PSYC 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Longitudinal Study, John Gottman, Sigmund Freud
13 Sep 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Decline of muscular strength, reaction time, sensory keenness, and cardiac output begins in our mid-twenties. During early and middle adulthood, decline has more to do with health and exercise habits. Menopause - the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines. Muscle strength, reaction time, and stamina diminish in late adulthood. Visual sharpness, distance perception, and adaptation to light level changes are less acute. A 65 yo retina receives only a third of the light a 20 yo retina would. The body"s disease fighting immune system weakens, making older adults more susceptible to life threatening ailments. People over 65 suffer fewer short term ailments. Take more time to react, solve perceptual puzzles, and remember names. By age 80, brain weight decreases by 5% or so. Atrophy of the inhibition-controlling frontal lobes account for occasional blunt questions or comments.
