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

2. 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

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

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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. Adulthood: Physical Development
The Aging Senses
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?”
1.00
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.
0.75
Proportion of normal
(20/20) vision when
identifying letters on
an eye chart
0.50
0.25 10 30 50 70 90
Age in years

8. Adulthood: Physical Development
The Aging Senses 10 30 50 70 90
Percent correct when
Identifying smells
Age in years

9. Adulthood: Physical Development
The Aging Senses 90
Percent correct when
identifying spoken
words 70 50 10 30 50 70 90
Age in years

10. Adulthood: Physical Development
Fatal
accident
rate
Slowing reactions contribute to increased accident risks among those 75 and older. 12 10
Fatal accidents
per 100 million miles 8
Fatal accidents
per 10,000 drivers 6 4 2 16 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
75 and
over
Age

11. French woman Jeanne Calment, the oldest human in history with authenticated age, died in 1998 at age 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. Adulthood: Physical Development
Incidence of Dementia by Age
Risk of dementia
increases in later
years
Age Group
40% 30 20 10
Percentage
with dementia
Dementia: mental erosion of the brain (substantial loss of brain cells)

15. 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)

16. Adulthood: Cognitive Development
100
Older age groups have
poorer performance
Recalling new names introduced once, twice, or three times is easier for younger adults than for older ones (Crook & West, 1990).
Percent
of names
recalled 90 80
After three
introductions 70 60 50
After two
introductions 40 30 20
After one
introductions 10 18 40 50 60 70
Age group

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

19. Adulthood: Social Development
Early-forties midlife crisis?
Females
Males
No early 40s
emotional crisis
Age in Years
24% 16 8
Emotional
instability

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

21. 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

22. Adulthood: Social Changes
Multinational surveys show that age differences in life satisfaction are trivial (Inglehart, 1990).
Percentage
“satisfied”
with life
as a whole 80 60 40 20 15 25 35 45 55
65+
Age group

23. Adulthood: Social Changes

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