Exam 2: Middle Adulthood

• Middle Adulthood: Describe the visions changes during middle adulthood?

  presbyopia: inability to adult focus to nearby objects, lose ability to see things close up.

  other changes: pupils shrink, lens yellow.

  consequences: poor vision in dim light, increased sensitivity to glare, glaucoma risk rises.
• Middle adulthood: Describe hearing changes during middle adulthood?

  presbycusis (between ages 45 and 64): initial decline in sensitivity to high frequencies; gradually extends to all frequencies. gradual age-related hearing loss in both ears.

  other changes: cilia thin out, men show it earlier at a more rapid decline.
• Middle adulthood: Describe skin changes during middle adulthood?

  wrinkles

  sagging face, arms and legs

  dryness

  age spots after 50

  changes = faster with sun exposure and pollution, and for women.
• Middle adulthood: Describe the changes in muscle-fat makeup?

  increase in body fat and loss of muscle (muscle mass gradually declines)

  "middle age spread" = common

  men = upper abdomen and back, women = waist and upper arms

  only 18% engage in recommended activity levels.
• Middle adulthood: describes the skeletal changes in middle adulthood?

  bones broaden but become more porous (loss in bone density), women = greater risk.

  loss in bone strength (disks collapse, height shrinks, bones fracture more easily and heal more slowly)
• Middle adulthood: what is menopause?

  end of monthly ovulation and menstruation: begins with perimenopause (includes hot flashes, headaches, and dizziness), gradual end of fertility, timing influenced by genetics (late 30s to late 50s), culture can impact symptoms (asian women report fewer complaints, Yucatan mayan women report no hot flashes)
• Middle adulthood: Describe the leading cause of death?

  cancer = leading cause of death

  unintentional injuries changes --> falls resulting in bone fractures more than double.

  3rd is now COVID

  increase in U.S. midlife deaths over the last 10 years : substance use and abuse
• Middle adulthood cognitive development: what is problem centered coping?

  identify and appraise situation as changeable, choose and implement potential solutions to change.
• Middl adulthood cognitive development: what is emotion centered coping?

  internal, private, control distress when the situation cannot be changed, ineffective when self blaming.
• Middle adulthood: the age related slowing of information processing?

  Processing speed.

  (1) myelin: withering, deteriorating neural connections.

  (2) greater loss = cognitive slowing

  (3) executive functioning: especially declines in working memory.
• Middle Adulthood: age related slowing of information processing, lifestyle ways to prevent it?

  greater education, complex job or leisure, lasting marriage, high SES.
• Middle adulthood: age related slowing of information processing, personal ways to prevent it?

  flexible personality, using intellectual skills, good health; absence of chronic illness, cohort: baby boomers, perceptual speed.
• Middle adulthood: crystallized intelligence?

  skills/ knowledge that depend on:

  accumulated knowledge, experience, good judgement, mastery of social conventions.

  e.g., vocabulary, verbal, comprehension, logical reasoning.

  peaks in midlife and doesn't decline until disease.
• Middle adulthood: fluid intelligence?

  depends on basic information processing skills:

  detecting relationships among stimuli, speed of analyzing info, working memory.

  e.g., spatial visualization, digit span, symbol search

  progressive decline beginning in mid 20s.
• Middle adulthood: cognitive gains durning this time?

  practical problem solving: evaluate real world situations, analyze how best to achieve goals of high uncertainty, aided by expertise.

  expertise: extensive, highly organized knowledge base, reached height in mid-life for most.
• Middle adulthood: Ericksons psychosocial model of conflict of generatively versus stagnation?

  Generativity: giving to and guiding younger generations; beyond the self. (e.g., parenting/ grandparenting, mentors, volunteering) Stagnation: when people become self-centered or "indulgent" after attaining certain goals. (e.g.,s taking little interest in youth)
• Middle adulthood: what is Levinson's Seasons of Life (1978)?

  young-old, destruction - creation, masculinity - femininity, engagement - separateness, Levinson reported most participants experience inner turmoil.
• Middle adulthood: what is Valliants Adaptations of Life (1977)?

  "keepers of meaning", "passing the torch," Valiant saw very few examples, just slow and steady change.
• Middle adulthood: what is the "midlife crisis?"

  only 1/4 of MIDUS participants reported having a midlife crisis (wide individual different in response). life evolution is common, crisis is NOT.

  turning points = common; not drastic alterations, mostly positive.

  interpretations of regret greatly influence well-being.
• Middle adulthood: what gains and changes happen in the self during midlife?

  (1)midlife gains in: self acceptance, autonomy, environment mastery.

  accepted good and bad qualities: less concerned with other expectations, more (2)concerned with self-chosen standards.

  (3)increase in overall satisfaction: some may experience a dip due to health problems or loss.

  (4) greater emotional regulation; brain is less reactive to emotions
• Middle adulthood: in changes that happen in the self during midlife, how does coping with daily stressors change?

  (1)plateau in frequency of daily stressors.

  (2) increase in effective coping strategies: identify positive in difficult situations, better anticipations and planning, post pone action and evaluate alternatives.

  In the U.S., suicide rates among middle aged adults rose by 25%: white men the sharpest rise, unique to the U.S.
• Middle adulthood: what are main changes in marriage and divorce?

  (1) midlife marriage = expansions and new horizons; new for review and adjustment of marriage.

  (2) martial satisfaction follows a U- shaped pattern: strong predictor of mid life psychological well-being, increases as partners have greater financial security, and fewer stressors.

  (3) Divorce rates doubled over the past 20 years for U.S. ages 50+: midlife's adjust more easily than younger adulthood due to coping strategies.
• Middle adulthood: what the main changes in changing parent - child relationships?

  (1)"launching children" : decline in paternal authority, continued contact, affection and support, adjust to changes in enlarged family networks, most adjust well.

  (2) "empty nesters" = sad and happy ; 50% of emerging adult children return home after moving out.

  (3) in war, supportive relationships, intimacy between parents and children increase in adult years.
• Middle adulthood: what are the main changes in aging parents?

  reassessment of relationship with parents --> become closer intimately and location wise.
• Middle adulthood: what is the sandwich generation?

  sandwich generation: caring for multiple generations above and below them at the same time (aging parents and children).
• Middle adulthood: what is the grand sandwich generation?

  caring for parents and helping with grandchildren.
• Middle adulthood: what are the main changes in grandparenthood?

  (1) can begins in early 50s, can spend 1/3 of life as grandparents; significant milestone for most.

  (2)roles depend on SES and cultural expectations: high SES families = unstructured, Low SES families = perform essential activities.

  (3)interdependent cultures: absorbed into extended family household, active role in childrearing.
• Middle adulthood: what are skipped generation families?

  Grandparents raising grandchildren (without children parents).

  (1) considerable emotional and financial strain.

  (2) can be highly fulfilling.
• Middle adulthood: summarize job satisfaction during middle adulthood?

  number of older workers will dramatically increase in the next decades, work is a salient aspect of identity and self- esteem (productivity equal to younger adults). transition from adult worker to older adult worker is hindered by negative stereotype of aging.

  job satisfaction increase due to: involvement in decision making, reasonable workloads, good working conditions.
• Middle adulthood: summarize career development, change?

  (1) older employees may be less likely to seek out career development opportunities.

  (2) Glass ceiling for women and minorities still exists.

  (3) Midlife career changes usually involved going to a related job.
• Middle adulthood: summarize midlife unemployment?

  (1) Sharper decline in physically and mental health.

  (2) Disrupts major tasks of midlife (generativity and life appraisal).

  (3) Difficulty duplicating status and pay previous job.

  (4) Age discrimination and overqualification.
• Middle adulthood: summarize planning for retirement?

  (1) slight rise in age age of retirement in Western Countries over past two decades (U.S. = 64 years)

  (2) Planning is important because lose income and status: over half of 50+ haven't planned, especially vital in the U.S.

  (3) importance of planning for an active life after: influence purpose in life, unequal opportunities to access planning.