adulthood: body and mind 12

A gradual physical decline that is related to aging and during which the body becomes less strong and efficient

A gradual physical decline that is related to aging and during which the body becomes less strong and efficient.

The time in middle age, usually around age 50, when a woman's menstrual periods cease completely and the production of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone drops considerably. Strictly speaking, menopause is dated to one year after a woman's last menstrual period.

Treatment to compensate for hormone reduction at menopause or following surgical removal of the ovaries. Such treatment, which usually involves estrogen and progesterone, minimizes menopausal symptoms and diminishes the risk of osteoporosis in later adulthood.

A term coined to signify a drop in testosterone levels in older men, which normally results in a reduction in sexual desire, erections, and muscle mass. Also known as male menopause.

Death. As a measure of health, mortality usually refers to the number of deaths each year per 1,000 members of a given population.

Disease. As a measure of health, morbidity refers to the rate of diseases of all kinds—physical and emotional, acute (sudden), chronic (ongoing), and fatal—in a given population.

Long-term difficulty in performing normal activities of daily life because of some physical, emotional, or mental condition.

refers to how healthy and energetic—physically, intellectually, and socially—an individual feels. Vitality is joie de vivre, the zest for living, the love of life (Gigante, 2007). A person can feel terrific despite having a serious disease with disability. Vitality is affected by personality and social affirmation more than by biological functioning.

A construct based on the idea that intelligence is one basic trait that involves all cognitive abilities, which people possess in varying amounts.

Those types of basic intelligence that make learning of all sorts quick and thorough. Abilities such as working memory, abstract thought, and speed of thinking are usually considered aspects of fluid intelligence.

Those types of intellectual ability that reflect accumulated learning. Vocabulary and general information are examples.

The theory, developed by Paul and Margaret Baltes, that people try to maintain a balance in their lives by looking for the best way to compensate for physical and cognitive losses and to become more proficient in activities they can already do well.

Someone who is notably more skilled and knowledgeable than the average person about whichever activities are personally meaningful.

Novices (a new person who has not practiced the skill) follow formal procedures and rules, experts rely more on past experiences and immediate contexts making their actions more intuitive and less sterotypic.

The complex action and thought they involve seem routine, as if they were performed instinctively. Experts process incoming information more quickly and analyze it more efficiently, then they act in well-rehearsed ways that appear unconscious. Some of the time, automatic actions are no longer accessible to the conscious mind. For example, most adults are experts at tying their shoe but have a hard time explaining to a child how they do it.

Is affected by age, knowledge, practice, and experience.

Linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic, social understanding (interpersonal intelligence), self-understanding (intrapersonal intelligence), and existential. The kind of intelligence that is most valued depends on the age and culture. Social context encourages some forms and devalues others. This is why Gardner's theory is beneficial in cross-cultural understanding. Adults can awaken their neglected intelligence potential under certain circumstances. Culture affects concepts of intelligence and construction of IQ tests.

Analytic, creative, and practical. Analytic intelligence is valuable in high school and college because students are expected to remember and analyze various ideas. Creative intelligence allows people to find "a better match to one's skills, values, and desires". Emerging adults appreciate the adventuresome spirit, but creativity is less appreciated after age 25, when adults are expected to settle down. Practical intelligence is useful as people age and need to manage their daily lives. The value of practical intelligence becomes apparent in adulthood and is important in solving real world challenges. Practical intelligence improves or stays steady until people are well into late adulthood.

Fluid intelligence decreases with age and crystallized intelligence increases. On IQ tests, sometimes this increase masks the decrease therefore IQ scores remain fairly steady from ages 30 to 70. Not until massive declines of fluid intelligence begin to overtake crystallized intelligence does overall IQ drop.

four decades, from age 25 to 65. Despite feeling "too old" to have another baby, Jenny was far from middle-aged, but her concerns about childbearing are common among adults of all ages. This chapter explains the issues behind the choices each adult makes about sex and reproduction.

Advances in medicine have solved about half of all fertility problems. ART overcomes obstacles such as a low sperm count and blocked fallopian tubes.

51 when a woman's menstrual periods cease completely and the production of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone drops considerably. Menopause is dated to one year after a woman's last menstrual period.

Worldwide trends are less encouraging. Smoking rates in developing nations are rising. Smoking-related cancers throughout the world are increasing.

Drinking in moderation (no more than two drinks a day) increases life expectancy. Alcohol reduces coronary heart disease and strokes. Increases "good" cholesterol and reduces "bad" cholesterol. Lowers blood pressure.

US 66% of U.S. adults are overweight; of those, 33% are obese and 5% are morbidly obese Metabolism decreases by one-third between ages 20 and 60. Genetics: Two alleles that correlate with both diabetes and weight Increase in obesity rates cannot be blamed on genes cultural influences are more important!

Multitasking becomes more difficult with every passing decade (e.g. driving while talking on a cell phone). Reactions take longer and complex memory tasks become impossible because of age-related brain changes

Seattle Longitudinal Study: Cross-sequential study of adult intelligence Schaie began this study in 1956; the most recent testing was conducted in 2005. 500 adults, aged 20 to 50, were tested on five primary mental abilities. New cohort was added and followed every 7 years. analytic intelligence, crative and practical intelligence

Intellectual ability peaked at about age 18, stayed at that level until the mid-20s, and then began to decline. IQ scores peaked between ages 18 and 21 and then gradually fell, with the average 55-year-old scoring the same as the average 14-year old

gardner

Linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic, social understanding (interpersonal intelligence), self-understanding (intrapersonal intelligence), and existential intelligence Each culture stresses a different set of Gardner's nine types of intelligence. Everyone has all nine to some extent, but each person develops only some of them.