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after 55 begin a "settling" process. what is this? - Answer -the bones attached to the
spinal column become less dense
osteoporosis - Answer -condition where the bones become brittle, fragile & thin; often
brought by a lack of calcium in the diet
visual acuity - Answer -ability to discern fine spatial detail in both close & distant objects
at what age does visual acuity start to decline? - Answer -40
why does visual acuity decrease? - Answer -shape of eye lens changes & elasticity
deteriorates; lens become less transparent
presbyopia - Answer -nearly universal change in eyesight during middle adulthood that
results in some loss of near vision
glaucoma - Answer -condition in which pressure in the fluid of the eye increases, either
b/c fluid cannot properly drain or b/c too much fluid is produced
presbycusis - Answer -loss of ability to hear sounds of high frequency
reaction time slightly _____________ in middle adulthood - Answer -increases
female climacteric - Answer -period that marks the transition from being able to bare
children to not being able to (around 45)
menopause - Answer -the cessation of menstruation
when is menopause complete? - Answer -when a woman goes a full year w/out her
period
hot flashes - Answer -women experience a surge of heat above the waist
perimenopause - Answer -period before menopause when hormone production begins
to change
hormone therapy - Answer -estrogen & progesterone are administered to alleviate the
worst symptoms for menopausal women
what are symptoms of menopause? - Answer -hot flashes, dizziness, headaches, heart
palpitation, aching joints
,male climacteric - Answer -period of physical changes in the reproduction system that
occurs late in midlife, typically in a mans 50s
what gland is usually enlarged in middle adulthood in men? - Answer -prostate gland
difficulty in urination in men is an affect of what? - Answer -enlarged prostate gland
erectile dysfuntion - Answer -men are unable to achieve/maintain an erection
type A personality characteristics - Answer -competitiveness, impatience, & tendency
towards frustration & hostility
**more likely to develop coronary heart disease
type B characteristics - Answer -non-competitiveness, patience & lack of aggression
type D characteristics - Answer -insecurity, anxiety & negative outlook on ppl
radiation therapy - Answer -radiation targets tumor in attempt to destroy it
chemotherapy - Answer -ingest controlled doses of toxic substances meant to poison
the tumor
fluid intelligence - Answer -reflects ability to solve & reason about novel problems
independent of past specific knowledge
crystallized intelligence - Answer -information, skills & strategies that ppl have
accumulated thru experience
which intelligence declines with age? - Answer -fluid
which intelligence holds steady & can improve with age? - Answer -crystallized
selective optimization - Answer -process ppl use in concentrating on particular skill
areas to compensate for losses in other areas
ex) runner giving up other things to train
expertise - Answer -the skill/knowledge acquired in a particular area
sensory memory - Answer -initial, momentary storage of memory;
no decline w age
short-term memory (working memory) - Answer -holds info for 15-20 seconds;
no decline w age
, long-term memory - Answer -stored on relatively permanent basis;
some decline w age
schemas - Answer -organized bodies of information stored in memory
schemas in middle adulthood - Answer -help ppl represent the way world is organized,
aid in categorization & interpretation of new info, convey cultural info
mnemonics - Answer -formal strategies for organizing material in ways that make it
more likely to be remembered
encoding specificity phenomenon - Answer -remember info in the environment thats
similar to where you initially learned in
normative-crisis models - Answer -see personality development as universal stages of
sequential, age-related crisis
life events models - Answer -suggest that particular events, rather than age, determine
how personality develops
erikson's generativity-versus-stagnation - Answer -stage during middle adulthood in
which ppl consider their contributions to family/society
gould suggests what? - Answer -adults pass thru several stages associated w/ specific
age periods; ppl in late 30s-40s begin to feel a sense of urgency ab attaining lifes goals
as they realize life is finite
levison's "seasons of life" theory - Answer -early 40s is a period of transition & crisis
midlife crisis - Answer -stage of uncertainty & indecision brought about by the realization
that life is finite
what theorists claim there are substantial changes to personality over time? - Answer -
erikson & levinson
what theorists claim there is stability in traits across development? - Answer -costa &
mccrae
what traits remain stable and consistent thru adulthood - Answer -neuroticism,
extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness
traits of a good marriage - Answer -couples state their spouse is their bestfriend, view
marriage as lifetime commitment, believe their spouse has grown more interesting over
the years, satisfied with sex life