Middle Adulthood/ Middle Age
INTRODUCTION
from approximately ages 40-60 y
declining physical skills
increasing responsibilities
increasing self-satisfaction
increasing awareness of time (past, future)
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
mostly gradual changes
decreasing height / increasing weight
after 55, approximately 2 inches lost for men, 1 inch for women
decreasing bone density (for women, loss is twice as fast)
decreasing strength
10% loss by 60 y
decreasing vision, light sensitivity
decreasing hearing (especially high frequencies)
decreasing kidney function (50% decrease)
decreasing cardiac output (1/2 of that of 20 year-old)
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
1. Responsibility and Executive Thinking
recall Shaie: early adulthood is an achieving stage
middle adulthood involves what is called the responsible stage in cognition
decision making is based upon personal responsibilities towards others
can lead to what is called the executive stage
in this stage, the adult will apply post-formal thinking to executive
decisions
in this way, the decision meets the needs of competing groups, agencies,
etc.
2. Cognitive Decline
two views:
i/ cross-sectional studies
compare cohorts of different ages
Horn, 1980's:
individuals in middle adulthood less able to reason abstractly
but, is this due to age differences in abilities or to a cohort effect?
individuals at different ages have different education, training, etc.
ii/ Seattle Longitudinal Study
longitudinal studies follow the same individuals and assess them several
times in their lives
compare same individual at different ages
therefore, effects not result of different cohorts
in this study, the same men followed since 1950's
declines found in:
i) perceptual speed (ability to make visual discriminations)
ii) numerical ability (simple arithmetic calculations)
some abilities peaked
from approximately ages 40-60 y
declining physical skills
increasing responsibilities
increasing self-satisfaction
increasing awareness of time (past, future)
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
mostly gradual changes
decreasing height / increasing weight
after 55, approximately 2 inches lost for men, 1 inch for women
decreasing bone density (for women, loss is twice as fast)
decreasing strength
10% loss by 60 y
decreasing vision, light sensitivity
decreasing hearing (especially high frequencies)
decreasing kidney function (50% decrease)
decreasing cardiac output (1/2 of that of 20 year-old)
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
1. Responsibility and Executive Thinking
recall Shaie: early adulthood is an achieving stage
middle adulthood involves what is called the responsible stage in cognition
decision making is based upon personal responsibilities towards others
can lead to what is called the executive stage
in this stage, the adult will apply post-formal thinking to executive
decisions
in this way, the decision meets the needs of competing groups, agencies,
etc.
2. Cognitive Decline
two views:
i/ cross-sectional studies
compare cohorts of different ages
Horn, 1980's:
individuals in middle adulthood less able to reason abstractly
but, is this due to age differences in abilities or to a cohort effect?
individuals at different ages have different education, training, etc.
ii/ Seattle Longitudinal Study
longitudinal studies follow the same individuals and assess them several
times in their lives
compare same individual at different ages
therefore, effects not result of different cohorts
in this study, the same men followed since 1950's
declines found in:
i) perceptual speed (ability to make visual discriminations)
ii) numerical ability (simple arithmetic calculations)
some abilities peaked