Adulthood 127-132• All physical

abilities essentially peak by our mid twenties. Then it all goes downhill.

Physical Milestones

• Menopause: the natural ending of a woman’s ability to reproduce

• Men do not experience anything like menopause.

Alzheimer’s Disease

• A progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, language and physical functioning.

• Runs its course in 5 to 20 years.• Deterioration of neurons that produce the

neurotransmitter….Acetylcholine

Estrogen supplements may stop the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Cognitive Changes

• We tend to remember events from our teens and twenties.

• Difference between recognition and recall. Recognition remains stable. Recall declines with old age.

Do old people get stupid?

• Cross-sectional studies show decline.• Longitudinal Studies show consistency.

What is the difference?

Cross-sectional studies: study with people of different ages studied at the same time.

Longitudinal Studies: same people studied and retested over a period of time.

Types of IntelligenceCrystallized Intelligence

• Accumulated knowledge.

• Increases with age.

Fluid Intelligence• Ability to solve

problems quickly and think abstractly.

• Peaks in the 20’s and then decreases over time.

Life Expectancy

• Life Expectancy keeps increasing- now about 78.

• Women outlive men by about 4 years.

• But more men are conceived 126 to 100. In other words, men die easier.

Death• Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s

Stages of Death/Grief.

1. Denial2. Anger3. Bargaining4. Depression5. Acceptance