 A time of transition › Involves shifting priorities & outlooks on life from adolescence to throughout the remainder of life.  As our bodies age our bodies’ cells break down and are less able to repair themselves.

 Age: 20’s  When people are at their physical peak.  Immune systems, senses and mental skills operate at maximum efficiency.

 Age: 30’s – 40’s  Appearance changes.  Tend to become less active.  Weight gain, heart rate, muscle strength, eyesight decrease.

 Age: 50’s – 60’s  Gradual bone loss and further decrease in lung output.  Skin wrinkles- joints deteriorate.  Heart become less efficient.

 Muscle strength, bone strength, speed of nerve connections, and heart and lung output further decrease.

 90% of adults in the U.S. will marry.  40%-60% of marriages end in divorce.  Longitudinal studies show that marriage relies on 2 main factors: › How couple handles conflicts › How often the couple shares intimate and happy moments.

 Occurs in women between ages of  Women no longer ovulate or menstruate therefore cannot conceive children.  More of an emotional affect rather than a physical affect.  Men do not experience an equivalent biological change.  Male sperm production declines over years.

 Better at learning new skills, information, and problem solving.  Reaction time decreases.  Peak for mathematicians and scientists in 20’s & 30’s.  Peak for humanities (history, philosophy, literature) in 40’s, 50’s & 60’s.

 Recall memory declines with age, but no measurable decline in recognition tasks has been demonstrated  Crystallized intelligence = accumulated knowledge and verbal skills - tends to increase with age  Fluid intelligence = ability to reason speedily and abstractly - tends to decrease during late adulthood