Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
114 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Middle Adulthood covers what age range? |
40-65 |
|
|
What is Presbyopia? When does it typically occur? |
Lens loses capacity to adjust to objects at varying distances entirely; literally called "old eyes" Around age 60 |
|
|
What is Glaucoma? |
A disease in which poor fluid drainage leads to a buildup of pressure within the eye, damaging the optic nerve. |
|
|
What is the leading cause of blindness in Middle Adulthood? |
Glaucoma |
|
|
The sun will damage the lens in middle adulthood causing...? |
Less of an ability to distinguish colors |
|
|
What is the term for age-related hearing loss? |
Presbycusis (literally "old hearing") |
|
|
What can exacerbate wrinkles? |
Sun damge |
|
|
What are the three layers of the skin? |
Epidermis (outer), dermis (middle; connective tissue that stretches), and the hypodermis (inner, fatty layer) |
|
|
What causes the skin to wrinkle, loosen, and feel dry? (4) |
-The epidermis becomes less firmly attached to the dermis -Fibers in the dermis thin -Cells in the epidermis and dermis decline in water content -Fat in the hypodermis diminishes |
|
|
What happens to muscle-fat ratios over time? |
Fat increases, muscle decreases |
|
|
Bone density declines as a result of ______? |
Hormones (especially in women after menopause) |
|
|
What is climacteric? When does it typically begin? |
Midlife transition in which fertility declines; last until menopause is reached. Begins in 50s |
|
|
What concludes climacteric? |
Menopause (end of menstruation and reproductive capacity) |
|
|
Men do not have a "menopause counterpart," but what happens in terms of reproductive capacity? |
Sperm production continues, quality of semen diminishes, and erections become harder to attain and maintain. |
|
|
Frequency of sexual activity decreases/increases during middle adulthood? |
Slight decrease |
|
|
What is the proportion of cancer-related deaths in Middle Adulthood? |
1/3 |
|
|
What are the most common types of cancer in Middle Adulthood? |
Breast, then Lung, then Prostate (breast and prostate can be treated effectively if detected early) |
|
|
What is osteoporosis? |
are-related severe bone-loss |
|
|
What can be the greatest risk for having a heart attack (in terms of environment)? |
Stress High stress=high risk for heart attack *exercise is best management technique |
|
|
What us crystallized intelligence? |
Skills that depend on accumulated knowledge and experience, good-judgment, and mastery of social conventions. Abilities acquired because valued by culture Crystalized=Culture (vocab, logical reasoning, verbal comprehension) |
|
|
What is fluid intelligence? |
Basic information processing skills: detect relationships among visual stimuli, speed of analyzing information, and capacity of working memory. |
|
|
Which of the two intelligences increases over time, and which decreases? |
Crystallized increases Fluid decreases |
|
|
What is Erikson's psychological conflict of midlife? |
Generativity versus Stagnation |
|
|
What is the positive side of this psychological conflict? |
Generativity - reaching out to others in ways that give to and guide the next generation. They feel as if they have something to offer; very well-adjusted |
|
|
What is the negative side of this psychological conflict? |
Stagnation - occurs when person becomes self-indulgent and self-centered. They focus on what they can get from others rather than what they can give |
|
|
What does Levinson's Seasons of Life say about middle adulthood? |
People realize that more time has passed than is ahead. Consequently, some make drastic revisions in their life structure |
|
|
At what age do adults ask questions about their life that may lead them to modifying their own Life Structure? |
40-45 |
|
|
Is there really a midlife crisis? |
Midlife crisis is more of an exception rather than a rule. It is better characterized as a midlife "turning point" |
|
|
What are some things that prompt a midlife crisis or turning point? |
Self-doubt and stress; and social clocks |
|
|
What is the term "possible selves" meant? |
future-oriented representation of what one hopes to become and what one is afraid of becoming. Temporal dimension of self-concept (what individual in striving for and attempting to avoid) |
|
|
Three personality characteristics are present in middle adulthood that are positive changes in terms of emotional health. Name them. |
Self-acceptance - feel good about themselves and life Autonomy - less dependence; feels okay doing things alone Environmental mastery - good problem solvers |
|
|
True or False? In middle adulthood androgynous behaviors are more assimilated by BOTH sexes.
|
TRUE. |
|
|
What is the Parental Imperative Theory? |
Identification with traditional genes roles is maintained during the active parenting years to help ensure the survival of children. Men become more goal-oriented, while women emphasize nurturance. Basically, when kids are little parents must act in gender stereotyped ways |
|
|
Most midlife relationships can be described simply as: |
Live in a house with a spouse |
|
|
Divorce typically occurs how many years after marriage? |
5-10 years *better able to deal with divorce than in early adulthood |
|
|
When females initiate the divorce, are the better or worse off? |
Better off
|
|
|
What is the difference when men initiate the divorce?
|
Another romantic interest is typical; men often get married very soon after divorce |
|
|
Grandparenthood is looked forward to, because: (4) |
They see themselves as: a valued elder, immortality through descendants, re-involved with personal past, and indulgence. |
|
|
What can be a difficult part in this time period regarding our parents? |
Seeing their health decline |
|
|
What is it meant by "sandwich generation"? |
Stuck taking care of aging parents and young adults *daughters more likely offer this role; leads to: stress, exhaustion, "burning out" |
|
|
True or False? Sibling relationships are closely maintained through all of middle adulthood. |
False. Declines early in middle adulthood, then rebounds at the end of the stage. *sister-sister bonds are the closest |
|
|
True or False? Friendships in midlife become fewer, more selective, and more deeply valued. |
True. |
|
|
True or False? Viewing your spouse as a best friend can contribute greatly to marital happiness. |
True. Your partner (and children) become the greatest means of support.
|
|
|
True or False? Job satisfaction decreases through middle adulthood. |
False. It increases because competence increases. Furthermore, it is more like to increase for men |
|
|
Late Adulthood cover what age range? |
65-death *could be longest developmental period |
|
|
What is functional age? |
Actual competence and performance *chronological age is an imperfect predictor of of functional age |
|
|
What is the average life expectancy in the United States? For Men? For Women? |
~77 years old (*important to note the statistic is related to infant mortality as well) ~75 for men ~80 for women |
|
|
Early choices in life leads to a lower active lifespan, which leads to: |
Higher rates of heart disease and obesity |
|
|
What are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)? |
Basic self-care tasks required to live on one's own, such as bathing, dressing, getting in and out of bed, or eating. *after 75, 9% of Americans have difficultly with ADLs |
|
|
What are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)? |
tasks necessary to conduct the business of daily life and also requiring some cognitive competence, such as shopping, food preparation, housekeeping, and paying bills. |
|
|
What changes are taking place to the nervous system in the stage of life? |
-Loss of neurons, connections are slowing down -Frontal lobe and corpus collosum significantly decrease -Glial cells (make up myelin) decrease; makes brain less efficient |
|
|
What is the leading cause of blindness in Late Adulthood? |
Macular Degeneration |
|
|
What is Macular Degeneration? |
Light-sensitive cells in the macula break down, through restriction of blood flow to the macula. *eating veggies helps prevent this |
|
|
What are cataracts? |
cloudy areas in the lens, resulting in foggy vision and without surgery can lead to blindness |
|
|
How many individuals experience cataracts in their 70s? 80s? |
1 out of 4 in 70s 1 out of 2 in 80s |
|
|
What happens to taste and odor sensitivity? |
Sensitivity wanes, making food less appealing. *can cause elders to salt their food too much, further leading to inc. blood pressure *smoking, dentures, and medication can exacerbate |
|
|
True or False? Touch sensitivity declines. |
True, BUT mainly in fingertips; others areas experience less decline |
|
|
What are some cardiovascular changes taking place in Late Adulthood? (3) |
Heart pumps with less force The heart hardens, plaque builds up in arteries (reducing blood flow) Maximum heart rate decreases *this can cause adults to complain about being cold |
|
|
What is happening to the immune system? |
Begins to function less effectively in late life, permitting diseases to progress and making an auto-immune response and stress-induced infection more likely. |
|
|
What is happening to sleeping habits in this stage? |
Amount of sleep decreases, insomnia increases. Find it harder to fall asleep, stay asleep and sleep deeply. |
|
|
What are some outward signs of aging? |
Wrinkles, age-spots, reduction in hair follicles, sagging skin. |
|
|
How are some negative effects of aging coped with? |
Assistive technologies (pill reminders, reading glasses, automatic shutoffs, etc), plastic surgery |
|
|
Most older-adults rate their health favorable and have a high sense of self-efficacy about protecting it. What puts adults at higher-risk to feel the opposite of such? |
Lower-SES ethnic minority. Less likely to believe they can control their health and are at greater risk for certain health problems |
|
|
True or False? Sexuality drastically decreases during this time. |
False. Although sexual activity may decline, most older couples report continued, regular sexual enjoyment.
|
|
|
What is Primary Aging? |
Another term for "biological aging" or genetically influenced declines that affect all members of our species and take place regardless of good health. Ex: neuronal death |
|
|
What is Secondary Aging? |
Declines due to hereditary defects and negative environmental influences Ex: diet, exercise, cancer |
|
|
What is Frailty? |
Weakened functioning of diverse organs and body systems, yielding symptoms that interfere with everyday competence: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, muscle weakness, slow walking speed, and low physical activity. ****primary aging contributes to frailty |
|
|
What is Osteoarthritis? |
Deteriorating cartilage on the ends of the bones of frequently used joints. "Wear and tear" |
|
|
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis? |
Involves the whole body, through an autoimmune response leading to inflammation of connective tissue. Result is deformed joints and often serious loss of mobility |
|
|
Name another common health problem experienced by adults in late adulthood that is likely a result of poor lifestyle or heredity. |
Type II Diabetes (diabetes mellitus); completely preventable; leads to circulatory issues
|
|
|
What is Dementia? |
A set of disorders occurring almost entirely in old age in which many aspects of thought and behavior are so impaired that everyday activities are disrupted.
|
|
|
What is the most common form of dementia? |
Alzheimer's disease; accounts for 60% of all dementia cases |
|
|
What is Alzheimer's disease? |
Structural and chemical brain deterioration is associated with gradual loss of many aspects of thought and behavior. |
|
|
What is selective optimization with compensation?
|
Narrowing their goals, they select personally valued activities to optimize returns from their diminished energy. Find new ways to compensate for losses.
Older adults can make the most of their cognitive resources through this. |
|
|
What is implicit memory? What is happening to this in late adulthood? |
Memory without conscious awareness (automatic memory, not processed) Slight declines |
|
|
What is Remote Memory? How is it effected in late adulthood? |
Very long-term recall. Significant decline. |
|
|
What is perspective memory? |
Refers to remembering to engage in planned actions in the future. Day-to-day memory |
|
|
Describe changes in language processing in late adulthood. |
Retrieving words from long-term memory and planning what to say and how to say it. Does slow down, hearing loss may affect this as well. |
|
|
What is the final psychological conflict of Erikson's Theory? |
Ego Integrity vs Despair **involves coming to terms with one's life |
|
|
Resolving this conflict on the ego integrity side means...? |
They feel whole, complete, and satisfied with their achievements **feel like they have much to offer |
|
|
What is the negative side of this conflict? |
Made many wrong decisions in life; no time to change. |
|
|
What does it mean when older adults engage in Reminiscence? |
telling stories about people and events from their past and reporting associated thought and feelings. |
|
|
Life Review is a special form of Reminiscence, except that life review: |
is calling up past experiences with the goal of achieving greater self-understanding. |
|
|
What two things remain stable for the entire lifespan? |
Personality (the big 5 traits) and temperament |
|
|
What mainly changes across the lifespan? |
Self-concept; becomes more detailed and refined. |
|
|
How is resilience fostered? |
Gains in agreeableness and acceptance of change. Resilience - coping with changes and how to deal with them |
|
|
What happens in regards to spirituality in Late Adulthood? |
A time older adults may come by; religiosity is typically stable through adulthood. |
|
|
True or False? Physical Health is a powerful predictor of late-life psychological well-being. |
True. There are higher rates of depression among the elderly once their health declines. |
|
|
Because negative life changes begin to pile up, what is very crucial for maintaining a positive outlook? |
Social support; it promotes physical health and psychological well-being |
|
|
Most older adults prefer living where? |
Aging in place; an ordinary home, or remaining in a familiar setting |
|
|
Residential homes (nursing homes) provide necessary support for older adults that need such. However, an extreme restriction of autonomy is present. What is common problem that disabled elders experience? |
Elder abuse happens to those that have lost cognitive capacity; thus, get taken advantage of |
|
|
What are the 8 qualities of successful aging? |
-Optimism about improving health -Selective optimization w/ compensation -Strengthened self-concept -Enhanced emotional understanding -accept change; fosters life satisfaction -mature sense of spirituality -personal control of dependency -have relationships offering social support |
|
|
What percentage of deaths are long and drawn out (illness)? |
75% *25% have a quck, sudden death |
|
|
What is the first phase of death? |
Agonal. Gasps and muscle spasms |
|
|
What is the second phase of death? |
Clinical death. heart beat stops, circulation stops, breathing ceases; brain function stops *resuscitation is still possible |
|
|
What is the third, and final stage of death? |
Mortality. permanent death |
|
|
What is "brain death"? Is the person considered dead? |
Brain and brain stem no longer function. In most industrialized nations, the person is dead. |
|
|
What is the persistent vegetative state? |
Brain stem remains active, but cerebral cortex is not. Recovery is not possible |
|
|
What five concepts are death based off of? |
Permanence Inevitability Cessation (all living functions cease) Applicability (only to living things) Causation (caused by a breakdown of bodily functioning) |
|
|
How is death perceived in childhood? When is an adult-like perception of death attained? |
Not well understood. In middle childhood |
|
|
How do adolescents perceive death? |
They are aware it happens, but they feel as if it far, far away. They feel invincible; a gap between logic and reality |
|
|
What is the perception of death in adulthood? |
Many avoid the though in early adulthood, but midlife they become more conscious of it. And in late adulthood, they ponder the process less than the actual state. |
|
|
What is death anxiety? |
Fear and apprehension of death. This decreases as you get older into late adulthood |
|
|
What are some influences on accepting death? |
When it feels appropriate Nature of disease (better they are no longer suffering) Individual coping and personality characteristics Family member and health provides reactions Spirituality, religion, culture |
|
|
What percentage of adults prefer to die at home? About what percentage meets this preference? |
80%-90% 20%-25% |
|
|
What is Euthanasia? |
ending the life of a person suffering from an incurable condition |
|
|
What is passive euthanasia? |
withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment from a hopelessly ill patient – widely accepted |
|
|
What is voluntary active euthanasia? |
doctors act directly, at a patient's request, to end suffering before a natural end to life; Dr. Assisted Suicde |
|
|
What is Bereavement? |
experience of losing a loved one by death |
|
|
What is Grief and the three processes? |
intense physical and psychological distress Avoidance, confrontation, restoration |
|
|
What is the avoidance stage? |
A feeling of numbness; becoming painfully aware of the loss |
|
|
What is the confrontation stage? |
confronts reality of the death; grief is most intense. Cascade of emotions: anxiety, sadness, protest, anger, helplessness, frustration, abandonment, yearning. |
|
|
What is the restoration stage? |
Adjusting to the loss. Overcoming loneliness, mastering skills that the deceased once did, reorganizing daily life without them |
|
|
Under which circumstances is grieving most intense? |
When a parent loses a child or when a child loses a sibling or parent; intense and prolonged. Losing a spouse is also intense. |
