Lifespan Psychology Module 15: Middle Adulthood – Physical and Cognitive Changes

Key Terms:

 Climacteric: the term used to describe the adult period during which reproductive

capacity declines or is lost

 Menopause: the cessation of monthly menstrual cycles in middle-aged women

 Premenopausal phase: the stage of menopause during which estrogen levels fall

somewhat, menstrual periods are less regular, and anovulatory cycles begin to occur

 Perimenopausal phase: the stage of menopause during which estrogen and progesterone

levels are erratic, menstrual cycles may be very irregular, and women begin to experience

symptoms such as hot flashes

 Postmenopausal phase: the last stage of menopause, which begins when a woman has

had no menstrual periods for a year or more

 Osteoporosis: loss of bone mass with age, resulting in more brittle and porous bones

 Presbyopia: normal loss of visual acuity with aging, especially the ability to focus the

eyes on near objects

 Presbycusis: normal loss of hearing with aging, especially of high-frequency tones

 Cardiovascular disease (CVD): a set of disease processes in the heart and circulatory

system

 Atherosclerosis: narrowing of the arteries caused by deposits of a fatty substance called

plaque

 Alcoholism: physical and psychological dependence on alcohol

 Selective optimization with compensation: the process of balancing the gains and

losses associated with aging

 Episodic memories: recollections of personal events

 Semantic memories: general knowledge

 Creativity: the ability to produce original, appropriate, and valuable ideas and/or

solutions to problems
I) Physical Changes

a) The Brain and Nervous System

 Because development psychology has focused more on younger individuals, there

simply isn’t as much knowledge about universal changes in adulthood.

 Relatively little is known about the normal, undamaged brains of middle-aged adults.

This is because research has focused on changes associated with trauma and disease

rather than changes due to primary aging.

 When it comes to creating and processing mental images, the middle-aged brian is

just as efficient as the young adult brain.

 Middle-aged adults’ brains respond more slowly to cognitive tasks than those of

younger adults.

 Such tasks activate a larger area of brain tissue in middle-aged adults than they do in

younger adults.

 Neuropsychologists speculate that cognitive processing is less selective in middle-

aged adults than it is in younger adults. It’s as if the middle-aged brain has a more

difficult time finding just the right neurological tool to carry out a particular function,

and so it activates more tools than are necessary. The lack of selectivity could account

for differences between age groups in the speed at which cognitive tasks are carried

out.

b) The Reproductive System

 Climacteric: the term used to describe the adult period during which reproductive

capacity declines or is lost.

  In male, the climacteric is extremely gradual. The quantity of viable sperm produced

declines slightly, beginning perhaps at about age 40.

 Menopause: the cessation of monthly menstrual cycles in middle-aged women.

 Premenopausal phase: the stage of menopause during which estrogen levels fall

somewhat, menstrual periods are less regular, and anovulatory cycles begin to occur.

 Perimenopausal phase: the stage of menopause during which estrogen and

progesterone levels are erratic, menstrual cycles may be very irregular, and women

begin to experience symptoms such as hot flashes.

 Postmenopausal phase: the last stage of menopause, which begins when a woman

has had no menstrual periods for a year or more.

c) The Skeletal System

 Osteoporosis: loss of bone mass with age, resulting in more brittle and porous bones.

d) Vision and Hearing

 Presbyopia: normal loss of visual acuity with aging, especially the ability to focus

the eyes on near objects.

 Presbycusis: normal loss of hearing with aging, especially of high-frequency tones.

II) Health and Wellness

a) Cardiovascular Disease

 Cardiovascular disease (CVD): a set of disease processes in the heart and

circulatory system.

 Atherosclerosis: narrowing of the arteries caused by deposits of a fatty substance

called plaque.

 Alcoholism: physical and psychological dependence on alcohol.

III) Cognitive Functioning

a) Models of Physical and Cognitive Aging

 Selective optimization with compensation: the process of balancing the gains and

losses associated with aging.

 Episodic memories: recollections of personal events.

 Semantic memories: general knowledge.

 Creativity: the ability to produce original, appropriate, and valuable ideas and/or

solutions to problems.

b) Health and Cognitive Functioing

c)