Psyc 4070 Chapter 15

Front 1

developmental period from 40 – 60 yrs of age

Back 1

Middle Adulthood

Front 2

True or false:
Physical changes/declines are particularly difficult for people in Western societies b/c of value of youthful appearance.

Back 2

True

Front 3

Explain why emotional reactions to aging are tied to self-concept

Back 3

If one greatly values attributes such as: Athleticism, beauty, etc. one would have a less favorable emotional reaction to aging.

Front 4

True or False:
if self-concept not tied to phys attributes, then those in mid-age generally report no less satisfaction w/their body images than younger adults

Back 4

True

Front 5

We reach our maximum height when, and how long does it stay that way

Back 5

20's and until about 55

Front 6

What happens during the "Settling Process," and when does it start?

Back 6

bones attached to spinal column become less dense.
Middle Adulthood

Front 7

Men slowly lose height at a rate of about 1 inch per year and women usually average about 2 inches a year due to___________

Back 7

Osteoperosis

Front 8

The Middle Aged Spread refers to:

Back 8

The fat gain that takes place during Middle Adulthood

Front 9

True/False
By age 60, we have lost 15% of our maximum strength

Back 9

False, 10%

Front 10

What are the most noticeable age affected senses?

Back 10

Hearing and Vision

Front 11

Why does vision acuity decrease?

Back 11

Shape of lens changes, elasticity deteriorates, less light passes thru the eye (lens is less transparent) so makes harder to focus images sharply onto the retina

Front 12

is a nearly universal occurrence, results in
loss of near vision (have to hold things farther away from eyes to be able to read it)

Back 12

presbyopia

Front 13

Declines in depth perception, distance perception, & loss
of adaptability

Back 13

3 reasons why we have a harder time adapting to darkness with aging

Front 14

Loss of elascticity in the eardrum, loss of cillia (hair cells) in the inner ear, and environmental factors such as working in a place that is very loud, are all:

Back 14

Reasons why hearing acuity decreases in middle adulthood.

Front 15

True/False
Women are more prone to hearing loss than men starting at around age 55

Back 15

False, Men are more prone to hearing loss

Front 16

True/False
There is an increase in reaction time (it takes longer to react to things) in middle adulthood

Back 16

True

Front 17

True/False
Even though they have increased reaction time, older adults have less driving accidents because they are more careful.

Back 17

True

Front 18

True/False
Frequent sex increases with age

Back 18

False, decreases

Front 19

True/False
50% of people b/t age of 45 to 59 report having sex about 1x/wk

Back 19

True

Front 20

What are some sexual changes that males undergo with aging?

Back 20

typically need more time to achieve an erection & longer
refractory period, volume of sperm decreases, prod of
testosterone decreases w/age

Front 21

What are some sexual changes that females go through in middle adulthood?

Back 21

walls of vagina become thinner & less elastic vagina
begins to shrink and becomes more compressed (so
intercourse may become painful)

Front 22

True/False
Females cease to menstruate as early as 40 and as late as 60

Back 22

True, this is said to have occured when there has been no period for one year.

Front 23

This means that traditional pregnancy is no longer possible

Back 23

Menopause

Front 24

Estrogen & progesterone levels decrease which can produce hormone-related age changes called:

Back 24

Hot Flashes

Front 25

True/False
Reactions to menopause vary by race

Back 25

True

Front 26

What are some changes regarding sex glands and hormones that males undergo as a result of aging?

Back 26

Enlargement of the prostate gland, problems with urination,erectile dysfunction

Front 27

True/False
For most people, middle adulthood is a period of health. Vast majority report no chronic health difficulties & face no
limitations in activities

Back 27

True

Front 28

True False
People B/t ages of 45 & 65 less likely than younger adults to experience
infections, allergies, resp disease & digestive pxs

Back 28

True, older people have already encountered these illnesses and have probably built up immunities

Front 29

Arthritis, diabetes, and HTN are all:

Back 29

Chronic illnesses that are likely to occur in middle adulthood

Front 30

True/False
The death rate for middle aged people decreases as opposed to earlier periods of life.

Back 30

False, it increases due to chronic illness.

Front 31

True/False
The over all mortality rate since infancy is greater for women than for men.

Back 31

False, the mortality rate is greater for men. However, incidence of illness is greater for women.

Front 32

True/False
Women are more likely to experience minor illness, and men are more likely to experience life-threatening illness

Back 32

True

Front 33

More middle aged men die from these types of diseases than from any other cause.

Back 33

Diseases related to the heart and circulatory system

Front 34

True/False
Both genetics and environmental factors such as lifestyle choices and personality can increase a person's likelihood of suffering heart disease

Back 34

True

Front 35

behavior characterized by competitiveness, impatience, & a tendency toward frustration & hostility ; driven to
accomplish more than others; are easily angered &
become both verbally & nonverbally hostile if prevented from reaching a goal they seek to accomplish

Back 35

Type A behavioral pattern

Front 36

behavior characterized by noncompetitiveness, patience, & a lack of aggression; are rarely hostile

Back 36

Type B behavioral pattern

Front 37

True/False
Type B (behavioral pattern) men have 2x the rate of coronary ht diseases,
greater # of fatal ht attacks as Type A men

Back 37

False, Type A men are 2X as likely to have coronary heart disease.

Front 38

True/False
There is no definite evidence that having a Type A behavioral pattern increases the likeliehood of coronary heart disease.

Back 38

True, All of the evidence is purely correlational.

Front 39

This is the most common medical condition for middle-aged people

Back 39

cancer

Front 40

How does cancer spread?

Back 40

cells in the body begin to mult uncontrollably & rapidly; as they increase in #, cells form tumors; draw nutrients from healthy cells & body tissue, & destroy body’s ability to function properly

Front 41

Poor nutrition, smoking, and exposure to radiation or sunlight are all:

Back 41

Environmental factors that increase the likelihood of cancer

Front 42

What are 3 common treatments for cancer?

Back 42

Radiation (designed to destroy tumor), Chemotherapy (ingesting toxic substances mean to poison the tumor), and surgery (to remove tumor)

Front 43

What are the most common cancers in men? In women?

Back 43

Prostate in men

Breast in women

Front 44

True/False
Evidence suggests that attitude had something to do with the survival of women with breast cancer.

Back 44

True, Larger percent of those who stoically accepted cancer or had felt hopeless had died. Much lower death rate for those who denied having the disease or who had the fighting spirit

Front 45

What is the major drawback to cross-sectional studies

Back 45

Does not control for cohort effects.

Front 46

Reflects info-processing capabilities, reasoning,
& memory. For example, memorize a set of #s like a phone #

Back 46

Fluid Intelligence

Front 47

accumulation of info, skills, & strategies that people have learned thru experience & that they can apply in px-solving situations. For example, solving a cross-word puzzle b/c relying on past experiences as a resource

Back 47

Crystallized Intelligence

Front 48

Crystallized intelligence is determined in part by ________

Back 48

Fluid intelligence

Front 49

Does intelligence decrease with age?

Back 49

Yes and No. Fluid intelligence decreases with age, but crystallized intelligence holds steady and may even increase

Front 50

20 genes vital to learning, memory, & mental flexibility
function less efficiently as early as age 40. This explains:

Back 50

changes in intelligence

Front 51

process by which people concentrate on particular skill areas to compensate for losses in other areas

Back 51

Selective Optimization

Front 52

True/False
B/c people are able to compensate for losses through selective optimization, they avoid showing any prac deterioration. Thus, overall cog competence ultimately remains stable & may even improve

Back 52

True

Front 53

True/False
Research on memory changes in adulthd says that most people
show major memory losses during middle adulthd

Back 53

False, most people
show only minimal memory losses & many exhibit none at all

Front 54

initial momentary storage of info that lasts only an
instant. Is recorded by senseory sys as raw,
meaningless stimulus

Back 54

Sensory Memory

Front 55

Moves from sensory memory into this type of memory, and holds for 15 to 25 seconds

Back 55

Short Term Memory

Front 56

If short term memory is rehearsed, it moves into this type of memory and is relatively permanent

Back 56

Long Term Memory

Front 57

These to types of memory show virtually no weakening during MIDDLE adulthood

Back 57

Sensory and Short Term Memory

Front 58

True/False
Though there is a weakening of LTM in middle adulthood for some people, overall, memory decline is minimal & most can be compensated for by various cog strategies

Back 58

True