BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGY:

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK
3 11 11
Middle Adulthood
(Physical Development, Cognitive Development, and Psycho Social Development) PART I

✓ Read course and unit objectives

✓ Read study guide prior to class attendance
✓ Read required learning resources; refer to unit
terminologies for jargons
✓ Proactively participate in classroom discussions
✓ Participate in weekly discussion board (Canvas)
✓ Answer and submit course unit tasks

At the end of this unit, the students are expected to:

1. To be able to distinguish the features of middle age

2. To identify the gains and losses occurring of middle adulthood

Boyd, Denise. (2015). Lifespan development, 7th ed. Singapore: Pearson Educ. 155 B69 2015, c10
In middle adulthood, starts from 40 to 60. At this
age obvious physical and cognitive changes are
readily noticeable. These changes happen due
to so many factors namely behavioral choices,
poor health, and so on—that govern the
developmental pathway that an individual adult
follows.

At this stage of life, the brain is smaller at the end

of middle adulthood compared to the beginning
of the period. Resulting in decrease in brain
function. However, middle-aged adults use a
different strategy to compensate for these
decreases and, as a result, may outperform
younger adults. A good example would be on
practical task like driving a car.

adults’ brains respond more slowly to cognitive

tasks than those of younger adults, and such
tasks activate a larger area of brain tissue in
middle-aged brains than they do in younger
adults. Additionally, the brains of middle-aged
and younger adults respond differently to
sensory stimuli. It could be inferred that middle-
In terms of creating and processing mental
aged adults would perform more poorly than
images, the middle-aged brain is just as
their younger counterparts.
competent as the young adult brain. Another
consistent finding, however, is that middle-aged
the climacteric phase of life in middle adulthood includes both males and females experience changes in
their reproductive hormones. In women, reproductive systems capacity declines and then cease at
menopause. Menopause only occurs when a woman has not menstruated for one year. The average
age of menopause is at age 50, but there are times between ages 40 and 60 is considered normal. If a
woman experiences menopause before age 40, it is referred to as premature menopause.

In men, the climacteric is slower than women, with a slow loss of reproductive capacity, although the rate
of change varies widely from one man to the next. The quantity of sperm produced declines, beginning
perhaps about age 40, the volume of seminal fluid declines after about age 60. Despite all the changes
in the reproductive system, the great majority of middle-aged adults remain sexually active, although the
frequency of sex drops in these years.
At age 30, bone mass begins to decline. The process is further aggravated in women at menopause.
Lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise, influence bone loss in both men and women. A change that
begins to be quite significant in middle adulthood is a loss of calcium from the bones, resulting in reduced
bone mass and more brittle and porous bones; a process called osteoporosis.

The visual and auditory acuity also decline in middle-aged adults. Men experience greater hearing losses
than women do. One of the most noticeable physical changes occurring in the middle years is a loss of
visual acuity.

There are two changes in the eyes, namely called presbyopia, are involved:

1. The lens of the eye thickens.

2. This thickening makes it harder and harder for the muscles surrounding the eye to change the
shape of the lens to adjust the focus.

In terms of hearing is called presbycusis. The auditory nerves and various structures of the inner ear
degenerate as a result of basic wear and tear, that leads to the inability to hear high- and very low-
frequency sounds.

Cardiovascular disease results from the build-up of a fatty substance in the arteries. Smoking, high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and a high-fat diet increase the probability that a middle-aged adult
will acquire cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a group of disease processes in the
heart and circulatory system, is the leading cause of death in the nation. In middle age, a sudden heart
attack, technically known as an acute myocardial infarction, is sometimes the first indication of a problem.
Men are more likely than women to have this disease.
Some studies suggest that high-fat diets increase the risk of cancer. Smoking, obesity, and an inactive
lifestyle may also contribute to this disease. On average, women live longer than men, but they are more
likely to suffer from chronic conditions such as arthritis. Ethnicity and socioeconomic class are linked to
health in middle adulthood. Alcoholism can develop at any age, but its effects become evident in middle
age when it is associated with increased mortality. One possible explanation why women live longer than
men is due to the fact that women seek medical treatment compared to men. Men tend to engage higher
in unhealthy lifestyle.

Nancy Denney’s model of aging hypothesizes that exercising physical and cognitive abilities slows down
the rate of decline in the middle and later adulthood years. Such exercise may also improve the level of
functioning according to this model. Paul and Margaret Baltes assert that middle-aged adults balance
the gains and losses associated with aging by selecting tasks on which to focus limited resources,
optimizing some skills through practice, and compensating for declines.

Research suggests that variations in health are associated with variations in cognitive functioning in
middle-aged and older adults. Physical exercise clearly affects health and may also be related to
cognitive functioning. Verbal abilities continue to grow in middle adulthood. Some memory skills decline,
but middle-aged adults maintain high levels of functioning in areas of expertise.

In adults having challenging professions, creative productivity appears to be at its peak in middle
adulthood. Researchers can gain additional insight into age-related memory changes by studying how
well young and middle-aged adults encode different kinds of memories.
Episodic memories are recollections of personal events or episodes. Semantic memories represent
general knowledge.

Osteoporosis: loss of calcium from the bones, resulting in reduced bone mass and more brittle and
porous bones.

Presbyopia: Loss of visual acquity

presbycusis. The inability to hear high- and very low-frequency sounds.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD): a group of disease processes in the heart and circulatory system

Essentials of Life Span Development 5th Edition Santrock, John W. New York: MC Graw Hill (2018)
155.25 S5 2018 c2

Papalia, Diane E.. (2015). Experience human development 13th ed.. New Yor : McGraw-Hill . 155.25
P19 2015,c1

Ciccarelli, Saundra K.. (2015). Psychology, 4th ed.. Singapore : Pearson Education. 150.1 C48 2015,c2

Study Questions

1. If you were to develop public health programs and wanted to convince young adults that they
should not listen to loud music over earphones because of the risks of early and extensive
hearing loss, how would you go about persuading them? What arguments do you think would
work?

2. Given the changes in the brain, reproductive system, bones, and sensory abilities that you have
learned about in this section, how would you evaluate a statement such as “age is just a state of
mind”?

3. Considering all the risk factors for the various health problems that were described in this
section, what can you predict about your own health in middle age? Which factors can you
change?
Boyd, Denise. (2015). Lifespan development, 7th ed. Singapore:
Pearson Educ. 155 B69 2015, c10

Essentials of Life Span Development 5th Edition Santrock, John W.

New York: MC Graw Hill (2018) 155.25 S5 2018 c2

Papalia, Diane E.. (2015). Experience human development 13th ed..

New Yor : McGraw-Hill . 155.25 P19 2015,c1

Ciccarelli, Saundra K.. (2015). Psychology, 4th ed.. Singapore :

Pearson Education. 150.1 C48 2015,c2