Question 40

True or False. Old adults use more of their brain then young adults

Answer 40

True

Question 41

White matter continues to increase until around age __ (then begins to decline)

Answer 41

50 years old

Question 42

Middle aged adults tend to focus more on the ______ information than ______ information

Answer 42

Positive information than negative information

Question 43

True or False? Middle-aged brain tends to be erratic, less capable of managing emotions, and less able to negotiate social situations

Answer 43

False, Middle-aged brain tends to be calmer, more capable of managing emotions, and better able to negotiate social situations

Question 44

Despite some declines in speed of information processing, working memory, and long term episodic memory, middle adults are able to maintain knowledge of what?

Answer 44

The world and vocabulary

Question 45

How long has the Seattle Longitudinal Study been around?

Answer 45

68 years, began in 1956

Question 46

What is the Seattle Longitudinal Study?

Answer 46

A study that tracks cognitive abilities of adults by testing them every 7 years.

Question 47

What is fluid intelliegence?

Answer 47

Capacity to learn new ways of solving problems and performing activities quickly & abstractly

Question 48

What is crystallized intelligence?

Answer 48

Accumulated knowledge of the world that we’ve gathered throughout our lives?

Question 49

When does fluid intelligence peak? When does crystallized intelligence peak?

Answer 49

Fluid intelligence peaks in Mid-30s while crystallized intelligence continues until death

Question 50

What factors play a role in cognitive development in adulthood?

Answer 50

Influenced by genes, culture, social contexts, personal choices, and age

Question 51

How do we form identities?

Answer 51

Through personal schemas

Question 52

What is identity assimilation?

Answer 52

Identity assimilation: interpret experiences in terms of existing self- schemas, used to maintain consistency in face of discrepant information (Ignores information to suggest things are not as we think they are. May prevent compensation for aging due to denial of changes)

Question 53

What is identity accommodation?

Answer 53

Identity accommodation: changing oneself in response to experiences (Easily influenced & shaped by new experiences due to unstable/incoherent sense of self consistency. Overreliance on accommodation à self-doubt and low self-esteem)

Question 54

What is identity balance?

Answer 54

Identity balance: balance between the two processes = most adaptive for aging (Able to make changes when challenged, but still maintain a consistent sense of self)

Question 55

What is the Public Self-consciousness? What are the negative consequences of it?

Answer 55

Public self consciousness: dispositional tendency to be aware of the self as viewed by others Consequences: tend to score high on measures of depression, neuroticism, social anxiety, and score lower on measures of self-esteem

Question 56

What is private self-consciousness? What are the negative consequences of it?

Answer 56

Private self consciousness: tendency to direct attentional resources inwardly (to introspect and examine one's inner self and feelings) Consequences: tend to score high on measures of psychological distress and psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, rumination, and alcohol dependence