“I am still learning.” - Michelangelo, 1560, at age 85

Developmental Psychology The study of YOU from womb to tomb. We are going to study how we change physically, socially, cognitively and morally over our lifetimes. OLD AGE AND GRIEVING

Physical Changes Muscular strength, reactionary time, sensory keenness, and cardiac output all crest in the mid-twenties

In 2002, George Blair became the world’s oldest barefoot water skier, 18 days after his 87 th birthday.

Gradual Decline in Fertility Chances of pregnancy for a year old are half that of a year old There is a gradual decline in sperm count and testosterone for men.

Adulthood: Physical Development  Menopause – approximately age 50  the time of natural cessation of menstruation  also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines

Adulthood: Physical Development  The Aging Senses Proportion of normal (20/20) vision when identifying letters on an eye chart Age in years A 65-year old’s eye only receives 1/3 as much light as a 20 year old’s does “Don’t you need light for reading?” Most stairway falls taken by older people occur on the top step, precisely where the person typically descends from a window-lit hallway into the dark stairway.

Adulthood: Physical Development  The Aging Senses Age in years Percent correct when Identifying smells

Adulthood: Physical Development  The Aging Senses Percent correct when identifying spoken words Age in years

Adulthood: Physical Development  Slowing reactions contribute to increased accident risks among those 75 and older and over Fatal accident rate Age Fatal accidents per 10,000 drivers Fatal accidents per 100 million miles

French woman Jeanne Calment, the oldest human in history with authenticated age, died in 1998 at age 122. At age 100, she was still riding a bike. At age 114, she became the oldest film actor ever, by portraying herself in Vincent and Me.

Health Good news: accumulation of anti-bodies results in less short-term ailments (flu or cold) Bad news: immune system weakens, making the body more susceptible to ailments such as pneumonia or cancer

Memory Brain regions important to memory atrophy with aging – By age 80, contributes to a total brain weight reduction of 5% – Frontal lobe atrophies – causes overly blunt questions such as “Did you put on weight?” – Exercise promotes neurogenesis – birth of new brain cells

Adulthood: Physical Development  Incidence of Dementia by Age Risk of dementia increases in later years Age Group 40% Percentage with dementia Dementia: mental erosion of the brain (substantial loss of brain cells)

Alzheimer’s Disease  Alzheimer’s Disease  a progressive and irreversible brain disorder  characterized by first loss of smell, then a gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, emotion, language, and finally, physical functioning  Deterioration of brain cells that produce acetylcholine - messenger “I don’t want to attain immortality through my work; I want to attain immortality by not dying.” – Woody Allen (film director)

Adulthood: Cognitive Development  Recalling new names introduced once, twice, or three times is easier for younger adults than for older ones (Crook & West, 1990) Age group Percent of names recalled After one introductions After two introductions Older age groups have poorer performance After three introductions

Types of Intelligence Crystallized Intelligence Accumulated knowledge. Increases with age. Fluid Intelligence Ability to solve problems quickly and think abstractly. Peaks in the 20’s and then decreases over time.

Adulthood: Social Development  Early-forties midlife crisis? Females Males No early 40s emotional crisis Age in Years 24% Emotional instability

Adulthood: Social Changes  Social Clock  the culturally preferred timing of social events  marriage  parenthood  retirement

Marriage Most likely to occur when after 20 and educated Why is divorce rate going up? – Women’s lessened economic dependence – Rising expectations on both sides

Adulthood: Social Changes  Multinational surveys show that age differences in life satisfaction are trivial (Inglehart, 1990) Percentage “satisfied” with life as a whole Age group

Adulthood: Social Changes

Death Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s Stages of Death/Grief. 1.Denial 2.Anger 3.Bargaining 4.Depression 5.Acceptance **Not everyone goes through them all and not necessarily in this order