©2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 15: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood Life-Span Development Twelfth

©2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 15:

Physical and Cognitive Development

in Middle Adulthood

Life-Span Development

Twelfth Edition


Boundaries of middle age are being pushed upward More people lead healthier lifestyles; medical

discoveries are holding off the aging process Middle age is starting later and lasting longer Midlife serves as an important preparation for

late adulthood An increasing percentage of the

population is made up of middle-aged and older adults “Rectangularization” of the age distribution


Middle Adulthood: the developmental period that begins at approximately 40–45 years of age and extends to about 60–65 years of age

For many, middle age is a time for: Declining physical skills and increasing

responsibility An awareness of the young-old polarity Transmitting something meaningful to the next

generation Reaching and maintaining career satisfaction A reassessment of life’s priorities


Middle adulthood is the age period in which gains (growth) and losses (decline) balance each other

Late Midlife (55 to 65) is likely to be characterized by: Death of a parent Last child leaving the parental home Becoming a grandparent Preparation for and actual retirement

Individual variations are common


Physical Changes: Usually gradual; rates of aging vary Wrinkling and sagging of skin Appearance of aging spots Hair becomes thinner and grayer Nails become thicker and more brittle Yellowing of teeth

Height tends to shrink in middle age, due to bone loss in the vertebrae

Many gain weight, which is a critical health problem in middle adulthood


Sarcopenia: age-related loss of muscle mass and strength Especially common in the back and legs Exercise can reduce these declines

Cushions for bone movement become less efficient, often leading to joint stiffness and more difficulty in movement

Progressive bone loss


Accommodation of the eye (ability to focus and maintain an image) experiences sharp declines between 40–59 years Difficulty viewing close objects Reduced blood supply decreases visual field

Hearing can start to decline by the age of 40 Hearing loss occurs in up to 50% of

individuals over the age of 50 High-pitched sounds are typically lost first


Midlife is often a time for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease

Blood pressure typically rises in the 40’s and 50’s At menopause, a woman’s blood pressure

rises sharply, remaining higher than that of men into the later years

Metabolic Syndrome: a condition characterized by hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance

Exercise, weight control, and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help to reduce many cardiovascular problems


Lung tissue becomes less elastic at about age 55 Decreases lung’s capacity Nonsmokers have much better lung capacity

Wakeful periods become more frequent in the 40’s Less deep sleep (stage 4) Feeling less rested in the morning



Frequency of accidents declines Individuals are less susceptible to colds and

allergies Chronic Disorders: characterized by a slow

onset and a long duration Rare in early adulthood but increase in middle

age Men have higher rates of fatal chronic

conditions, while women have higher rates of nonfatal chronic conditions

Stress is a key factor in disease, especially if cumulative


Immune system functioning decreases with normal aging

Link between stress and cardiovascular disease can be indirect Stress can lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices Chronic emotional stress is associated with high

blood pressure, heart disease, and early death Culture plays an important role in coronary

disease Immigration modifies healthy practices even as

genetic predispositions remain constant


Chronic diseases are the main cause of death during middle adulthood Heart disease Cancer Cerebrovascular disease

In the 1st half of middle age, cancer claims more lives than heart disease; trend is reversed during the 2nd half of middle age

Men have higher mortality rates than women


Climacteric: the midlife transition in which fertility declines

Menopause: time in middle age (late 40’s to early 50’s) when a woman’s menstrual periods completely cease Perimenopause: transitional period; often

takes up to 10 years Heredity and experience influence the onset

of menopause


Cross-cultural studies show that the menopausal experience varies among women, but it is not generally as negative as it was once thought to be

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is controversial because it has been linked to increased risk of stroke, dementia, and cancer


Hormonal Changes in Men: Most men do not lose the ability to father children Modest decline in sexual hormone level and activity Erectile Dysfunction is common in middle-aged

men May stem from physiological problems

Sexual Attitudes and Behavior: Sexual activity occurs less frequently in middle

adulthood Middle-aged men are more interested in sex than middle-

aged women Living with a spouse or partner makes all the

difference in terms of engaging in sexual activity



Crystallized Intelligence: an individual’s accumulated information and verbal skills Continues to increase in middle adulthood

Fluid Intelligence: the ability to reason abstractly May begin to decline in middle adulthood

Some cognitive functions peak during middle adulthood, while others decline Depends on how studies are conducted

Cross-sectional studies show more decline than longitudinal studies



The Seattle Longitudinal Study: study of intellectual abilities in adulthood years Peak performance on vocabulary, verbal

memory, inductive reasoning, and spatial orientation was attained in middle age

Decline in numerical ability and perceptual speed

Declines in memory, word fluency, and perceptual speed in middle adulthood were linked to neuropsychologists’ ratings of individuals’ cognitive impairment in late adulthood

Extensive individual differences



Speed of information processing declines moderately during middle adulthood Multiple potential causes

Memory declines may occur exclusively during the later part of middle age or in late adulthood

Starting in late middle age, more time is needed to learn new information Linked to changes in working memory

Memory decline is more likely to occur when individuals do not use effective memory strategies


Expertise: Expertise often shows up more in middle

adulthood than in early adulthood Distinguishing experts from novices:

Experts are more likely to rely on accumulated experience

Experts often process information automatically and analyze it more efficiently

Experts have better strategies and shortcuts to solving problems

Experts are more creative and flexible in solving problems


Work is central to one’s life during middle age

In the U.S., about 80% of people aged 40 to 59 work

Midlife is a time of evaluation, assessment, and reflection about work roles and future goals

Far more couples today have to plan two retirements


Currently, middle-aged workers face many challenges: Globalization and exporting of jobs Rapid development in technologies Downsizing and restructuring of companies Early retirement Concerns about pensions and health care

Some midlife career changes are self-motivated, others are the consequence of losing one’s job


Leisure: pleasant times after work when individuals are free to pursue activities and interests of their own choosing

Leisure opportunities may be expanded in middle adulthood, as people may have more money, more free time, and paid vacation

Compared with those who never took vacations, men who went on annual vacations were 21% less likely to die over the 9 years studied, and 32% less likely to die of coronary disease

Constructive and fulfilling leisure activities help individuals prepare psychologically for retirement


More than 70% of middle-aged adults are religious and consider spirituality a major part of their lives

Role of individual differences Increase in spirituality tends to occur between

late middle adulthood and late adulthood Women have consistently shown a stronger

interest in religion than males Religious commitment helps to moderate blood

pressure and hypertension and is associated with increased longevity



Frankl (1984) emphasized each person’s uniqueness and the finiteness of life

Frankl identified the three most distinct human qualities as: Spirituality Freedom Responsibility

In middle adulthood, the reality of approaching death often forces people to examine the meaning of their life


Baumeister has argued that the quest for the meaning of life may be understood in terms of four main needs: Need for purpose Need for values Need for a sense of efficacy Need for self-worth

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©2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 15: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood Life-Span Development Twelfth