PSYC 3404 Chapter 11: Ch. 11: Middle Adulthood
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Physical Development: Physical Changes in Middle Adulthood
●Physical attributes
○mostly/all grey hair; hair thinning, balding in men
○Skin loosens due to loss of fat → sag and wrinkle
○Obesity continues to rise (increase body fat, loss of muscle)
●Changes in Sensory Abilities
○Vision declines the most
■Amount of rods and cones diminishes
■Lens enlarges → less flexible and transparent → hard to focus and see in
dim light
■Hard to read → need glasses; Lasik
●Monovision correction: one eye corrected for near, other for
distance
○Hearing declines for ~13%
■Especially high pitched sounds
■Cilia thinning
■Structures in inner ear become less flexible → less sensitive to sounds
■Auditory cortex in brain becomes less efficient at processing
■Men typically experience greater hearing loss than women (due to work)
■Hearing aids
●Changes in Reproductive Systems
○Climacteric: fertility declines
■Women: menopause; Men: steady decline
○Menopause
■Late 40s/early 50s
■Perimenopause: production of estrogen and progesterone decline
■Occurs early in smokers/women who have never given birth; later in
women who exercise regularly
■Hot flashes
■Mood fluctuations, headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations
■Increased risk for depression, disruption in memory
●Symptoms most severe right before and after menopause
●Symptoms have cultural variations
○Hormone Replacement Therapy
■Highly effective at removing symptoms of menopause
■Strengthen bones, reduce risk of colon cancer, possible cognitive
benefits
■Increases risk of stroke, heart attacks, breast cancer
■Benefits when HRT is done around menopause for no more than 5 years
●Not beneficial if over 60
○Women’s Responses to Menopause
■Mainly welcome end of reproductive years (no periods or unintended
pregnancies, childbearing, less taxing period of life post-menopause)
○Reproductive Changes in Men
■Testosterone levels decline by ~1%/year
■Sperm quantity and quality decline; increase in problems w/ sexual
functioning
■Men don’t have menopuase b/c continuation of child production is not a
health risk for men
Physical Development: Health and Disease
●Health Problems
○Generally good health (with good nutrition and access to health care)
○Sleep Problems
■Have trouble sleeping through the night
■Less likely to experience deepest sleep; do not feel well rested
■More common in people w/ other physical and psychological problems
■Do not get enough sleep (less than 7 hours a sleep; 7-9 = recommended)
○Osteoporosis (bone is thin and brittle)
■Women lose ~50% of bone mass (over ½ in 10 years post-menopause)
■Genetics → high rates in MZ than DZ twins
■Smoking, alcohol, low calcium and physical activity → increase risk
○Cardiovascular Disease
■Leading cause of death
■Due to high fat diets, smoking, and little physical activity
■Atherosclerosis: plaque build up in coronary arteries
■Men are at higher risk than women
■Stress likely to contribute to heart disease in people with negative
emotional states
●Chronic stress and acute stress
■Angioplasty: inflate balloon → press fat to sides of artery for blood flow
■Drinking red wine, regular exercise, maintain healthy weight, low-dose
aspirin daily, avoid smoking and high-fat diets
○Cancer
■Incidence of cancer grow 10 x higher
■Second leading cause of death
■Prostate cancer: most common cancer in men; breast cancer in women
■Lung cancer, colon cancer (2nd and third)
■Genetic; exposrue to sunlight, readiation, hazardous chemicals/
materials, smoking
■Chemotherapy: poison cancer cells
■Radiation therapy: attack tumor with focused radiation
■Combo of chemo/radiation therapy and surgery
■5-year survival is highest in wealthiest developed countries
●Advanced technology to treat; high rates of screening tests
■Prevention strategies: healthy diet, avoid risk factors, screening
Document Summary
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